Childproofing Your Home PART 3

Childproofing Your Home Part 3

Setting the thermostat too high on water heaters can cause scalding. Most experts recommend that the temperature be set at120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. For babies, the bath water should be tepid or lukewarm, not hot: around 96 degrees Fahrenheit.

Use a safety gate to keep children off of stairs and out of dangerous areas. Choose a gate that allows easy access for adults, but that your child cannot push out of place or open. Inexpensive gates that are held in place between the doorframes by pressure alone will force you to step over them to move from room to room. Also, a child may be able to dislodge them by leaning on them. The type of gate that screws into the door frame is more secure, and can be opened easily by adults.

Purchase door knob covers or install a door locks that are out of your child’s reach on doors to the outside. Remember that locks every time to be effective. Forgetting just once to lock the door behind you can result in disaster.

Install window guards or window stops. Also, if you have window blinds, cut the cord loops apart to eliminate the chance of your child choking by getting tangled in the cord. Attach safety tassels or inner cord stops to prevent the cord from pulling out of the blinds.

Replace corded phones with cordless ones to prevent strangulation. This also allows you to move more freely around the house and yard when on a call.