Childproofing The Hall And Living Room

When should I install safety gates in my home?

Safety gates should be installed when your child is mobile, which means if your child is crawling, or if your child is getting across the room because it's rolling. Anytime that your child can get into harm's way on his or her own, then you should have safety gates up and in working order.

Where should safety gates be installed?

Child safety gates should be installed at the stair top and at the stair bottom, always, and they should be mounted into the wall. Safety gates should not be pressure gates. Safety gates are also used in the entrance to a kitchen, or any entrance into the kitchen if you have several ways to get in and out. It's a great way to keep your baby safe if you disallow them access to the kitchen area while you're cooking, with all the dangerous appliances in there. Safety gates can also be used when you're creating a play area in your home. So, you can put one gate in the hallway that leads to the rest of the house and keep your child in that one area. If you want to gate off a fancy living room that has wonderful furniture and pull down hazards that your child would have access to otherwise, safety gates are a great way to keep the room looking fabulous and decorated but not hazardous to your child.

What type of smoke detectors is best for a home with children?

Most homes have smoke detectors or fire detectors installed in the home already, but I found one smoke detector that is great for homes with families. It's a vocal smoke or fire detector, and you can record your own voice. You can say, "Chloe, Callen. This is Mommy, and we're having an emergency. This is a fire in our house. I want you to stay in your room until Mommy and Daddy come and get you." I just think it's a brilliant way to teach your children to do the right thing in the unlikely event of an emergency.

How often should I test smoke detectors?

Testing your smoke detector often, to make sure that it's in working order and that the batteries are working properly is so important, and one rule of thumb that I use in my household is as often as there is the time change, we check our fire and smoke detectors and see if it chirps properly and if it doesn't, it's time to replace it and install a new one.

What is a "carbon monoxide detector"?

A carbon monoxide detector is a alarm that can sense if there is a carbon monoxide leak in your home. It is important to have a detector because you can't see carbon monoxide and you can't smell it. So, you need to have a specific machine on each level of your home, especially in your sleeping quarters that will alert you if, in fact, there is a leak.

How do electrical outlet covers and outlet plates protect my children?

Electrical hazards in the home are very common because we have outlets all over our home. And the great way to squelch the hazard of electrical outlets is by installing sliding outlet covers. So, what you do is you remove the faceplate of the existing outlet, and then you put this new faceplate on, which has a sliding cover, and it keeps your baby from being able to stick toys, tools, fingers inside the outlet sockets.