A freshly divorced dad must eliminate as many potential hazards to children around the home as possible. While childproofing a home can be a difficult task, it is an essential step in child safety. The following are tips for childproofing a home to ensure children are always safe and sound.
Covering up Potentially Dangerous Items
Due to their curious nature, children want to explore every part of a house. Covering up potentially hazardous items that will trigger the need to explore from their snooping eyes is a great way to childproof a home. Installing safety netting on windows will keep accidental falls at bay, while childproofing window guards will prevent children from opening windows. Light fixtures should be covered by shields to keep children from having their tiny fingers burnt and prevent electrocution.
Installing Protective Devices
A freshly divorced dad should inspect his staircases, furniture, and household items for possible hazards and install protective devices if necessary. Anchors, for instance, keep appliances such as a microwave oven or TV from falling. Edge bumpers are effective in covering sharp corners like hearth or coffee table edges, which may be dangerous to a child. Safety gates are effective in preventing toddlers from accessing staircases or rooms with potential hazards.
Keeping Dangerous Items Out of Reach
A dad who is divorcing with kids should ensure potentially hazardous items are kept in childproof cabinets to avoid poisonings and other injuries. Tiny objects that could pose choking risks to children, cleaning supplies, pesticides, medications, and dangerous chemicals should be locked in safety cabinets. Guns and other firearms should also be kept in childproof cabinets. Other items that should be kept away from children include candles, matches, and lighters.
Implementing Water Safety Measures
When dealing with water, taking extra caution is important. Using multiple layers of protection, such as a fence around a spa or swimming pool, can help keep children protected from water hazards. A four-foot-tall fence that features self-latching gates would be a great water safety measure. The pool doors should feature an alarm as an additional layer of protection. Furthermore, a child should always be monitored while in a spa, swimming pool, or bathtub.
Installing Functional Alarms and Checking Them Regularly
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are valuable child-safety devices that newly divorced dads should install in their homes. Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of the house, while carbon monoxide alarms should be installed close to sleeping areas. They should be checked once a month and batteries replaced yearly.
Thinking Like a Child
Once a freshly divorced dad has inspected the entire house and eliminated all potential hazards, he should sit back and look at things once more from a child’s point of view. What are some of the objects in the living room or kitchen that are likely to attract a child? Are these objects likely to pose a safety risk to the child? These are some of the questions that the dad should ask himself before bringing the child home.
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