Top 5 Home Safety Tips

Each year, 8,000 families lose a child because of a preventable injury (Safe Kids). June is National Safety Month, and we’ve teamed up with Charlie’s House to feature the best ways to prevent injuries and keep your kids safe at home.

5 Home Safety Tips

1. Secure dressers, televisions, bookcases and other tip-prone furniture to the wall.

Every 10 days a child dies from a tip-over accident, and these can be easily prevented by installing furniture straps around your home to anything that is prone to tip over. Charlie’s House offers free furniture straps to families who pay for shipping.

2. Use plug covers or caps in all electrical outlets.

When I was in second grade, I stuck a bobby pin in a light socket. It burned the wall and my hand. The blisters were very painful, but the embarrassment and shame of doing that and having to explain the wall damage to my parents was even worse. Protect your kids from doing the same, by installing outlet covers all over your home.

3. Keep household poisons out of reach and locked in cabinets.

Laundry and dishwasher pods, cleaning agents and other household chemicals can be harmful to children if swallowed. Pay special attention to ingredients on labels and keep them out of reach of children and install locks on cabinets where you store them.

4. Watch kids in and around water, without being distracted.

Summer is here and kids love to swim. But, drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages 1-4. Be extra vigilant when your child is in a pool or bathtub by keeping a close eye on them. For more pool safety tips, follow this checklist.

5. Install smoke alarms

Both smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors should be installed near every sleeping area and on every level of the home. Test them monthly and change batteries every 6 months. Replace all smoke alarms every 10 years.

For a full list of tips to ensure your house is safe, download this checklist.

 


About Charlie’s House

On November 1, 2007, Charlie Horn, a 2-year-old Kansas City boy, was killed when he attempted to climb a 30-inch dresser in his home.

Brett and Jenny Horn, Charlie’s parents, turned their tragedy into a mission. The Horns began reducing in-home accidents through increased public awareness and education. Through this effort, Charlie’s House was established and served as a resource for families seeking safety and injury prevention information. As a result, the mission to prevent accidents and injuries to children in and around the home is fulfilled through increased safety awareness, public education, and the distribution of safety devices.

In 2021, Charlie’s House – Safety Demonstration Home opened on Hospital Hill in Kansas City. The Safety Demonstration Home features a room-by-room tour highlighting safety risks in a nursery, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, staircase, living room, laundry area and garage and has free resources and safety supplies. Schedule your tour today!  

Laura Mulcahy
Laura is wife to Marty, and mom to Michael (15), Joseph (13) and Anna (8). She spends most of her days juggling working from home, shuffling kids to activities and can usually be found cheering on the boys from the baseball stands. She is born and raised in Kansas City, graduated from KU (Rock Chalk Jayhawk!) and has spent most of her career in advertising sales. She loves big Italian family dinners, trying out new restaurants and activities and loves raising her family in Kansas City!