All posts by pat brownlee

General Safety Issues

USE CAMERAS TO INCREASE YOUR SAFETY AND GIVE YOU PEACE OF MIND (GUEST POST)

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Vandalism and robbery in my area is a real concern. It was the type of problem I could do little to prevent, until I learned more about remote video surveillance – a simple, cost effective solution for those who travel and want peace of mind about leaving their home and belongings. 

I have important documents and family heirlooms in my home that are dear to me and I needed a way to protect them while I’m away. Remote video surveillance allows me to keep a watchful eye on my belongings 24/7/365. Imagine being on the road and having the ability to see what’s happening in and around your home at a moment’s notice, regardless of where you are. Sound impossible? Not with remote video technology. You can view live and recorded video at anytime from anywhere in the world. Here are some of the main advantages of home surveillance. 

Image Quality

High image quality is critical to capture an incident in progress and to identify those involved. Megapixel technologies allow network cameras to deliver better picture quality than an analog CCTV camera. Fully digital systems don’t use analog for transporting signals, which degrade in proportion to the distances of the cable. The signals stay digital, simplifying storage without image degradation. 

Fixed and Tilt Video Cameras

Depending on where you want cameras installed, there are two basic types of cameras to choose from: fixed and pan/tilt cameras.

  • The fixedcamera is used in the corners of rooms and is set to record whenever motion is detected. This is highly advantageous inside the home, when no one is supposed to be home and you don’t want endless hours of footage.
  • The pan and tilt camera, like the one Vivint includes in its home automation packages, allows you to perform a live look around via remote, observing your home in real time. You can change between camera angles instantly, allowing you to swivel the lens to take advantage of a broader view, giving you multiple angles with one camera. 

All you need is a high-speed internet connection and a power outlet for these built-in Wi-Fi or Ethernet cameras to be fully functional. 

Viewing

Some of the best features of remote surveillance are how you view the video. All you need is a web-connected device, like a laptop or compatible smartphone, to look into your home in real time. This can be from a single camera, one at a time, or all cameras at once through a single screen. 

Simple Scalability

Because remote surveillance systems are usually IP-based, expanding the system is a simple matter of adding new cameras to the IP network.  They can be placed anywhere and, because they use the internet, there are no cables to deal with. The system doesn’t even need a PC to operate.  

Security

With any security system, you may be wondering if someone can tamper with your new system. The good news is, IP networks are very easy to protect the files from being viewed or tampered with. Most cameras encrypt the video before it even enters the network and password protection can be utilized at different levels to prevent hacking from outside sources. 

Effective

One of the best advantages of video surveillance is the ability to avoid physical aggression. The high quality video and sound recordings not only help me prevent crimes from happening by calling in incidents to local police, but if required, the recordings can be used as evidence. Remote video surveillance not only provides me with better protection, it offers a proactive intervention solution, while remaining cost-effective. 

About the author:  Elli is a writer and expert in the home security industry.  She enjoys blogging about family and personal safety as well as how advancements in home security and home automation technology can simplify the ways we can keep our home and families safe.

 

 

General Safety Issues

SWIMMING: WHAT YOUR CHILD NEEDS TO KNOW BEFORE JUMPING IN (GUEST POST)

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Sent to us by Kristene Blackham 

Swimming is one of those ideal activities that is suitable for all ages and all fitness levels. This is why swimming is a great sport for kids to get involved in, as age is really only a number as swimming is about endurance, courage and technique. Though you may be anxious to get your child swimming as soon as possible, you need to make sure that you explain the sport in at least a little detail so your child will not be fearful when the time comes to dive right in and start swimming. 

Pictures and Videos

Small children may need to be shown what swimming is about. This is because many young kids are taught and told not to go under the water while in the bath and others may have been taught water safety while on a boat. These cues can cause apprehension in young children and thus make them somewhat fearful about learning to swim. Showing kids videos and sporting events centered around swimming will help visually illustrate that swimming is actually a fun and entertaining sport. 

Watch Mommy

One of the great ways to drive home the fact that once you know the basics of swimming that is is safe to just dive right in to a pool is by showing your own child how you swim. This works best for parents who can swim well and is best done by having your child sit and watch you take a few laps around a pool so they can see that swimming is safe when one knows how to swim properly. 

Professional Guidance

The other option for many parents is through swimming lessons in NYC. This is a way for children to get a good overview and introduction to swimming by a trained instructor. This works well as the swim instructor can talk to the child about swimming, explain how the lessons will work and earn the child’s trust. This is then followed up by the actual lessons which may begin on dry ground and then eventually progress in to the water where flotation devices are first used and then removed when the child has learned how to swim. 

The steps you take in preparing your child for swimming can go a long way in the end. One does not want to simply toss a child in to water and have them learn swimming simply through the process of trying to stay afloat. The extra time will have your little swimmer loving the sport and always craving more time in the water.

Once a child becomes a little swimming pro, if their eyes are sensitive to the water, get some good goggles to protect them.  Also, earplugs can help prevent “swimmer’s ear”.  pb

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

THE TOP FIVE RISKS TO BE AWARE OF WHEN RECOVERING FROM SURGERY (GUEST POST)

 When it comes to surgery, most people worry just about the procedure itself and think that once it’s over, you’re “out of the woods.” However, the time spent recovering after surgery is just as dangerous if not more so than during the procedure itself, as the patient is still in a precarious state. While every case is different, there are a few post-op risks that are common to many surgical procedures: 

  • Anesthesia Complications – It may be commonplace in hospitals, but anesthesia can nonetheless cause permanent damage if not properly administered and/or if the patient reacts badly to it. Issues range from a simple sore throat to nausea and vomiting, which can result in dehydration if not properly cared for. Emergence delirium, a condition in which the patient wakes up confused and agitated, is also a threat since patients can injure themselves while still in a daze. Inquire as to the anesthesiologist’s experience and if they have worked with the rest of the team before.
  • Infection – Surgery literally opens up your body to infection, and sanitization procedures notwithstanding, surgical centers and hospitals are hot spots for bacteria and viruses. Nurses in the PACU should keep a close eye on your incision site, change the bandages often, and take immediate action if an infection is suspected.
  • Lack of Oversight – Not all surgical centers have the same staffing policies, and if your PACU doesn’t have enough staff on hand to effectively monitor patients, your condition could rapidly deteriorate without nurses noticing. Look for a one-to-one ratio of nurses to patients, particularly if you’ll be receiving painkillers.
  • Malfunctioning or Incorrectly Set up Equipment – In a recent medical malpractice settlement, a surgical center’s PACU monitoring machines were found to have been muted, which played a role in the death of a 17-year-old girl after a routine tonsillectomy.
  • Medications – Pain management is a main tenant of post-operative care, but narcotics can also come with significant side effects. Fentanyl, for example, is a very strong painkiller often given to surgical patients, but it comes with the risk of respiratory issues. Ask before your procedure if you’ll be given medications following it, and if so what they will be and the potential side effects. 

While you can never protect yourself completely going into a surgical procedure, being aware of the potential risks both during and after the surgery, as well as taking steps to mitigate them, can help you lower the chance of complications. Your doctor may also have helpful information on how to prepare. 

Mario Cattabiani is the Director of Communications at Ross Feller Casey, LLP, a personal injury and medical malpractice law firm. Check out their post-op care checklist for additional information.

General Safety Issues

SEVERAL BLOGS FEATURING TOP PAINTING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS (GUEST POST)

Want a fresh new look on your walls? Need ideas for painting a nursery? Painting is not hard if you know the basics, and these eighteen blog entries will give you all the information that you need to successfully paint your own walls.  Once you get the hang of painting you’ll be unstoppable, no more wasting money hiring someone else to paint your rooms! And as tempting as it may be, make sure that you don’t skip the prep-work, because it could make the difference between a job well done and one that looks less than perfect.

Preparing to Paint & Tools

Preparing a room and walls properly for painting makes the paint go on smoother and ensures that you are proud of the finished product.  The walls need to be clean, nail holes should be filled and any areas where you don’t want paint need to be taped off. These six blog posts will walk you through the steps you should take before picking up a paint brush.

Successful Painting

In addition to prepping the walls for paint, there are other things that you need to keep in mind, so you’ll need to know all of the correct tools for the job. For instance, you can’t start and stop just anywhere while you are painting if you want consistent color across the wall.  Learn information about cutting in when you read through the following six blog posts about painting your walls.

Advanced Tips & Clean-Up

Here are some tips regarding clean-up and how to care for your brushes and tools so that they will last a long time.  Along with the clean-up tips, there are some tips for different paint treatments that are simple enough for a beginner to do with a little guidance.

These great tips were sent to us by Jeralyn Nelson, of http://www.housesittingjobs.com

You might want to stock up on some face masks to keep you from inhaling dust particles and the paint itself, especially varnish. pb

General Safety Issues

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE LETTING YOUR CHILD RIDE THE SCHOOL BUS ALONE (GUEST POST)

 The first day of school is a momentous occasion for both parents and their children, but so is the first time that your child rides the school bus alone. For some parents, necessity forces them to put their kids on the bus, as their own professional schedules won’t allow for drop-offs and pick-ups. In other cases, belief that riding the bus builds character or exposes kids to manageable difficulty to give them strength is the motivating factor behind using the school bus as primary transportation. Whatever your reasons, there are a few things you should know before your little one climbs those steps for the first time.

Basic School Bus Safety

In order to teach your child the basic rules of school bus safety, you’ll need to know them yourself. Your child should never run to or from the bus, even if he’s late. He should always stand back from the curb and wait for the bus driver’s signal before crossing the street, and should be at least ten feet in front of the bus for peak driver visibility. While he’s on the bus, your child should never shout, get out of his seat or roughhouse with other kids. If you’re not there to put him on the bus and escort him back at the end of the day, your child will need to know these things in order to handle himself safely.

Expected Times of Arrival

Even if you’re not going to be there to greet the bus at the end of the day or put your little one on it, you should still know the expected time of arrival each way. Arranging a system of notification, especially at the end of the day, will let you know that your older child has reached his stop safely. If you don’t know what time the bus arrives at the stop, you won’t know what time to expect that message.

Adults on the Bus

Some school districts or individual buses have an adult aide, in addition to the bus driver, who works as a monitor, while others rely solely on the attention of the driver. If your child’s bus will not have a monitor, you’ll need to understand that he may be exposed to bullying or other behavior that goes unpunished, as the driver’s attention is focused on the road, rather than the conduct of her young riders.

Rules of Conduct

While there are some basic rules of common sense conduct that hold true on every bus, there may be more specific ones on a particular bus or within your school district that you’re not aware of. You can’t pass those rules along and explain them to your child if you don’t know what they are, so make a point of procuring a copy of the conduct rules from your child’s teacher or school administrators before his first solo ride.

How Behavioral Problems are Handled

Kids on the school bus may not be monitored as heavily as they are in class, which can lead to behavioral problems you’d never consider under other circumstances. Whether your child is the victim or the perpetrator of these infractions, they’re so likely to happen that you’ll need to have a basic grasp of how your school district and bus driver will handle potential behavioral problems.

Age Span of Student Riders

In some districts, it’s feasible to keep younger children separated from the older, more rambunctious bus riders. Smaller areas may not have enough students to warrant more than one bus on a single route, however, and may lump kids of all ages together. This can make for some particularly scary moments for very young children, who can be the target of older bullies. Find out what the average age span is of the riders on your child’s bus, so that you can be prepared for any problems or can make alternate arrangements if you feel uncomfortable with the idea of him being surrounded by junior high students.

Your Child’s Ability to Handle Riding the Bus Alone

Some kids are more mature than others of their age, while some fall a bit behind on the scale of emotional maturity. Before you put your child on the school bus to essentially fend for himself, you need to know where he falls on that scale and how capable he is of handling the potential stressors of riding a school bus. In the end, you’re the only person who will know exactly how prepared your child is, and how well he’s likely to deal with the situation.

Our thanks to Hannah Anderson, of fulltimenanny.com, for this valuable information.

General Safety Issues

TEN TELLTALE SIGNS YOUR CHILD IS BEING BULLIED (GUEST POST)

 
 

Bullying is a problem of epidemic proportions, and can affect every aspect of a child’s life. While visibility around the issue has been raised as the most severe cases make national news, there is still a prevailing idea that bullying is part of childhood and is only a sign of “kids being kids.” Parents of children who are frequently the butt of bullies’ jokes know that the problem is much more severe than mere child’s play. If you’re concerned that your child may be the target of schoolyard or cyber-bullying, here are some signs to be on the lookout for. 

  1. Withdrawal from Activities – Has your child lost interest in extracurricular activities he once enjoyed? This could be a sign of your child being bullied. If he once loved his after-school clubs or teams and now actively avoids them, there could be harassment taking place that makes him reluctant to attend.
  2. Eating and Sleeping Habit Changes – Noticeable changes in your child’s eating or sleeping patterns can indicate that she’s under some sort of stress, which could be the result of being targeted by bullies. She could have a lessened appetite because of the thoughts running through her mind of her tormentor. If she’s eating more at home than usual, it could mean that her lunch is being stolen. Her sleeping habits could have changed because she now has nightmares about the person picking on her. There are a variety of potential causes for these changes, so they should be investigated.
  3. Irritability – Being picked on can put anyone in a bad mood, so try to look for the root of increased irritability or a shortened temper after school. Bullies wear on a child’s self-esteem, and a child with low self-esteem can lash out from that added tension.
  4. Avoiding School – The occasional faked stomach ache is a common ploy to get out of school for a few hours of sleep or to miss a test she’s not prepared for, but regular attempts to get out of going to school may be a sign of a child who’s actively avoiding her tormentors.
  5. Decrease in Grades – It’s difficult to concentrate on school work and getting good grades when that mean kid in class keeps kicking your chair or making fun of you. Your child’s grades might be suffering, not due to indifference to school, but due to a bully constantly nagging.
  6. Fidgeting – If your child used to sit still very well and for long periods of time but now seems to fidget, it could be because of a bully. A physical bully may spur the “flight” half of the “fight or flight” instinct, causing them to be hyper-aware of their surroundings and always ready to bolt.
  7. Unwilling to Discuss School – A child who avoids answering questions about his day or answers evasively could be hiding the fact that someone was picking on him. The part of the school day that has the longest impression on your child right now may be the fact that someone doesn’t like him and he’s being made fun of. It’s tough to remember the exciting parts of the day when your child’s thoughts are consumed by the torment of a classmate.
  8. Acting Out – Increased aggression and violent outbursts can be an indicator of bullying, as kids who spend their days being harassed seek an outlet for their frustrations. Any sudden personality change should be cause for concern, but a turn in a more aggressive direction should be addressed immediately.
  9. Being Mean to Younger Siblings – Is your child starting to pick on your other children? If so, she might have a bully she’s dealing with when you aren’t there. It’s natural to want to unload your burden onto someone else in the same way it was unloaded onto you. Your child could just need to get her anger out of her but doesn’t know how to, so she resorts to doing the same thing to her younger siblings that is being done to her.
  10. Unexplained Bruises or Injuries – Physical bullies do still exist. If your child comes home with bruises or injuries that are not linked to the regular rambunctiousness of a child, it’s time to get concerned. Yes, it’s possible that he fell down on the playground, but it’s also possible that he was pushed down by a bully and is scared to tell you about it.

The shame and embarrassment that can accompany being bullied is often enough to keep kids quiet about their troubles, especially if they’re afraid that they’ll be subjected to retribution for tattling. Be patient with your child and let him know that you’re on his side, and that you’ll find a solution to the problem together.

This article is shared with us by Teresa Belcher, of Nannyagency.net

General Safety Issues

SAFETY FACTORS OF MARKETING FOR NEW BUSINESS (GUEST POST)

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Safety factors of marketing for new business

Safety factors play an important role especially when you are planning to head for a new business marketing plan. Approaching new customers by still being a novice or even a seasoned entrepreneur could be challenging. Consumers often rely over online stores (even the brick and mortar stores), which are well established in the market and they love to buy brands that are well known to them. This is because they simply do not want to put them into any kind of risk of getting a wrong product. Also, while doing a new business online, the consumers are justified to get deflected owing to several safety and security reasons. Hence it is very much important to know and understand these factors before heading to marketing for your new business. Let’s check these safety factors, which you need to take care while going for a new business venture.

Consider key safety measures over your business portal

If you look at the consumers of this modern age, you will find them with good amount of awareness. They are now becoming more and more aware especially when it comes to online shopping. They understand the online security issues better than before thanks to the huge information available over the web. The consistent barrage of scams and spam have made the modern day consumers have made them more secured about their information. This simply means that while heading for your new business, you are supposed to set up a clear cut internet security policy, which should be vividly reflected in any of your online marketing drives.

Any online business portal (e-commerce, loan and application websites) which obtains several indentifying details or bank/financial information of the consumers should be secured. You are supposed to carry the SSL certificate backed by the latest technology. The consumers are well aware of this factor and hence often look out any e-commerce site before shopping. So your marketing efforts would be a big waste if you are selling out products online without SSL certificate. Also, make sure you rely over the latest encryption technology for your website and allow your consumers to know this. It will boost confidence in your consumers and they will come with this security factor that they find over your business portal.

Lastly, you also should ensure a fact that you would protect all their contact details along with other sensitive data of your consumers. These details for any online business website is a very vital thing both for the new and old business owners, which has to be kept intact and avoided sharing or selling with other people. All these details, you need to put over your site for your consumers.

Setting up your publishing policies

Another important safety factor, which you need to consider in your new business online marketing, is setting up your publishing policies. It is always recommended to have clear cut safety and security policies for your online business website. You could easily find template for such policies over the web, which could help you in modifying the changes you find as per your requirements. As you build up your own policies, you are supposed to consider elements, which are vital to the sites users or consumers that has to be highlighted before them as your key policies.

Once you do this, make sure your marketing team sit together and review all your policies and identify the number of important policies, which are supposed to be highlighted before your consumers. This will certainly impact the way the policies are posted over your business portal or ecommerce site. And the most important policies could be made in bold letters over your website to get an instant notice by the website visitors. You could even think of pointing out your safety and security polices over other areas of your site. One of the important goals of your online marketing efforts is to establish the element of trust over your site. If your marketing efforts are able to give your consumers a good amount of comfort regarding their safety and security, you end up establishing the trust and they would become more comfortable while using your website.

Full fill your promises

The other important safety factor is to full fill all your promises you made for the safety and security. You should make sure that your business site is full proof and abreast with the latest security systems to carry out the business transactions from confirming things from website hosting company and your developer. You should avoid selling, leasing or lending your email marketing data with anyone if you have promised your consumers for not doing the same. If you fail to fulfill your promises you end up ruining the trust and confidence of your customers on your brand, which take long to build up. Customers consider the security issue very seriously, hence it’s imperative for you as well to pursue in the similar fashion.

Final word

As you put all your efforts in your online marketing for your new business, make sure you follow these safety factors without any hitch. These three things would help you in establishing your loyalty and trust in the market and thus making your marketing efforts more effective.

About The Author: Margaret is a writer/blogger. She loves writing travelling and reading books. She contributes to Carribean Cruise Line Scam

First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues, Home Safety Products

MODERN HOME SECURITY SYSTEMS – A HOMEOWNERS’ NEW BEST FRIEND? (GUEST POST)

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 Long gone are the days when homeowners simply purchase a “burglar alarm”. With current technology, home security systems are now the product of choice as they offer a full range of protection against much more than just home break-ins.

Fire and Smoke– From cooking mishaps to unattended candles, there are many potential fire sources in your home. Between 2006 and 2010 alone, The National Fire Protection Agency reported that one in every 310 homes experienced a fire. While standard smoke alarms offer some protection, you never know when a battery can die and leave you unprotected. When looking for a home security system, look for one that offers fire and smoke detection which can make your home much safer against the threat of fire and smoke damage.

Carbon Monoxide– Often referred to as the “silent killer”, carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas that can cause severe health problems and death when humans are exposed to it in high quantities. It is often emitted by home furnaces and other appliances. Many modern home security systems contain carbon monoxide detectors that can alert homeowners immediately if the gas is found present in the air.

Water Damage– The National Flood Insurance Program’s website tells that even just 3 inches of flood water in a 2,000 square foot home can cause close to $39,000 in damage. A comprehensive home security system may include water sensors that detect when water (from a flood or burst pipe) has entered the home. As any flood victim knows from experience, the longer flood water is in a home the greater the threat of dangerous mold to grow. Tending to the issue immediately can often save homeowners thousands of dollars in additional damage.

Medical Emergencies– Slip and fall injuries are some of the most common household injuries to be sustained, but they are certainly not the only ones. If you are a senior citizen or if you have a senior citizen living in your home, it is often a good idea to have a security alarm that includes a medical emergency response system. Typically this equates to the homeowners just having to push one button on their security system panel to alert the police and an ambulance that a response is needed at your address.

Power Outages– When you are home you are likely to know about a power outage right away. However, if you are away from home (especially for an extended period of time) you may not realize that the power to your home has been lost. Since the power in your home is needed to operate your refrigerator and freezer, as well as security lighting, it is important to never lose power even while you are not at home. Many newer home security systems can run on battery back-up in the event of a power loss and notify the homeowner immediately upon loss of power.

This article was contributed by C. Wiley of the SecurityChoice.com Blog.

Other types of home security include having flashlights handy in case of blackouts, as well as first aid kits, in case of minor accidents.  pb

 

 

General Safety Issues, Health Issues, Hearing Protection, Respiratory Safety

SIGNS OF A GAS LEAK (GUEST POST)

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Sent to us by Ryan Edun
People often worry about the dangers of having a natural gas furnace. While natural gas is affordable and burns clean, it can still produce deadly carbon monoxide if there is something wrong with the system. Carbon monoxide detectors will protect you from the danger, but it’s still wise to know what the warning signs are of a gas leak

Watch for the Odor
Natural gas has a unique odor. Often described as being comparable to rotten eggs, you can easily smell a gas leak. If you ever walk into your home and smell gas, you should call the gas company immediately for service. If you are unable to reach the gas company, then call the fire department because they can also help.

The Gentle Breeze
Gas leaking out of a line will have some pressure behind it. Look around the exterior of your home around the gas lines. Plants that are gently blowing like they are in a breeze could be directly under a leak.

Bubbling Puddles
If the ground is wet around buried gas lines, then the escaping gas can cause the moisture to bubble. Have your lines marked so you know the general direction lines move in underground. If you ever see puddles or ground moisture bubbling around the area of your buried gas lines, then you should call the gas company immediately.

Fading Plants
Gas will eventually dry out and kill off plants that are near an outdoor leak. Look for landscaping that suddenly struggles and dies with no visible cause. The culprit could be a gas leak steadily poisoning the plant.

Physical symptoms
It’s also important to know what physical symptoms you might suffer from if exposed to a gas leak. Understanding the warning signs of carbon monoxide poisoning will help keep you and your family safe. Watch for these warning signs, and call for service immediately if you start seeing them.

Exhaustion and fatigue are a warning sign of serious poisoning. If you and the rest of your household find yourselves too tired to keep your eyes open in the middle of the day, you should get out of the house immediately and take in some fresh air.

Other serious warning problems include involuntary muscle twitching, difficult writing and assembling thoughts, spots in your vision and trouble hearing. There may be a high pitched noise sounding in your ears and a sensitivity to light. Chronic headaches are another warning sign you should heed.

While some gas leaks are serious and will cause a sudden onset of symptoms, other leaks are very minor. Low enough that you cannot detect them by simple odor, the symptoms can also set in slowly. If you notice new allergies, food sensitivities or just chronic unexplained headaches, then the problem could be lurking in the furnace. A cracked heat exchanger, defective parts or leaky connections could allow small levels of carbon monoxide to seep into the home. Over the long term, these small amounts are just as dangerous as the higher fatal levels.

You can avoid the drama of a gas leak by investing in regular maintenance. When your system is well cared for, you won’t have to worry as much about it leaking. With regular tune-ups, defective parts can be replaced before your system poses a threat to your family. You won’t have to worry about breakdowns, and you will hopefully avoid the danger of gas leaks and carbon monoxide poisoning.

General Safety Issues

HOW TO PREVENT ACCIDENTAL POISONING AT HOME (GUEST POST)

Poison control centers report that more than half of the incidents they handle each year involve children under the age of six. The majority of these poisoning injuries result from the inadvertent ingestion of common household substances. Learning to reduce the likelihood of a poisoning incident in your home is an essential part of safe parenting and childcare provision, simply because even the most closely-watched children can find a way to get into dangerous things during the split second an adult’s back is turned.
Keep an Eye on Medications

The prescription medications that safeguard your health and the over-the-counter pills that ease minor aches and pains can be a blessing to ailing adults, but present a very serious danger to young children. Making sure that all of your household medications are stored in a place children cannot reach and are inside child-resistant containers is imperative. It’s also very important to make sure that you keep an eye on visitors’ belongings. When Grandma stows her pills in a daily dosage container with a simple flip-top and tosses it in her purse for easy access on the go, there’s very little keeping an inquisitive child from ingesting those medications. This especially holds true for toddlers and preschoolers that may have learned to associate “Grandma’s Purse” with “candies and sweets.” Make sure that visitors have a safe place to store their bags while they spend time in your home.

Clean Up Your Household Cleaner Shelf

Keeping all of your household cleaners in the cabinet under the sink is both wildly common and quite convenient. Even if you spring for the cabinet locks touted by baby-proofing experts as infallible, it’s important to keep in mind that no baby-proofing product is immune to failure. Installing cabinet locks is a great idea that can keep children from accessing a variety of unsafe objects, but moving the chemical cleaners to a high cabinet is the most effective way of keeping them out of kids’ reach.

Check the Paint

Buying older houses in rebounding neighborhoods is a popular trend for lots of reasons. Older houses have character, the price point can be more manageable than a shiny, new McMansion and they’re generally packed with charming features. Before moving into your new-to-you home, however, you’ll want to make sure that none of the paint inside it contains lead before you start scraping. Using a lead testing kit is your safest bet, especially if you suspect that the existing paint is a relic from a society that wasn’t so aware of the danger of lead.

Food Poisoning is Still Poisoning

Just because food is intended to be ingested doesn’t mean that it can’t be poisonous. Making sure that you are well informed regarding safe food handling practices and that all foods you feed your child are kept at the proper temperature and prepared in such a manner so harmful bacteria is eliminated is essential to his health. It’s also important to make sure that your child isn’t able to access the contents of the garbage can. Adults might think that the off-putting smell of a garbage can is enough to repel anyone, but the curiosity of an inquisitive child knows no bounds.

Monitor Your Carbon Monoxide Detectors

When you change your clocks and the batteries in your smoke detector at the beginning and end of daylight savings, make sure that you also change the batteries in your carbon monoxide detector and test it to ensure full functionality. Carbon monoxide is tasteless, odorless and colorless, so the only way to truly protect your family from accidental poisoning is to make sure that your first line of defense, your detectors, are working.

Kitchens, bathrooms and garages are the most common sites of accidental household poisonings. Paying special attention to these areas of your home and making sure that any potentially dangerous substances are stored far out of kids’ reach can help you prevent a poisoning emergency in your home. It’s also imperative that you store all chemical products in their original containers, as they contain important information that your physician or poison control specialist will need to ensure that your child gets the proper treatment in the event of an inadvertent poisoning emergency. Parents and childcare providers should also know how to spot the signs of poison ingestion, which consist of burns or redness around the mouth and lips, a chemical smell on kids’ breath, vomiting, dizziness, sleepiness, confusion and other strange behavior, including difficulty breathing, seizures and unconsciousness.

 
Sent to us by Lynda Albertson of  NannyBabysitters
 
Thanks, Lynda, and a reminder that every home should keep a first aid safety kit on hand.