New parents may not realize just how much danger their children are exposed to on a daily basis. All families have to take precautions to protect their children, so that their homes are as risk free as possible from accidents. Below are six safety tips that can help make your home safe from their infancy, through crawling and walking:

Glass
Far too many children are seen in emergency rooms for injuries due to glass furniture. Coffee tables and side tables are not required by law to use safety glass, going the safe route and putting away furniture that has glass in it is the best thing to do until your child is older.

Window Blinds
Children continue to have accidents and strangulation from mini-blind and drapery cords. This is because children love twirling around in cords,and do not realize the dangers. The only way to prevent accidents is to invest in a blind winder, so you can have all your cords stored away, without hanging down. The cords can then operate with the push of a button!

Water
Children under the age of 5 are at the highest risk of drowning, but all kids needs to be watched carefully around water. If you have a pool in your yard or hot tub, be sure to have a high fence around it, locked at all times. Alarms should be installed on any door that can lead to a pool area, and be sure that any water you have is free of toys floating around that would entice a child to go there. Babies can drown in something as small as a bucket of water! 

Storage
Cabinets and cupboards should be secured with child safety locks. Inside those cabinets are glass dishes, toxic cleaning products, medicines, heavy pots and pans and other things that can be deadly to your baby, should they get into them. Installing locks on all cabinets and even drawers will help your baby be much safer.

Windows
Deaths from open windows has risen in the past few years. Preventing falls can be easy though, by simply having window guards put on the windows. Make sure all windows are locked too, so that your children don’t have these types of accidents.

Safety Gates
Safety gates should be used around your home anywhere that a baby can be hurt. Safety gates are a must at stairways, around fireplaces and at openings to rooms that the child would not be safe in. Netting is well worth the effort too!

There are many more ways to protect your child from hazards at home. Ensure that your children are at the least risk possible when in your home by taking these preventative measures.

Grace Green writes about safety, parenting & more at http://www.boatinsurance.org..

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