Childproof Against Hidden House Hazards

The Allstate team teamed up with me again and sponsored this to talk a little more about household hazards, especially ones that are easily overlooked. It’s timely considering this week is shaping up to be an all-things-childproof one for us as we unpack at the new house.

I had the chance to get some insight from one of their information team members, and she had some great tips. I especially LOVE the kitchen one! We’ll need to get hardware on our doors ASAP so I can give it a try.

• Bathroom – Watch out for rubber bands, headbands and clips. The bright colors, fun shapes, ribbons, beads, buttons and sequins can easily catch children’s eyes and eventually end up in their mouth and present a choking hazard. Make sure to make it a point to do a quick check on the bathroom and bedroom floor for any missing rubber bands, fallen beads, buttons, etc.
  • Additionally, while bathtub toys are fun to play with, it’s really important to wash and disinfect them on a regular basis. Bacteria and mold can develop easily, especially with any toy that collects water internally.
  • It’s also important to disinfect plastic bath mats regularly. They help with preventing slips and falls, but can also grow bacteria and mold underneath if not cleaned regularly.

• Baby nursery – Any baby toiletries like lotion, medicine, baby wipes, diapers, etc. should be kept out of reach as they’re not great items for children to chew on and swallow.

• Kitchen – The kitchen is one of the most hazardous places in the house, especially if it’s an open layout in your home and you can’t really close a door. One thing we do in my house is get those colorful little craft pipe cleaners and wrap them around the cabinets that contain things like cleaners and handy tools and batteries. My daughter can figure out the child safety locks but can’t handle those pipe cleaners.

• Home office – Although it may not seem like much, pens, pencils, rulers and other items with sharp ends are dangers for children. Make sure you have these stored in a safe place. If you have an office table with drawers, be sure to lock the drawers so the kids cannot access. If not, then a high spot in a closet can be a quick and easy choice.
• Laundry room – Detergent and any cleaning supplies are hazardous to children. If you have tall cabinets in your laundry room, that is a great place to store them and keep them out of reach of children. The washer and dryer can also present hazards to children – kids love to curl up into them and may get trapped. A quick solve for this is to put a heavy weight on top of the doors so they cannot jump in. There are also pro grade locks available that you can purchase at home improvement stores that effectively block your children from opening your washer and dryer.

And check out this post for more commonly overlooked house hazards to childproof against.

I’d love to hear more on your take on childproofing! I will say we don’t tend to over childproof, but I certainly don’t fault parents who feel safer with many precautions set up.

I am actually shocked at how quickly Lowell has become accustomed to the stairs here, and how well he can get up and down them, but I’m still not comfortable not having gates up, even just for peace of mind.

I feel like it’s a no-win situation sometimes. Not enough protections can lead to some serious injuries, but are too many not teaching kids boundaries? Is it an age appropriate thing in your house?

This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. All opinions are mine. As the nation’s largest publicly held insurance company, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most—but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day. For more helpful tips like this, visit our Good to Know community.

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