Читать книгу Baby Proofing Basics - Vicki Lansky - Страница 17

In an average year, children under five experience over 7000 injuries from HOT curling irons alone. Keep them away from young children.

Don’t leave a hair dryer or other electrical appliance where your child can reach it and pull it into a water-filled tub or sink. Even one that is turned off can cause electrocution if it comes in contact with water. (Some new models can provide protection whether on or off. They have rectangular-shaped plugs with reset buttons at the ends of the cords.) If you use an electric heater in the bathroom, place it high on the wall where your child can’t reach it.

Unplug all appliances when not in use.

Consider installing child safe electrical outlet covers. Sliding door outlet covers do not require removal. Simply slide the cover to the side to plug in the electrical cord. When you unplug, the cover automatically slides shut.

As of 2008, ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) are required in bathrooms, kitchens, garages and other areas of your house. (GFCIs can be installed by anyone knowledgeable about house wiring. There are also portable GFCIs that can be plugged into most outlets.) Remember to use outlet covers in the bathroom as you do in other rooms.

Put a hook-and-eye catch high up on the outside of the bathroom door so you can keep your child out of the room altogether.

Keep your child from locking him or herself in the bathroom by attaching door knob covers. You can also drape a hand towel over the top of the door, or invest in a stopper that fits on the top of the door. Or put duct tape across the doorknob bolt so that it won’t close tight. Just in case, have a key or an instrument to open the door outside the room.

Keep scissors and razors locked up as you would medicines, and dispose of razor blades safely.

Be as careful to lock up cleaning substances as you are with medicines. Beauty aids, from shampoo to nail polish, need to be out of reach. They can be poisonous, too!

Remember that some other substances not always recognized as dangerous can harm your baby if ingested — for example mothballs, liquid soap, perfume and cosmetics. Even good-tasting mouthwash, in large quantities, can make a child ill.

Use plastic or paper drinking cups to avoid the danger of broken glass in the bathroom. Besides, it will also prevent the exchange of germs.

A safety gate on a bathroom doorway keeps a child out, and if positioned a few inches off the floor, allows a small pet access to a litter box or bowl of water.