According to the American Trauma Society, over 2,600 children in the United States under the age of 14 die each year from injuries occurring in the home. Another three million children receive injuries that could have been prevented.
Injuries can happen in any room in your house. We've developed this Home Safety Checklist to make your home and surroundings as safe as possible for your children. By using this checklist to identify and correct potentially dangerous situations, you can reduce your child's chance of injury or trauma.
We also recommend making your home safety inventory a family event -- because your children are never too young to learn how to stay safe.
Burns and Carbon Monoxide
- Working smoke detectors should be on each floor and in the basement
- Smoke detectors should be tested frequently
- Change smoke detector batteries when changing clocks for daylight savings
- Carbon monoxide detectors with audible alarms should be near sleeping areas
- Furnace and fireplace flues should be checked every spring and fall
- Put fire extinguishers in all areas where you work with open flames: kitchen, basement, garage and near fireplace
- Learn how to operate the fire extinguisher
- The temperature of your water heater should be set no higher than 120F degrees or lower to prevent scalds
- Test water temperature before placing children in a bathtub
- When cooking, keep handles on cookware turned inward, and use the back burners
- Keep hot foods and liquids out of reach of curious young hands
- Do not allow young children to retrieve food from the microwave
- Do not let children play in the kitchen when cooking
- Any space heaters are unobstructed
- Do not use a space heater in a bedroom or nursery
- Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children
- Do not light candles in a child's room
- Do not leave candles unattended
- For minor burns, run cold water over the injury and seek medical attention, if needed
- Teach children what to do in case of a fire:
- Stop, drop and roll
- Have an escape plan that has two different routes and a specified meeting place outside the house, and practice it
Poison
- Store household cleaners only in the original containers and out of reach of children
- If solutions do need to be mixed and can't be stored in original container, we mark the new container clearly: POISONOUS
- Store chemicals properly in: house, garage and basement
- Make sure all plants are non-toxic
- Keep all medications and vitamins out of reach of children
- Ask pharmacists for child safety caps on medications, but know they do not guarantee safety
- Keep local poison control number handy
Toys and Food
- Learn first aid, CPR and emergency treatment for choking
- Cut food into bite-sized pieces, horizontally and then vertically
- Do not give children grapes, popcorn, nuts or hard candy until they are age 5 or older
- Test all hot food for temperature before eating and do not heat baby bottles in the microwave
- Keep small objects that can cause choking away from children
- Avoid toys with parts that can be pulled off and swallowed
- Do not use latex balloons around young children
- Choose toy chests carefully; heavy lids can fall and injure or trap a child
Electrical
- Keep hair dryers, curling irons and other electric appliances away from sinks, bathtubs and toilets and out of reach of children
- Cover electrical plugs that are less than 3 feet from the floor
Falls, Suffocation and Restricting Access
- Install childproof latches on cabinets and basement doors
- Gate all stairwells
- Supervise children when they are on decks and balconies
- Place rubber mats or rubber strips in the bottom of the bathtub to prevent falls
- Use stops on windows to maintain small openings
- Area rugs and runners should be slip-proof
- Avoid infant walkers with wheels
- Keep cribs and beds of children away from windows
- Tie up the strings of blinds to keep them out of reach of children
- Cribs should have bars no more than 2-3/8 inches apart
- Crib mattress should be firm and snug fitting
- Use mesh playpens and portable cribs and keep the sides up
- Do not leave young children unattended, especially if they are in a tub, near any water or on the changing table
- Keep bathroom doors closed at all times
- Keep all plastic bags out of reach of children
Firearms
- If there is a gun in your home, store it unloaded and locked away
- Store ammunition in a separate location from guns
- Use trigger locks/gun locks
- Teach children what to do when they see a gun: do not touch and tell and adult
Car/Recreation/Outdoors
- Keep power tools, yard tools and lawn mowers out of reach of young children
- Do not let children use lawnmowers and lawn equipment until they are old enough
- Keep children inside when grass is being cut
- Automatic garage doors should have a safety mechanism to automatically re-open when striking an obstruction
- Use appropriately sized bikes and bike helmets
- Children should use helmets and other protective equipment while roller blading, rollerskating, skateboarding and when riding scooters or other wheeled toys
- Helmets must fit snugly and cover the forehead
- Everyone should use seat belts and children should ride in right-sized car seats
- Children should be in car seats appropriate for their height and weight
- Infants should ride facing the rear of thecar until age 1 or older and at least 20 pounds
- Children who use a convertible seat should ride facing the rear until they reach the seat's weight limit
- Use booster seats for children who are age 8 and younger and under 4 feet 9 inches tall
- Children age 12 and under should travel in the back seat and be properly restrained
- Teach your children how to cross the street safely:
- Cross at the corner
- Do not cross between cars
- Know what a running car looks like (back-up lights, parking lights, turn signals)
- Look left, right, left again before crossing
Remember to keep emergency numbers by the telephone:
- Fire/Emergency
- Police
- Poison Control: 800-222-1222 (National)
- 911
For more information on trauma and injury prevention, call:
St. Louis Children's Hospital's Injury Prevention Coordinator: 314.286.0957