Child Safety Guidelines

Extra Safety Guidelines to Follow if Small Children are in the Home

• Use a harness when a baby is in a carriage, highchair, stroller, or infant seat.
• Leave sides of a crib up and make sure the crib meets safety standards. Slats of a crib should be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart from each other. The side lock should function properly. The mattress should fit snuggly in the crib.
• Do not place soft pillows or loose plastic sheets in a crib, and do not place the crib near a window.
• Keep breakables, sharp utensils, cleaning solutions, and any harmful solutions up high away from children. Most poisonings occur in the bathroom or the kitchen.
• Cover electrical outlets.
• Lock doors to the basement or to closets that store dangerous items.
• Use safety gates to prevent children from falling down the stairs.
• Cover trash, and have a safe place to put trash that is away from small children.
• Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children. Do not smoke around children.
• Keep plastic bags away from children.
• Inspect toys to ensure that there are no loose parts that could cause choking. Also, be sure that fabric toys are non-flammable or flame retardant. Toys should not have rough or sharp edges.
• Playground equipment should be in excellent condition with grass or sand under and surrounding it.
• Adequately supervise children.
• Never leave an infant or small children alone in the bathtub or near water, including filled mop buckets.