Household Safety: Preventing Injuries From Falling, Climbing, and Grabbing

Babies reach, grasp, roll, sit, and eventually crawl, pull up, "cruise" along furniture, and walk. At many stages in the first 2 years, they're able to move around, tumble over, and get into things in one way or another. And toddlers will try to climb but may not have the coordination to react to certain dangers. They'll pull themselves up using table legs; they'll use bureaus and dressers as jungle gyms; they'll reach for whatever they can see.

So the potential for a dangerous fall or a tumble into a sharp edge can happen in nearly every area of your home.

Here are ways to help prevent kids from getting hurt in your home:

Walkers

• Don't use a walker for an infant or toddler. More than 3,000 walker-related injuries a year are treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms. Babies in walkers can fall over objects; roll into hot stoves, pools, and heaters; and roll down stairs. Walkers may give a baby the momentum needed to break through a gate (sometimes with stairs on the other side).
• Instead of a walker, consider an activity saucer that doesn't move.

Windows

• Don't rely on window screens to keep kids from falling out of windows.
• Open windows from the top or use window guards to prevent your child from falling through screens or open windows (kids can fall from windows opened as little as 5 inches, or 12.7 centimeters). Make sure window guards are childproof but easy for adults to open in case of fire.
• Move chairs, cribs, beds, and other furniture away from windows to prevent children from climbing onto sills.

Stairs

• Never leave a child alone around stairs — even those that are gated. Babies can climb up the gate at the top of the steps and fall from an even greater height. Install a safety gate at the door of your child's room to prevent the baby from reaching the top of the stairs.
• Keep stairways clear of toys, shoes, loose carpeting, etc.
• Place a guard on banisters and railings if your child can fit through the rails.
• Install hardware-mounted safety gates at the top and bottom of every stairway (pressure-mounted gates aren't as secure).
• Avoid accordion gates, which can trap a child's head.
• Teach your toddler how to go down stairs backward — your child's only example is you going down forward.

Around Your Home

• Don't keep loose rugs on the floor.
• Never put babies in child safety seats, infant seats, or bouncer seats on a countertop or on top of furniture. The force of the baby's movements could propel the seat over the side and cause serious injuries.
• Make sure all pieces of furniture a child might climb on — tables, bureaus, cabinets, TV stands, etc. — are sturdy and won't fall over. Be particularly careful of top-heavy pieces like overloaded bookshelves, tall dressers, or entertainment centers that can fall on your child. You can also buy "L" brackets to attach furniture to walls to prevent your child from climbing on furniture and having it topple over.
• Attach protective padding or other specially designed covers to corners of coffee tables, furniture, fireplace hearths, and countertops with sharp edges.
• Clean up any spills around the home right away.
• Apply nonskid strips to the bottoms of bathtubs.

Cribs, Beds, and Changing Tables

• Never leave a baby unattended on a changing table or bed. If you get a phone call while you have your baby on the changing table, hold your baby while you answer the call or check your phone later. If you must leave for a moment, put the baby in a playpen or crib.
• Use changing tables with 2-inch (5-centimeter) guardrails.
• Always secure and use safety belts on changing tables, as well as on strollers, carriages, and highchairs. Be sure to strap a small child securely into the seat of a store shopping cart.
• Keep side rails up on cribs.
• Crib bumpers are not recommended because of the risk of a baby getting stuck or suffocating. Don't put a child under age 6 on the top bunk of a bunk bed. For older kids, attach guardrails to the side of the top bunk.

Outdoors

• Never allow a child to play on a trampoline, even with adult supervision.
• Be sure outdoor playground equipment is safe, with no loose parts or rust.
• Make sure playground surfaces are soft enough to absorb the shock of falls. Good surface materials include sand and wood chips; avoid playgrounds with concrete and packed dirt.
• Make sure sidewalks and outdoor steps are clear of toys, objects, and anything blocking a clear path. Repair any cracks or missing pieces in walkways.
• If your child has started to ride a bike, make sure he or she wears a helmet and is well-versed in bicycle safety and signals. Head injuries are far too common in this age group, so enforce your helmet rule.

Be Prepared

Whether you're expecting a baby or already have a child, it's a good idea to:

• Learn CPR and the Heimlich maneuver.
• Keep these numbers near the phone (for yourself and caregivers) and put them in your cellphone:
  • toll-free poison-control number: 1-800-222-1222
  • doctor's number
  • parents' work numbers and other contact information
  • neighbor's or nearby relative's number (if you need someone to watch other children in an emergency)
• Make a first-aid kit and keep emergency instructions inside.
• Install smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.