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Home Safety

A smiling boy is wearing a bike helmetYoung children have the highest risk of being injured at home because that's where they spend most of their time. Most childhood injuries can be predicted and therefore prevented. Supervision is the best way to prevent injuries. In this brochure parents and staff can find tips and tools to reduce injuries at home for their children.

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Injury Prevention Starts at Home

  • You gave your children the gift of life, give them the protection they need
  • Love them. Protect Them.
  • Many childhood injuries are predictable and preventable!

You can protect yourself and your family by taking action to prevent injuries at home!

You Can Prevent Burns at Home

  • Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children.
  • Install and maintain a smoke alarm. Remember to change the batteries!
  • Cover electrical outlets.
  • Turn pan handles on the stove inward and use back burners when cooking.
  • Set the hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (F) or less. Ask a friend or your landlord if you need help.
  • Test bath water temperature before putting your child in it.

You Can Prevent Falls at Home

  • Watch your child CONSTANTLY when they are in the bathroom.
  • Install window guards on upper windows.
  • Use stair gates at the top and bottom of stairs.
  • Always use the safety latch in your child’s chair or strollers.

You Can Prevent Poisonings at Home

  • Keep all medicines and cleaning supplies in containers with safety caps and store them in a locked cabinet.
  • Buy and install a Carbon Monoxide (CO) detector in your home to save your child from CO poisoning.
  • Act fast if you think your child has been poisoned! Call the Poison Control Centers 1-800-222-1222.

You Can Prevent Choking at Home

  • Don’t let children put small things in their mouths.
  • Toys, household items, and food can all be choking hazards.
  • Teach your child to chew his or her food fully before swallowing.
  • Choose the foods you feed your child carefully—popcorn, hard candy, nuts, hot dogs, grapes—and avoid fish with bones.

You Can Prevent Drowning at Home

  • Never leave your child unattended in a bathtub, bathroom, pool or even near a bucket.
  • Install lid locks on all toilets and keep the lid closed.
  • Never leave a child alone around water.
  • Empty buckets after each use.

You Can Prevent Suffocation at Home

  • Keep plastic shopping bags and trash bags away from your child.
  • Keep toy chests, car trunks, and washer/dryer doors closed when not in use.
  • Don’t put pillows, blankets, bumpers, or toys in crib—these things can sometimes keep a baby from breathing.
  • Place babies to sleep on their backs.

Injury

The No. 1 killer of children in the United States.

  • Fall
    Falling is part of learning. Use safety gates and create fall-safe environments.
  • Poisoning
    Young children want to touch, taste and smell the things around them. Keep chemicals out of the reach of children.
  • Suffocation
    Many things can cause a child to stop breathing. Learn about safe sleeping choking hazards.
  • Drowning
    Young children love water. The best way to keep children safe is to watch them at all times.
  • Motor Vehicle
    Always use child safety seats. They protect your child from injury.
  • Fire/Burn
    There are many places in the home where children can get burned. Keep children away from hot ovens and stoves.

Remember: Injury Prevention Starts at Home!

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