How to keep Children Safe from Household Chemicals
Every year, many children are sent to the emergency room because they accidentally ingest household chemicals. Although many parents know how to lock up those medications, they do not think about the household chemicals that are so colorful and tempting to kids. The following are tips on how to keep children safe from these.
Keep household chemicals locked away
One of the best ways to protect children is to keep household chemicals in locked cabinets. There are many child safety locks, but be careful. Sometimes when the kids pull enough, these can come off. Oftentimes, the children can keep trying and accidentally push the right button to get it opened. At some point they may figure it out. Something that is locked with an actual key might be even safer.
Put it in a room that the children do not get to
You can also place the household chemicals into an area that is completely off limits to the children like the garage or utility room. Of course, make sure that these areas are kept locked and cannot be opened by children.
Put them up high
A lot of people choose to put their household chemicals up high, but you need to think about this. Can the kids find something to climb on? Can they use something to bat it down? Think about any and all ways they could get to it.
Put them away immediately after you are done with them
Even if you have this extremely safe location to hide them in, it will be no good if you leave them out after you are done cleaning. You should be sure to put them away right after you are done. While you are cleaning do not let it out of your sight for a minute because that is all the time it takes for your kids to get to it.
Talk to the children
As the children get older, you can discuss how they should be safe around household chemicals. You can talk to them about how it can make them sick. Discuss the fact that even though it might look like something they like to drink, that it isn’t necessarily the same thing. Make sure that they know to never drink something strange and that they should always ask you.
Keep them in their original bottles
You may have a habit of relocating household chemicals to different bottles. When you have children, you might want to avoid this practice. You always want yourself and the kids (if they are old enough) to see what it is. The children may be more likely to confuse it for something edible such as a soda if it is in a plain bottle.
It is important to take every precaution possible to avoid children getting into household chemicals. You want to take as many of the above precautions as you can to safeguard your children. For instance, you can put it in a locked cabinet in your garage and also talk to your kids. If you think that your children have ingested anything, be sure to call for the necessary help immediately.
Updated On: 09/09/2010 Published On: 09/09/2010 Article ViewerClose
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