Creating Safe & Healthy Homes for Your Kids

The physiological makeup of a child is of utmost importance, such that the onus rests on parents (especially mothers), to make their homes “habitable” and free for their kids to move around without any danger lurking around the corner. After all, a clean and germ-free environment makes for a healthy child.These tips are sure to keep your kids safe.

• Bar the windows: children are free-spirited in nature, the reason they can “jump off a cliff” in a bid to satisfy the curiosity of what lies ‘down there’. This is why it is most important to stall any such tendencies by installing window bars (probably 3” wide) to stop that enthusiastic kid from crawling off to doom.
• Be cautious of stairs: Toddlers have not completely mastered how to walk, as a result they often lose their balance and are prone to falling. Children fall from stairs often; they are prone to being hurt more in a fall when compared to adults, because at that point in their life, they are learning to move around. Fix baby gates at both top and bottom of those stairs to shield your child from falling and risking any injury.
• Take precautionary measures against fire outbreaks: Items that would cause any fire incident should be kept and locked away from the reach of children as they stand a higher risk in being caught in a fire outbreak in comparison with adults because they can’t move quickly. Items like match boxes, lighters, candles, gas cylinders, or any combustible materials are to be kept away. It is strongly advisable, also, to keep an extinguisher (which should be refilled at intervals) to douse any fire; this could make all the difference before the fire service arrives.
• Contain poisonous items: Kids, especially babies learning to crawl tend to pick up items on-the-go. Most of the time, these items are harmful to their health. Medicines (even though prescribed), cosmetics or pesticides, should be securely locked away to prevent them from ingesting such items; otherwise this could result in a catastrophic injury capable of scarring the child for life. Studies show that pesticides for instance, have the potential to cause different types of cancer. In the case of such accidents, the affected child should be taken to see a doctor immediately.

 Asides the above listed, a lot of other incidents could cause a lasting scar or a more serious health issue to kids because of their fragile nature. Injuries that would cure quickly in an adult would linger a while in kids; all the more reason to “baby-proof” your home making it the desired sanctuary for your child. Even though supervision remains the best way to protect and forestall any unintentional injuries, you cannot be with your kids every second of the day. However, applying these safety measures would sure proof your home, making it a safe haven for your kids to live a full healthy life. Ifeoma Anita Chukwudum