Tips: Keep Kids Safe At Home
Each year about 2,000 children between the ages of 1 and 14 die and more than 3 million are injured as a result of home accidents, according to a leading consumer safety organization. Most of these deaths and injuries occur during the spring and summer months, when kids are home from school and parents are away.
"As children spend more time at home during summer break, parents should ask themselves if they are doing everything they can to keep kids safe at home," said Anne-Marie Rouse with ADT Security Services. "It's easy to get into vacation mode and forget about home dangers that put kids at risk."
Rouse urged parents to remember that a home can be a very dangerous place for children if safety and security measures are overlooked. She suggests the following tips to help protect children:
- Lock up all matches and lighters and blow out candles when you leave the room or go to sleep. Never leave young children unattended near an open flame.
- Always supervise young children around water. Never allow older siblings to supervise children in or around water.
- To help prevent children from falling out of upper level windows install specially designed locks. Teach older children how to lock and unlock windows in an emergency.
- Help prevent poisoning by removing all medicines from purses, pockets and drawers. Lock all medications and household products in a cabinet with a child safety lock and keep cosmetics out of reach of small children.
- According to the Canada Safety Council, the best defense against fires, gas leaks and other emergencies is a well-rehearsed escape plan. While children are home for summer break take advantage of this time to create and practice your evacuation plan.
- Consider a monitored home security system, including monitored smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. These can detect dangerous levels of harmful CO and smoke and then alert a monitoring center which notifies first responders, giving them vital, specific information about babies, young children, seniors and disabled people in the home. Many systems can also be programmed to "chirp" when a protected door or window is opened, which can also alert parents to a child's whereabouts or activities.
Rouse wants parents to know that they can reduce their children's chances of accidental injury and even death by making home safety the top priority on their summer to-do list.
"Home should be a safe haven and we hope these safety tips will help parents create safer, happier, more secure homes for their families."