15 Safety Rules at Home for Kids

At first glance the safest place where your child could be is at home, this is no proof that they can’t be harmed inside. There may be certain injuries that can be a result of their own actions. That said, these incidents can be minimized if you take certain measures to ensure the safety of your child by laying out the right safety rules for them. Parents should follow these safety rules at home for kids to ensure the maximum safety of their kids.

The urge to explore the house, play new games, and the curiosity to reach out to every possible attractive thing can sometimes lead your child to significantly dangerous situations.

As a parent, you can’t restrict their movements completely, but you need to ensure their well-being while they explore. 

Thus, to help you with ensuring the safety of your beloved children, we have prepared a chart of safety rules at home. You must teach them or do them with your kids. These rules will not only keep your child safe but also ensure that both you and your kid continue living your lives without fear or anxiety. 

Why is it important to follow safety rules at home?

Maintaining safety at home is very convenient these days, yet it is something that cannot be carried out by a single person but needs participation from everyone in the family. There are various aspects that need to be looked into to ensure that home is a safe place for all the members. Rules and regulations are visible in all aspects of life. Whether it be at the highest court in the land or the laws of driving on the road, rules and regulations can truly be seen everywhere. Similarly, house safety rules at home are there for the safety and security of the members of the house. These safety rules to be followed at home ensure several benefits like prevention and preparation in the event of any uncertainty. We have prepared special safety rules on the home chart for the convenience of our readers. Refer to the house safety rules in the home chart in this blog.

Things You Must Have to Keep Your Kids Safe at Home.

Apart from following the house safety rules, there are certain elements and devices that you may find very essential for maintaining the security of your kids at home. We have compiled a list of the most necessary things you may need like a smoke detector or a security camera with household safety rules for you to prepare well.

Rule 1. Never Leave Your Child in Bathroom without Supervision

Playing in water is one thing that kids enjoy the most. But leaving them unattended in the bathroom or bathtub is never a wise decision. Children can drown only in a few inches of water, so never leave them alone in the bath, even for a single minute. Also, leaving them in bath seats is not a wise decision. 

Having said that, we have listed some bathroom safety tips for your children that you must follow:

• Never leave water in the bathtub when it is not in use. 
• When taking your baby for a bath, ensure that everything you will need is within arm’s reach. Don’t let your child grab anything while bathing.
• Use non-slip strips at the bottom of bathtubs to avoid slips and falls. 
• Test the temperature of the water with your wrist or elbow to ensure that it is neither too hot nor too cold. 
• Unplug all the electrical appliances, such as the hairdryer, beard trimmer, etc. Store all these appliances in a separate cabinet with a safety lock. 
• Childproof all the electric sockets that are within reach of your child. 
• All the medicines and cosmetics should be stored in a hard-to-reach cabinet equipped with safety locks.

Rule 2. Baby Cribs Should Be Clutter-Free

In America, around 2,000 deaths are reported to be due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), according to Dailymail. The majority of the cases were due to suffocation during sleep because babies are put in cribs and cots with unsafe bedding, pillows, and blankets.

According to a study published by the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP), 50% of US infants are still placed to sleep in “potentially hazardous bedding.” AAP advises parents to put their babies in a cot with no loose bedding or soft objects. Also, there should be no pillows, soft toys, or cot bumpers in the bed.

Safety tips that you should observe while putting your baby to sleep:

• Use a firm and flat mattress for your baby.
• Never sleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair as this can cause potential suffocation.
• Avoid sleeping in the same bed with your baby, especially if you smoke, drink, or are extremely tired. This rule should be strictly followed if your baby was born prematurely or with low weight.
• Never cover your baby’s face or head while sleeping.
• Never use loose bedding such as soft blankets, quilts, or pillows.
• Keep all the toys away from the bed. 

Rule 3. Child Should Have No Access to Chemicals and Solutions

Kids are always on their way to exploring. While at it, they might find certain pesticides and detergents with alluring odours and start meddling with these harmful chemicals and containers. 

A child can also consume these harmful chemicals erroneously. So, it is advisable to keep such household chemicals outside the reach of children. 

The following are some rules to make your child’s environment safe:

• Remove all the potentially harmful chemicals from the house.
• Store all such hazardous materials in a high, locked cabinet.
• Put a safety latch on the doors of cupboards where you keep household chemicals.

Rule 4. Childproof All Electrical Outlets

Every parent knows that children are curious by nature. Also, electrical points and outlets are an invitation for kids to mess around and stick their fingers in. This can create a fatal scenario for your kid. 

So here are some tips to keep your kid safe from any electrical hazard in the house:

• Unused wall outlets and outlets that are within reach of children should be adequately secured. (Pro tip: You can consider blocking the outlets by creatively arranging the furniture!)
• Hide the extension cords behind the furniture, or use a hide-a-cord device. 
• Never leave unattended devices and cables. 
• Keep all electrical appliances outside the reach of children.

Rule 5. Small Toys and Miniature Items Should Be Stored Carefully

Young children are at a high risk of choking on miniature items and toys that are small enough or have small detachable parts. They can grab anything they see and put it in their mouths. 

Parents should be extra careful and keep the following things in mind to prevent any choking hazards:

• Avoid keeping small or showpieces within reach of kids. 
• Keep battery-powered products outside their reach. These products contain button batteries that put your child in grave risk of choking.
• Even while giving them food items, make sure that they are broken into smaller pieces, naturally easy for them to swallow. 
• Avoid serving them food items such as peanuts, seeds, popcorn, hard candies, etc. 

Rule 6. High Chair Safety Tips

High chairs are one of the good options that parents prefer once their child learns to sit. Also, many parents consider them quite safe for their children, especially while feeding them. You might be surprised to know that there has been an increase in high chair–related injuries. 

A recent survey found a 22% increase in high chair–related injuries among children of age group 1–3 years. 

Ensure safety at home for kids by following a few rules:

• Make sure the high chair cannot be tipped over easily.
• Make sure to lock the high folding chair every time you open it.
• Child safety straps are a must. This will prevent the child from slipping down.
• Never allow a child to stand on a chair.
• Never place a chair near the counter or table as the child can push hard enough against these surfaces and tip the chair over.
• Never leave a young child alone in a chair.

Rule 7. Watch Your Kid When They Move in a Baby Walker

Baby walkers rank high on the list of must-have baby products, but this baby walker could turn out to be a significant cause of injury. Every year, thousands of small babies are taken to hospitals due to damage caused by baby walkers. Thus, as a parent, you must prepare safety rules at home for kids, wherein you must include safety measures for baby walkers. 

Also, the safety tips below can help:

• If you have stairs open, try not to use a baby walker, as your kid can roll down the stairs in the blink of an eye
• If your kid can stand it, using baby walkers could be dangerous. This gives your kid access to stand on a baby walker and reach hazardous objects which you cautiously kept on a high away from your kid.
• You must ensure that you have full control of the baby walker as out of sight could lead to out of mind, and your kid can fall into a pool, pit, or rocks surrounding your house. 
• Do not leave your kid with Neighbours, and if you have to do it, ensure you don’t hand over your kid in a baby walker. 

Rule 8. Keep Your Kids Safe from Child Abuse

Yes, child abuse at home is also a possible cause of concern, and as a twenty-first-century parent, you must not ignore this serious issue. As per a fact from HealthyChildern, around 3 million cases of child abuse are reported every year. Among these cases, the major causes are with regards to like child neglect and physical and sexual abuse, or a combination of both. The worst part is, child abuse can also happen at home. Thus, as a parent, you must ensure the following things:

• Don’t leave your child in the care of a stranger. 
• Keep a check on the changing behaviour of your kid, and notice both physical and mental signs and symptoms.
• Talk to your child about anything and everything. If your child is mature enough to understand, explain to him or her about the wrong touch, the right touch, and how to stay secure, alert, and safe. 
• Try to maintain a healthy environment and ensure having the right work-life balance (if you are working) at home so that your child doesn’t feel neglected. 
• Do a background check before hiring anyone to look after your kid.
• Install a CCTV camera if you don’t stay at home for long hours.

Rule 9. Make Sure All the Openings of Your House Are Secured

Kids are not aware of where a door or window might open or close. Chances are, they might get their fingers stuck in the gaps of doors or windows. Also, if they gaze down from the top floor, they might end up accidentally opening the window. 

These incidents can be prevented by the following simple measures:

• Secure all the doors and windows by using preventive locks so that they cannot be opened easily.
• Install a barrier at the base of the staircase to prevent your child from crawling up.

Rule 10. Ensure the Safety of Your Child around Glasses

While running freely around the house, it’s easy for a child to bump into glass doors and windows. 

These are the safety rules at home for kids that need to be followed: 

• Apply a shatter-resistant film to windows and doors.
• Put stickers at eye level to avoid unnecessary bumping.

Rule 11. Mounted TV and Other Furniture

It is almost impossible to stop your child from moving around and climbing on the furniture. While climbing, there is a chance that the mounted appliances can tip over, causing injuries. 

To avoid this, make sure to do the following:

• TVs and other appliances should be well mounted. 
• Also, the dressers, drawers and bookcases should be well secured to avoid tipping over. 

Rule 12. Ensure Backyard Safety

The backyard is a safe play area for your child. But at the same time, it can have various things that pose a potential threat to your child. It is essential to eliminate such a risk.

Following these rules shall be kept in mind to ensure the safety of your child in the backyard:

• Make sure your yard has no dangerous/poisonous plants.
• Train your child to never pick and eat anything from a plant.
• Never allow your child to play in the yard (at least 48 hours) after you have sprayed any pesticides or herbicides. 
• Never use a mower to cut the lawn when a child is around.

Rule 13. Interacting with Pets Should Be Handled Cautiously

Pets quickly get friendly with babies. But one crucial thing that we mostly don’t consider is that pets have a mind of their own, and they might not always like your behaviour toward them. 

So here are some critical safety tips for parents with pets at their home:

• Train your child to treat pets gently and with care and not treat them as their toys.
• Ensure that your child never disturbs the pet while having food or while they are sleeping. 
• Never leave your kid alone with the pet.

Rule 14. Prevent Your Child from Burns and Scalds

Always keep your child safe from hot surfaces and fire. Keep an eye on them when they are anywhere near things that can burn, such as a stove, microwaves, etc.

Safety at home can be ensured by following these specific tips:

• Keep hot drinks away from the reach of children.
• Microwaves, heaters, and stoves should be kept outside the reach of children.

Rule 15. Prevent Falls at Home

Falls are the most common cause of injuries. You can keep your child safe by following these easy tips:

• Install safety guards across entries to stairs and balconies.
• Always supervise your child while they are climbing stairs. 
• Use sensor lights so that your child walks without tipping over.

If you follow these Safety Rules at Home for Kids and do the basic baby-proofing your home needs, you can be assured that your child will be safe at home. Drop us a message and let us know what your favourite tip is. 

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