Baby proofing basics

Guest article by Lars Bergholdt, owner CradleRock Safety

“I have bought this toilet lock, but it doesn’t seem to fit!” – is a quite common remark from the first time parent, during our more than 400 in-home child safety consultations every year. We are very fortunate to meet so many parents that seriously want to keep their children safe at home, but at the same time have experienced many troubles finding not only products that fit, but also figuring out what exactly needs to be childproofed!

Before even buying a safety product it’s important to identify and prioritize the most important and common areas of safety concerns. There are some great organizations such as www.safekids.org, that collect nationwide accident information from emergency rooms and other sources and then compile all the numbers into detailed statistics. All of this information gives us a good idea of the types of accidents that occur, where they happen and the children’s ages at the time of these accidents.

In brief - airway obstruction (mainly choking) is the leading cause of fatal accidental injury for infants ages 1 and under in the home. Almost 500 small children die annually and nearly 18,000 children are treated in hospital emergency departments for airway obstruction related injuries. Drowning is the leading cause of fatal accidental injury for children ages 1 to 4 in the home. Almost 300 children die annually from drowning and nearly 4000 children are treated in hospital emergency departments for near drowning related injuries including severe, permanent neurological disability. Falls are by far the leading cause of all non-fatal accidental accidents for young children accounting for more than half of all non-fatal injuries. Almost 2.5 million children are treated in hospital emergency rooms for fall related injuries. Falls are followed by a "struck by an object” injury, which is the type of accident where the child is being hit by an object such as a falling item from a table, a bookshelf or even falling furniture. A "cuts and bruises” injury occurs when a child is hit by a sharp object or runs into or falls on a sharp or hard surface (including stone and glass tables, fireplaces etc.). Severe cuts also happen if the child can access knives, razorblades, thin glass items and similar (often found in drawers and cabinets).

To prevent accidents from happening, a product is not always needed. Often removing objects, placing objects out of reach and rearranging furniture makes a safer and significant difference in the child’s environment. In this article we will discuss many areas of concern and how to prevent accidents from happening with and/or without products.

Although most accidents happen in kitchen and bathrooms, living areas such as family rooms, nurseries, bedrooms (the master bedroom) are normally the areas where the baby spends most of his/her awake time. Common accidents include cuts and bruises from sharp corners such as table corners and fireplace hearths, injuries from fallen objects such as lamps (floor and table) and furniture, falls from windows and decks, strangulation via blind cords and similar, choking on small objects, suffocation in plastic bags, pinched fingers in doors and burn accidents from fireplaces and electrical outlets.

All these accidents can easily be prevented. It’s often a great idea to create what we define as a “dumping zone”. Try to establish an area, typically a corner in the family room, where the baby has no access. This can often be accomplished by the use of existing furniture or a configurable gate. In this zone many hazardous items can be conveniently placed for a limited period of time – such as floor lamps, plants, electrical equipment and more. Eventually when the child get’s older, items come back out of the zone (we go back to normal so to speak!).

Cuts and bruises from sharp corners can be prevented with soft foam pads. They are adhesive and attach to corners and edges without leaving any permanent damage to the furniture. For tables, toddler guards are a good solution. They wrap around the table and can be easily removed on the daily basis.

To prevent accidents from falling objects, the objects of concern can either be removed into an area that is not accessible for the child such as a “dumping zone” (as discussed above), or they can be secured to the wall. Typical objects we secure to the wall include book shelves and children’s dressers. Open all drawers in the dresser to see if it tips easily. If this is the case, it’s a good idea to secure it to the wall. Smaller objects should be placed away from the edges and out of reach of the child. Table lamps and other electrical equipment can often be secured by wrapping the cords of the equipment around one of the back legs of the table it rests on!

Falls from windows and stairs are not only the most common accident for toddlers, but are also the most serious type of accident. Place furniture away from the windows and ideally secure the windows. Windows can be secured with simple window locks that allow a 3-4 inch opening for fresh air to come in, with window metal barriers and custom, or with clear plexiglas screens. It’s ideal to get into the habit of only opening certain windows, particularly the most difficult windows to access for a toddler! Install window cleats or cord wind up boxes to keep blind cords out of reach. Install gates on the top of the stairs (securely mounted) and also at the bottom of the stairs (pressure gates can work fine at the bottom).

Always make sure there are no small choking items and plastic bags within the baby’s reach. Choking is the main concern for the crawling baby, but much less of a concern for a solid toddler. Many toddlers have a habit of hiding and playing in closets and can find their way into a dry cleaner’s plastic wrap which is potentially a fatal accident. Always remove all plastic bags from the clothes and keep plastic bags away from children in general.

To prevent pinched fingers either keep doors closed, or use gadgets that secure the door in a certain position. These gadgets include “old-fashioned” rubber door stops (wedges under the door), finger pinch guards on the door itself, and eye/hooks or door chains mounted from the door to the wall.

Burns from fireplaces can be prevented with a fireplace gate or a screen and burns from electrical outlets can be prevented with either outlet plugs or outlet safety plates. Outlet safety plates replace the existing outlet plate and are the best safety option for outlets.

In the office the main safety concerns include; cords, outlets, scissors, paper cutters and choking hazards from the desk. Computers are not a safety concern, but it can be frustrating having a child turning the computer on and off frequently! Simple computer covers are available to prevent this from happening. Often parents decide to keep the child out of the office by either keeping the door closed at all times or simply install a pressure gate in the doorway. If the child is in the office, all cords, power strips and paper shredders should be blocked off by furniture or similar. Often we cut a wood board and install it under the desk in such a way that all cords and some equipment are hidden behind the board (inaccessible for the child). All small items such as scissors, clips etc. should be kept high up and out of reach or in a drawer that has a key or a latch installed. Finally, the child should only be in the office when a parent is also present.

Most accidents happen in the kitchen and in the bathroom. The baby loves all the fun appliances and to explore the “hidden away” treasures in drawers and cabinets! Most modern appliances are more inviting than anything else. Stove knobs are often large and red or blue, just like a toy and fun to play with. Dishwashers have many buttons and gadgets to play with as do microwave ovens. There are quite a few adhesive latches available and most of them work great in securing oven, refrigerator and dishwashers doors. The main safety concerns of all the kitchen appliances would be the ovens and stove tops. The toddler often opens the oven door and burns himself, pinches a finger in the oven door or uses it as a step ladder to get access to the burners! The oven door can easily be latched. To prevent access to the stove knobs, they can either be removed and then only use one knob at a time for the burner to be used or stove knob covers can be mounted. Finally, it’s a great idea to use the back burners only! Move more hazardous contents into the top drawers and install safety latches on cabinets and drawers (especially under the sink!).

Similar to the kitchen, it’s a good idea to move hazardous content into the top drawers in the bathroom. Secure all drawers and cabinets with latches (at least the ones with items such as sharp items, chemicals, thin breakables, tools and larger plastic bags inside). Also in the bathroom, the running and standing water is a concern. Toilet’s contain standing water, but are not a major safety concern. There are very few drowning accidents happening in toilets – max one a year in the entire US. Often a toilet lock is convenient regardless – just to prevent things from being dumped into the water! Standing water in the bathtub is much more concerning. Never leave your child alone in the tub, not even to answer a ringing phone! Check the hot water temperature. A maximum of 120 degrees Fahrenheit is recommended. Toddlers can get into the tub and turn on the hot water only. Finally keeping the door closed into the bathroom and perhaps secured with a door knob cover, lock or a gate in the doorway might be the best solution. Make sure you can always open a locked door from the outside since toddlers often lock themselves in.

The nursery or child’s bedroom is mostly a safe and child friendly area with no major safety concerns besides what has already been mentioned in this article. The crib always needs special attention. The small child spends most, if not all of it’s time in the crib when in the bedroom. Crib safety is very important. Often we are not aware of activities in the crib during supposed nap time and at night. The main accident in the crib is the fall out of the crib. Always make sure the mattress is lowered! We recommend lowering the mattress to its lowest level even before the baby can stand up. Max 1/3 third of the child’s body should be exposed above the crib railing. This is typically right under the chest line. Check the bumper and make sure it’s loose. Children often try to climb up on top of the bumper, and can then fall out. Also make sure the baby can not grab onto any loose cords (for example Cameras etc.) and get them into the crib or pull pictures and similar items from the wall above the crib. Avoid mounting any heavy items, especially glass framed pictures on the wall above the crib.

All products mentioned in this article, as well as more detailed babyproofing information, can be found on www.safetynook.com.

General information

Accidental injury is the leading cause of death for U.S. children from one to 14 years old. More than 5000 children die every year from an accidental injury! 40% of these are in and around the home. The leading causes are motor vehicle occupant injury, airway obstruction, drowning, pedestrian injury and burns.

Injuries to children ages 14 and under result in more than 200,000 hospitalizations, more than 2.3 million visits to hospital outpatient departments and more than 17 million visits to a physician. 9 in 10 injuries can easily be prevented!

CradleRock Safety is a specialized in-home childproofing company servicing the entire Bay Area since 2002. In the spring of 2007 we launched www.safetynook.com as a major nationwide resource for in-home child safety offering articles, expert advice and the largest online selection of safety products with installation videos.