Child Safety

Home

Childproof your home. The best way to find dangers your child might encounter is to explore your home at their level by getting down on your hands and knees. Go through every room, asking yourself what looks tempting and what is within reach. Childproofing can never be 100 percent. That is why it is so important to supervise your children at all times.  Use safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs.  Cover all unused electrical outlets.  Secure bookcases, shelving, and heavy furniture to walls with brackets and anchors.  Use broad-based carts for TVs, microwaves, fish tanks, and appliances.  Set the thermostat of your hot water heater no higher than 120° F.

Kitchen

 Keep hot foods and liquids away from young children.  Use the back burners on the stove, and turn pot handles toward the back of the stove.  Keep glassware, knives, appliance cords, placemats, and tablecloths out of reach and away from the edge of counters and tables.  Request child-resistant packaging.  Remove sharp utensils and appliances from their reach.  Install cabinet safety latches.

Bathroom

 Install locks on medicine cabinets.  Install toilet lid locks.

Bedroom

 Keep cribs and low-standing furniture away from windows, preferably against another wall.

 Secure window covering pull cords out of reach of small children. Infants and toddlers have been known to tangle themselves up in window covering pull cords.

Tip: Be aware of old cribs. Baby furniture built even a decade ago might not meet some of today’s safety standards.

 Use child safety seats. ·Purchase the proper seat for the height, weight, and age of your child (go to www.nhtsa.gov for details). ·Follow manufacturer’s instructions for proper installation. ·Learn from a certified technician how to properly install your child safety seat (contact Broomfield Health and

Human Services or North Metro Fire Rescue). ·Do not use borrowed or second-hand child safety seats.

Poison Safety

·Know which household products are poisonous. ·Keep poisonous products out of children’s reach. ·Keep the Rocky Mountain National Poison Control Center

Hotline number by each phone: 1.800.222.1222. ·Keep products in their original containers. ·Never refer to medicine or vitamins as candy. ·Choose medicines and products that have child-resistant caps. ·Beware of make-up, hair spray, cologne, and other personal products. ·Throw away old medicines and cleaning products.

Tip: When discarding unused medications, ensure you protect children, pets, and the environment. The City and County of Broomfield Environmental Services advises to:

·Place tablets and capsules in a sealable plastic bag containing white school glue. Once the mixture is solid it can be put in the trash.

Another alternative:

·Pour medication into a sealable plastic bag. If medication is a solid (pill, liquid capsule, etc.), crush it or add water to dissolve it. Add kitty litter, sawdust, or coffee grounds to the plastic bag. Seal the plastic bag and put it in the trash. ·Remove all identifying personal information from the containers before throwing them away.