Baby, Child, Maternity Information & Shopping

You will find that once you begin to look around you will see many hazards in the bathroom as well as outside your home. In the bathroom you should make sure that you have Ground Fault Interrupters. These are special electrical outlets that when they get wet, or if an appliance falls in the water while plugged in you will not get electrocuted, the circuit will trip and shut off the appliance. Most new homes are required to have these by all water sources, inside and out. If you do not have them it is a good idea to have them installed. If you are unsure how to install them on your own you should call in a licensed electrician to do the job correctly.

It is important that you have your hot water heater set correctly. You may find that some people like their water really hot. If it is too hot it can cause burns that are so bad you may have to go to the hospital. The best way to avoid that is to have your hot water set no higher that one hundred and twenty degrees Fahrenheit. Another step you can take is to install scald prevention devices on all your faucets, so that if your child turns on the hot water he or she will not get burned. Always check bath water temperature with the back of your wrist, or thermometer, before placing a child in bath water.

Some parents feel that if they use a bath ring their child is safe, but it has been shown that children can and do drown by slipping through the leg holes in these devices. Also, it goes without saying that you should never under any circumstances leave your child in the bathtub unattended. To avoid slipping in the tub you should use non-slip appliqués on the bathtub's floor. Water is a source of curiosity to toddlers so you should do all you can do to avoid them getting near any. It is also a good idea to keep the toilet seat down so that your toddler cannot play in there. Toddlers love to play in the toilet. Beware, that the toilet being unsanitary is not the only problem, but your child can also drown in that tiny bit of water.

You should also use childproof locks on the cabinets in the bathroom as well on the medicine chest. It is probably a good idea to store your medications and cleaning supplies in a locked cabinet.

One of the most important things you can do is to install doorknobs without locks. You do not want to be in the position where your child locks him or herself in the bathroom and you outside the bathroom. If you find that you need to have a lock on the door use one on the top of your door, out of the reach or your toddler.

There are hazards all around your home. One of the most important things you can do as a parent is to look around and be sure that those hazards are minimized. No matter how many safety locks are on the doors and no matter how many childproof caps are on the medication there is no substitute for parental supervision.

Article source: DestinationMaternity.com