Keeping children safe in the home is one of the most important jobs for a parent or grandparent. Children are by nature exploratory. They will look in cabinets, open doors and put anything in their mouths. There are ways to protect children in the home from getting into hazardous substances.
Cleaning products are the easiest chemicals in the home to keep out of the reach of children. Every homeowner has some type of cleaning solution, but that does not mean it should be kept around his or her child. Cleaning products such as Clorox, dish detergent and laundry detergent should be kept in a high cabinet, preferably one that has a lock of some sort on it. There are numerous types of locks that parents can get at any hardware store to put on a cabinet. The locks are childproof and will not allow children to open the door. Cleaning supplies should never be kept with other household objects that the child is allowed to play with. Childsafe.com gives parents tips and ideas on how to keep all hazardous materials out of the reach of children. They suggest that if locks cannot be placed on cabinets and drawers, then the bottles that chemicals come in should be sealed with a childproof lid.
Loose insulation in homes is a major hazard for not only children, but all family members. Exposure to the poisonous asbestos fibers is the only known cause of mesothelioma cancer, a disease that attacks the lining of the body’s major organs. A mesothelioma prognosis is rather grim, usually giving only one or two years of survival. For this reason, older homes should have the insulation replaced every few years so that there is little asbestos build-up.
Cleaning products are not the only hazardous materials that children can come in contact with. Medications need to be properly stored as well. Children should not be told that vitamins or medicines are candy. This will give them the idea that all medicines are candy. Do not store medicines in a bottle that resembles a candy bottle. Always have a childproof lid on any medications in the home. Medicines that adults take on a daily basis need to be kept in a locked medicine cabinet, out of the reach of children. Even medicines that are for children can cause poisoning. It is easy for children to overdose on medications that they can get their hands on easily.
Keeping children away from chemicals in the home is easy to do. Simply keep substances locked up and on a high shelf so that children cannot reach them.
The above is a guest post by Jillian S. McKee of http://www.childsafe.com/
