Your hectic child care schedule may leave little time for safety precautions, but when it does, here are a few suggestions to follow.
1. Inspect your floors for small objects that a baby can grasp and perhaps choke on. These include marbles, buttons, dog food chunks, dust balls, toy parts, rubber bands, and other such items. In addition to picking up visible objects, vacuum carpets and dust mop wooden or tile floors every day or two to catch anything your eyes might miss. Babies that can crawl, sit, or walk as well as roll around on the floor may be able to find things that you cannot.
2. Buy covers for the electrical outlets. These plug right into the openings to prevent small children from inserting fingers or toys into the outlet and thus get shocked or electrocuted. Cover all lower-level outlets as well as any your child can reach from the high chair or crib. If you remove a cover to use the outlet, don't forget to put it back in when you are done.
3. Remove all plastic bags and coverings from open areas. These include grocery bags, sandwich baggies, dry cleaning covers, shopping bags, plastic packaging, and other types of plastic sheets that can get wrapped around a child's face or stuck in his throat.
4. Secure and perhaps lock all large appliances that open. These include the dishwasher, washer, dryer, freezer, refrigerator, or cupboards that can forcibly restrain a child. Kids love to hide in small, dark areas in hopes of arousing a sibling's or parent's curiosity about their whereabouts. But suffocation or other dangers can occur under certain circumstances. Don't let your child play in the car, either.
5. Set windows to open just a few inches for ventilation. If possible, get windows that lock when raised at certain space intervals. This will keep intruders out and children in, and protect kids from playing around windows that can suddenly fall and injure their fingers.
6. Keep all doors locked. Toddlers have an uncanny way of learning how to unlock doors or get out of secured spaces. Don't leave your child's safety to chance. Close the basement door when you go down to check the laundry. Latch the front door while checking the mail. Never leave a toddler or infant unsupervised near a swimming pool, bathtub, or even a bucket of water.
7. Don't let electric cords dangle from counters or stovetops. Make sure they rest safely atop a surface, not over it, as children are drawn to things that they can grasp and pull. You don't want a pan of hot water or a heavy brass lamp falling on your precious little one.
There are other things to be wary of as well, but these pointers can give you a head start in securing your home for infants and toddlers under your care.
