Parenting Advice: 10 Home Safety Tips, Facts, Myths To Reduce Common Accidents With Children

Child safety at home is a very important topic, especially considering how the modern home has evolved and the updated layout can expose kids to hazards in rooms that were previously remote, like the laundry room or a home office.

A recent survey from BabyCenter, done in partnership with Tide, shows that 1 in 3 parents say their laundry room is located near where family members spend most of their time, like the living room or kitchen, and less than 5% list the home office as a childproofing priority.

Parenting expert Jeannette Kaplun, who is the spokesperson for the “Keep Them Up, Keep Them Closed and Keep Them Safe” campaign, wants to educate parents, especially those who have children 5 and younger, on how they can reduce the risk of accidents around the home by updating their home safety checklist.

In an interview with Latin Times, Kaplun explained the campaign was created to help promote safety in the home for children and reduce the risk of accidents like those that could potentially happen with cleaning products, including detergent packets.

Home Safety Basic Guidelines To Reduce Common Accidents In Children

1. Keep hazardous items up: All-purpose cleaners, aerosols, ant/roach killers, antibacterial products and disinfectants, automotive fluids and oils, batteries, fertilizer, shampoo, and many others.
2. Cover electrical outlets, including USB outlets.
3. Keep phone, tablets and their cords away.
4. Keep laundry away from kids: Cluttered clothes can cause suffocation.
5. Keep handbags out of reach: Batteries, coins, pencils and many other items can dangerous.

Home Safety Facts and Myths You Need To Keep In Mind

1. "When you baby proof your home is not done!": As your baby grows the house should also be reviewed. A prudent thing to do is to update the security methods every year.
2. "Use your common sense": Don't relax when kids are growing, always supervise, especially kitchen and bathroom.
3. "60% of accidents occur at home": Risk outside of your residence is lower compare to the ones at home.

Journalist, blogger, TV presenter and writer Jeannette Kaplun, also advises parents to set the rules without frightening their children. "Be honest! Make them aware of the world and environment," says Kaplun. "Do not frighten them by saying that they can not go to certain areas because there are monsters. It creates better limits and helps them to raise awareness," adds the expert.

Finally Kaplun advises parents to value all the effort they make to keep the family safe. "Recognize that you are doing the best you can. Learn, read and educate yourself."