Toddler
Protecting Your Family

“No!”

Throughout your child’s toddler years, you’ll probably hear that word more often than you’d like – from both of you! But sometimes, keeping your child safe means saying “no,” setting limits for your child or simply removing dangerous products from the home.

The best way to find the dangers your child might encounter is to explore your home at her level – by getting down on your hands and knees. Cover every room, asking yourself what looks tempting and what is within reach. Look for potential dangers between the floor and about 40 inches above. Also, check carpets for buried dangers like pins or coins. You may feel silly, but a few self-conscious minutes are better than years of regret. 

Eliminate potential hazards:

·      Buy only age-appropriate toys for your toddler. Small toys and toy parts can choke young children – when in doubt, use a small parts tester or “choke tube.” 

·      Make sure floors are free from small objects such as buttons, beads, marbles, coins and tacks. 

·      Make sure dangerous items such as knives, household cleaners, medicines and vitamins are locked up and away from your children. Keep poisonous plants out of sight and reach.

Prepare your home

• Set your water heater’s thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.  

•  Install and maintain smoke alarms (outside bedrooms and on every floor) and carbon monoxide detectors (in every sleeping area) in your home. Check the house for fire hazards.

• Install toilet locks. Unlike adults, young children’s weight is concentrated in the top half of their bodies. They may lose their balance when leaning into a toilet bowl and can drown in as little as 1 inch of water.

•  Use safety gates at both the top and bottom of stairs. Falls from stairs tend to result in severe injuries. 

• Cover all unused electrical outlets. 

• If your house or apartment was built before 1978, have a professional test your home for lead-based paint. If there is lead paint in your home, the paint should be completely removed or covered with an approved sealant.

• Install safety guards on windows. Screens are designed to keep bugs out, not to keep children in.  

•  Keep beds, cribs and other furniture away from windows. Children can unwittingly strangle in drapery or blind cords or fall from windows that are accessible. Consider purchasing cordless window coverings to avoid strangulation hazards.

• Keep a first aid kit on hand and emergency numbers by every phone in the home. Include the national toll-free poison hotline: 1-800-222-1222.

• Young children love to climb on furniture and use drawers and shelves as steps.  However, children can sustain crush injuries as furniture can easily tip over on them.  Secure bookcases, shelving, and heavy furniture to walls with brackets and anchors.  When storing items, put heavier items on bottom shelves and in bottom drawers.

• Large items such as TV's, microwaves, fish tanks and appliances can topple off stands and fall on children.  Use broad-based carts for TV's and appliances.  Secure carts and appliances to walls.  Avoid using pedestal tables to hold heavy items.

• Supervise children and toddlers at all times around furniture.

Practice safety:

·      The best thing you can do to protect your toddler is to supervise her at all times. 

·      Use the appropriate child safety seat on every ride. Children ages 1 to 4 and between 20 and 40 pounds can ride in forward-facing child safety seats, or in rear-facing convertible seats if the child has not reached the maximum rear-facing weight, in the back seat of the vehicle. Consider attending a child safety seat check in your community to be sure your child's seat is properly installed and your child is properly restrained. 

·       Never leave your toddler unattended in or near water, even for a second. Don’t rely on bathtub rings or other devices to keep children afloat. If you have a home swimming pool, install four-sided isolation fencing to protect your child from slipping out of the house and drowning before you notice. 

·       Keep young children out of the kitchen while preparing meals. Children should never be in the kitchen unsupervised.

·       Use the back burners on the stove and turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. Hot food and beverages, glassware and knives should be kept away from the edge of counters and tables. Appliance cords, placemats and tablecloths must be kept out of reach, too, to prevent children from pulling hot items down on themselves.

• Toddler Safety

• Why Kids Are at Risk
• Protecting Communities 

• Frequently Asked Questions