How can I make my home safe for my child?

Parents worry endlessly about how to protect their children from everything — from ill-intentioned strangers to random bullets and stray dogs — but many overlook one of the biggest threats to their children’s safety and well-being: their own home. Experts say that children ages 1 to 4 are more likely to be injured by falls, burns, drowning, choking, cuts, or poisoning than by a stranger. As former surgeon general C. Everett Koop said, “If a disease were killing our children in the proportion that accidents are, people would demand that this killer be stopped.”

There are a slew of childproofing gadgets on the market to make your home safer. But Anne Altman of Childproofer, a consulting and contracting company in Forestville, California, cautions parents that the best protection is still supervision. “I’d rather not recommend a product than suggest one that gives parents a false sense of security,” she says.

Here are some other tips for a safer home:

Imported vinyl miniblinds are a far less familiar source of household lead. Some decades ago, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission discovered that some of these blinds, which use lead as a stabilizer for the plastic, pose a lead poisoning hazard to young children who touch the blinds and then put their fingers in their mouths. Look for cartons labeled “nonleaded formula” or “no lead added.”

Even if your house is adequately childproofed, you still need to practice safe habits. Cook on the back burners of your stove, and turn all pot handles away from the edge of the stove so your child can’t pull them over and burn himself. Remember that hot objects, especially curling irons, tend to remain dangerously hot for quite some time after being unplugged. And never leave a young child alone in the bathroom, especially the tub, while you answer the phone. Again, the best childproofing of all is supervision.

Consumer Products Safety Commission, Childproofing Your Home.

American College of Emergency Physicians, How to Childproof Your Home.

Centers for Disease Control. Health, United States,

National Fire Protection Association. Smoke Alarms.

Submit a news tip or story idea // Report a typo or error