Kitchen
General

• Wipe up food or liquids that might cause falls.
• Store dangerous items, such as plastic bags and cleaning products, in out-of-reach cabinets. Store safe items in lower cabinets or drawers.
• Store garbage in a latched cabinet.
• Do not use refrigerator magnets that are small enough to be choking hazards.
• Do not place infants on kitchen counters.
• Use an appliance latch on the refrigerator door.
• Store safe items for your child’s play, such as pots and pans and wooden spoons, in one cabinet.
• Children under 4 should not be in the kitchen when meals are being prepared unless one person is available to watch the child.
• Use a playpen as a safe zone for a young child if the child must be in the kitchen with you.
• Make sure your child’s high chair has a wide base to prevent tip overs.
• Always use the safety strap when your child is in the high chair.
• Never leave a child alone while in a high chair.

Scalds and Burns

• Do not hold a child while you are carrying hot liquids.
• Keep playpens away from the stove.
• Use back burners of the stove first and front burners last.
• Keep hot items away from the edge of the counter or table.
• Turn pot handles inward on the stove.
• Protect burner control knobs with knob covers.
• Keep children away from the oven and hot appliances.
• Keep electrical appliances and electrical cords well away from the edge of the counter.
• Never leave a detachable appliance cord plugged into the outlet when it has been disconnected from the appliance.
• Use low microwave settings and mix all food thoroughly after heating. Be sure to test food temperature before feeding.
• Never warm your baby’s bottle in the microwave.
• Avoid scald burns by keeping children away from the hot water tap on a drinking water dispenser.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics. Injury Prevention and Control for Children and Youth (1997).

Bathroom
General

• Bathroom door should be kept closed when the bathroom is not in use. To prevent a child from entering, use a door knob cover or hook-and-eye latch.
• Be sure your locked bathroom door can be unlocked from the outside.
• Use nonskid bath rugs.
• Use a safety latch on the toilet lid.
• Cover the wastebasket.
• Keep cleaning products and harmful items out of sight and out of reach.
• Keep medications in a locked cabinet or box.

Electrical Hazards

• Unplug electrical appliances when not in use.
• Keep hair dryers, razors, and electrical curlers unplugged and out of reach of children.
• Do not use electrical appliances around water.
• Install ground fault circuit interrupters.

Bathtub

• Lower the household water heater thermostat to 120° F. If necessary, install an anti-scald device to keep the water temperature less than 120° F.
• Cold water should be turned on first and turned off last. Separate hot and cold water faucets can be hazardous. It is best to have a single faucet.
• Before placing a child in the tub, test the water temperature.
• Do not leave soap bars or shampoo containers on the side of the tub.
• Tub should be empty of water when not in use.
• For younger infants, use an infant tub.
• Do not leave child under the age of 5 – or older if child has increased risk – alone in the tub or shower.
• Stay with the child during bathing. No interruptions. Ignore the phone.
• Purchase a nonskid bath mat or nonskid decals to prevent a slippery tub.
• Use a protective cover over the tub spout to prevent bumps and burns.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics. Injury Prevention and Control for Children and Youth (1997).

Living Room and Family Room
General

• Do not use glass-topped tables.
• Do not place heavy objects within a child’s reach.
• Make sure TV, VCR, stereo, and other electronic equipment are out of reach of young children.
• Use a VCR guard on the cassette loader.
• To prevent falls from windows, install window guards or screens or a device that prevents windows from opening more than 4 inches. Do not use on windows that are emergency exits.
• Do not allow children to climb on furniture or play near windows.

Playpens

• Designate a safe area, such as a playpen, for a young child.
• Be sure playpens have fine mesh sides with openings smaller than 1/4 inch or vertical slats less than 2-3/8 inches apart.
• To prevent playpen sides from collapsing, make sure the playpen is always fully opened and in a locked position.
• To prevent a child from climbing out, never place large toys in the playpen.

Burns and Electrical Hazards

• Hot light bulbs should be out of reach from young children.
• Make sure fireplaces, radiators, and heaters have protective barriers.
• Do not use space heaters.
• If a space heater must be used, make sure it is not within a child’s reach. Turn it off when you are asleep or out of the room. Also, check to be sure it automatically turns off if it is knocked over.

Infant Walkers

• Do not use an infant walker. A “walker” without wheels can be used as an activity center.
• If you have an infant walker, make sure all stairways are blocked and items are out of reach of small hands. Never leave a walker near a stove, space heater or fireplace. Children in walkers should never be near hot liquids.
• An adult should always be present when a child is in a walker.
• To prevent falls, walkers should be kept away from stairs at all times.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics. Injury Prevention and Control for Children and Youth (1997).

Bedroom
General

• Never use infant bean bag cushions.
• Never place infants on an adult bed to sleep.
• Never place an infant on a waterbed.
• Never leave an infant alone on a changing table.
• Always cover the wastebasket in the bedroom. Never place dangerous materials such as latex balloons, small or sharp items or rubber bands in the wastebasket.
• The best toy chest is a basket without a lid. If your toy chest has a lid, check to make sure it has hinges that lock and keep the lid open at any angle. All toy chests with lids should have air holes.

Toddler Bed

• Place guardrails on toddlers’ beds.
• Make sure the bed is a minimum of 2 feet from windows, heating vents, radiators, wall lamps, and drapery or window-blind cords.
• Never use an electric blanket.

Bunk Beds

• Never allow children younger than 6 to sleep in the top bunk.
• To prevent entrapment of the child’s head, legs, or arms, add additional boards to the bed frame to close off any space more than 3-1/2 inches between the lower edge of the guardrails and the upper edge of the bed frame.
• Make sure the top and bottom bunk have a guardrail next to the wall and at both ends of the bed. The top bunk should also have a guardrail on the outer side.
• Check to make sure guardrails extend 5 inches above the mattress.
• Make sure the mattress is well secured with cross supports made of wood slats, metal straps or sturdy wires.
• Do not allow children to play on bunk beds.
• Never use an electric blanket.

Cribs

• Make sure cribs do not have slats that are more than 2-3/8 inches apart.
• Check to make sure the crib does not have splinters or cracks and that lead-free paint was used.
• Never use cribs with corner posts.
• To prevent entrapment of the child’s head, legs or arms, never use cribs with decorative cutouts in the headboard.
• Check to make sure there are not crossbars on the sides of the crib.
• When the sides of the crib have been lowered, they should be a minimum of 9 inches above the mattress.
• When the baby is in the crib, always keep the sides up.
• The sides should be operated with a locking, hand-operated latch that is secure from accidental release.
• To prevent entrapment, make sure the mattress is the same size as the crib and that there are no gaps.
• The minimum rail height should be 26 inches from the top of the railing to the mattress when set at the lowest level.
• No pillows, quilts, stuffed animals, sheepskin, or other soft items should be in an infant’s bed.
• Make sure your child’s crib meets current federal and voluntary industry standards. Do not use older cribs. Use safety tassels for mini-blinds. Remove strings from toys and pacifiers.
• Use bumper pads in the crib until your child can stand. Bumper pads can then be removed.
• Lower the crib mattress when the infant is able to sit alone. When the infant can stand, lower the mattress to its lowest position.
• Crib toys should not be strung across the crib. Remove crib toys when the infant begins to push up on hands and knees or when he or she is 5 months old.
• To help prevent a child from climbing out of the crib, never place large toys in the crib.
• Make sure hanging crib toys are not within the child’s reach.
• Place a carpet or rug underneath the crib.
• To prevent a child from climbing out of the crib, never place large toys in the crib.
• Never use an electric blanket.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics. Injury Prevention and Control for Children and Youth (1997).

Safety Habits: Checking Out Used Furniture

If you purchase used baby furniture such as a crib or used equipment such as a car seat, check for recall information by checking the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site at www.cpsc.gov or by calling 1-800-638-2772.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics. Injury Prevention and Control for Children and Youth (1997).

Halls and Stairways General
General

• Keep stairs clear of toys, clothes, and other objects.
• Make sure banisters are secure. There should be no more than 4 inches between the upright posts.
• Make sure plants are out of reach.
• Use nonskid backing for carpet on the stairs, at the bottom of the stairs and in the hallway.
• Keep toys and other clutter out of the hallway.
• Be careful not to over-wax floors.
• Clean up spills immediately.
• Be sure hallways and stairways are well lit.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics. Injury Prevention and Control for Children and Youth (1997).

Laundry Room
General

• Do not allow young children in the laundry room.
• Make sure the dryer and washer doors are always closed.
• Make sure dangerous items, such as bleach, detergent and other items, are out of sight and out of reach of children.
• Do not leave water standing in buckets, diaper pails, or other containers.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics. Injury Prevention and Control for Children and Youth (1997).

Garage
General

• Make sure tools, chemicals, and equipment are locked away from children.  Store chemicals in their original containers.
• Always keep garage door locked. Do not allow children in the garage alone.
• Before driving into or out of the garage, make sure you know where your child is.
• Keep garage freezers locked at all times.
• If you have an automatic garage door opener, make sure it has an auto-reverse feature. Never let children race to beat the door when it is closing.

Car

• Never leave a young child alone in the car.
• Never let your child play with the car windows (electric or automatic).
• Do not keep cigarette lighters in the car.
• Make sure rear-door child locks are working until the child is at least 6 years old.
• Teach your child to get out of the car on the curb side.
• Make sure the keys are not in the ignition when you are washing or working on the car.
• Never leave a car running in an unventilated area, especially if the garage is attached to the house.

Source: Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. First Aid for Children Fast (1994).