Are you hosting visitors with young children this holiday season? Here are some tips to help you make sure your home is prepared!
Child Safety at Home
Before hosting your young visitors, make sure all medications and household cleaners are stored out of sight, out of reach, and in child-resistant containers. This includes your purse or any bags that you may carry medicine in.
If you have pets, keep your pets supervised or crated around the children. Keep pet food and medications out of reach. Rodent and insect traps should be off the floor and out of reach.
If you want to block off certain areas of your home because they aren’t childproofed, utilize baby gates. These should also be used at the top and bottom of stairs to prevent little climbers from falling. Add bumpers or soft covers to corners of sharp or solid furniture. Heavy furniture and televisions should be anchored to prevent tip-over.
Items with small button batteries, like hearing aids and some remote controls, should be kept out of the reach of children. They can cause very serious chemical burns.
Holiday decorations can also pose a risk to babies and toddlers. Ornaments can present choking hazards, while lights and tinsel present a strangulation risk. Make sure small children are always supervised around these items.
Guidelines Have Changed
Children’s furniture and toy safety guidelines have changed quite a bit over the past couple of decades. If you save a crib made before 2011, it won’t meet current safety standards. Toys with paint that were made before 1974 may contain lead paint.
If you’re going to be babysitting an infant, make sure you are up to date on safe sleep guidelines. Dangling window cords should be moved out of reach of children. Make sure there are no dangling cords from household items or appliances.
If you’ll be hosting a family with small children overnight, ask what you can do to make their stay easier. It might help you all sleep better!
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