Child Monitoring: Protection from Safety Gates, Windows, and Doors
Taylor Jensen writes about GE Home Security at http://www.usalarm.com, is considered an expert in the field of wireless home security, and has published hundreds of articles informing consumers about what to look for when considering a home security system.
If you are a parent actively engaged in monitoring your children and using your own two eyes to conduct home surveillance, then read on. By following a few simple tips, you can easily augment your injury-free, child-home-security system. Safety gates, windows, and doors all pose hazards that need to be examined.
Safety gates are usually considered essential home security tools for child-proofing your home. They allow you to create security by blocking off stairs and large pets, containing children in rooms away from hazards.
Unfortunately, outdated or improperly used gates pose a substantial risk to children. They can be easily dislodged or become difficult to open and close, tempting their users to ignore them.
Also, it’s best to buy new safety gates that display the “Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association” seal, and to choose a gate with a straight-slat design. The older, accordion-style gate can pose an entrapment and strangulation hazard. For the top of the stairs, install gates that screw into the wall instead of gates that stay put with pressure. The screwed-in variety are much more secure, and sometimes children will climb the gates themselves.
Check all ties, because according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, window covering cords can frequently cause child strangulation among young children. This often results from cribs placed too near to windows with pull cords. A baby’s neck can easily become trapped or entangled, either in cords that raise the blinds, or in a looped window cord. If cribs have to be near windows, it is suggested that you cut off the pull cords or use cord shorteners to keep them out of reach. Another solution is to replace cord loops with safety tassels. Either window-blind security solution solves the problem.
If your blinds were purchased before 2001, it’s recommended that you visit www.windowcoverings.org or call 1-800-506-4636 for a free child-proof repair kit.
Thousands of children in the United States die each year, or are injured, due to falls from windows. Most of these children are under the age of five, but the risk remains for all children.
One of the problems is that most window screens aren’t strong enough to stop falls, which is why parents need to think about installing window guards that screw into window frames. Industry standards dictate that such guards fit snugly, but not so securely that an older child or adult can’t remove them in the instance of emergency. If you live in a high-rise, window guards are often required by law.
As far as doors go, use door stops or door holders to prevent hand injuries. Small fingers and hands are prone to getting pinched in closing doors, and we all know how painful that can be.
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