4 Ways to Keep Your Home Safe for Your Kids

Your home should always feel like the safest place your children can possibly be. As a parent, you work hard to make that happen, but sometimes we get so busy that it’s easy to forget some of the basic things we should be doing to protect our kids at home. Remember these four important steps to protect them.

1) Store Dangerous Items Properly

When you first moved into the house, you probably stored things in a very organized way. In time, though, you may have gotten a little lax and started storing things in areas where kids have easy access to them. Every so often, do a storage “audit” of your home. Make sure that cleaning products, glues, medications, and other dangerous materials are out of reach.

2) Install Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors

You try to watch your kids constantly, but you can’t be on duty 24 hours a day. Installing smoke detectors in your home, along with carbon monoxide detectors if you burn fossil fuels, will give you that around-the-clock service that keeps your kids protected whether the family is awake or asleep. Make sure all detectors have fresh batteries and replace the entire unit when its useful life ends.

3) Keep Pests Out

We may not think of pest control as a major safety issue for kids, but it is. Keeping spiders, mice, and wasps away from your kids can prevent everything from rabies to allergic reactions. Consult with a qualified pest control firm about a strategy for keeping these pests out of the house, then bring a technician back periodically to review conditions and make sure you’re still protected.

4) Create Good Security

The hazards we’ve addressed so far all originate inside the home, but we can’t neglect those that intrude on your family from the outside. Home invasions and abductions are rare, but they do happen. Tough security measures in your home can reduce the chances of these incidents without making your home feel like a fortress. Quality locks, a security system, and physical barriers like fences and thorny shrubs can all reduce the odds that a criminal will be able to get into your home. As a bonus tip, make sure your kids understand how to use 911.

Nobody wants to think about what dangers their kids face at home but acknowledging them is the first step to preventing them. Use these simple tips to make your home the safest place your kids go.

By Lizzie Weakley

Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and walks in the park with her husky, Snowball.