Making Your Home Safe for Children

General tips

Look for safety hazards in your home from your child’s viewpoint. Get down on your hands and knees and look around. Think about what looks enticing to a child. These tips can help you get started.

• Cleaning supplies, medicines, vitamins, and some personal items (such as cologne) can be toxic to children. Lock them in a cabinet out of reach of children.

• Use plug protectors on all unused electrical outlets. Keep them in their original containers so you know what they are if a child gets into them.

• Keep matches, lighters, and other sources of flame out of children’s reach.

• Keep knives, scissors, and other sharp utensils out of children’s reach.

• Keep button batteries out of children's reach.

• Keep your hot water heater at 120°F (48.8°C) or lower to prevent burns. A child’s skin is more sensitive to heat than an adult’s, and can burn more easily.

• Even 1 inch of water can pose a drowning risk for small children. Buckets are a common hazard, so empty buckets when not in use and turn them over. Never leave a small child alone in water, including the bathtub, or a swimming pool. Drain sinks or tubs when done with them. Always keep the toilet lid closed and use toilet seat locks to protect toddlers. Fence any pools. Completely enclose the pool. Keep it separate from the house.

• Cook on back burners whenever possible. Keep handles of pots and pans turned toward the back of the stove.

• Secure large TVs and other heavy furniture with a wall strap. This keeps them from falling over if a child climbs or pulls on them.

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including in the basement and outside all sleeping areas. Test smoke alarms monthly, and change the batteries once a month or when the alarm chirps. Don’t shut off smoke alarms, even for a short time.

• Install carbon monoxide detectors near sleeping areas. Carbon monoxide is a gas that you can’t see, smell, or taste—and it can be deadly. Test carbon monoxide detectors monthly.

• Make sure crib slats are no more than 2⅜ inches apart (about the width of a soda can). Wider slats can trap a baby’s head.   Up-to-date crib safety information can be found at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website at www.cpsc.gov.

• Put babies to sleep on their back in a crib in the same room as a caregiver for the first 6 to 12 months of life. The crib mattress should fit into the crib without a gap. Use only a fitted sheet with no other bedding or toys.

• Keep plastic bags and plastic bubble wrap away from small children. Children have suffocated after putting bags over their heads.

• A good rule of thumb: Don’t let your small child play with any item that is small enough to fit through a toilet paper tube. These items are small enough for a child to swallow and choke on.

• Don't keep firearms in the home. If you must keep a firearm in the home, it should be stored unloaded in a locked location such as a gun safe. Store ammunition in a separate locked place. Be certain children and teens can't get to keys or combinations to the locked place.

• Teach your children to never approach or try to pet a strange animal or disturb pets when they are eating.

Special note to parents

Keep a list of emergency information near every phone in the house. This should include your address and emergency phone numbers, such as Poison Control (800-222-1222). Consider taking a class in basic first aid and CPR for children.