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Ho, Ho, Hold On!

Remember to Childproof Your Home for a Safe and Happy Holiday

As you and your family gather for the holidays, you may have even more little ones in your house than you already do. Now is a great time to double check the safety measures in your home to prevent accidents and ensure your family has a safe holiday.

The holidays bring with them their own set of safety concerns. Holiday plants, such as poinsettias and mistletoe, may look pretty, but they are poisonous. Make sure you keep all holiday plants out of reach of children. If you fear your child has been poisoned by any plant source, contact your local poison control center immediately.

Also beware of glass ornaments – they can fall off Christmas trees and break, posing a risk of injury. Crawling babies love to pull on low-hanging branches and reach for shiny objects. Make sure anything you put on the tree is safe for Baby. Also remember to turn off holiday lights before bed or when you leave the house.

Use this checklist from the Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, Wash., to help make your home a safer place for children. Share it with your child's caregivers, grandparents or other relatives so their homes will be safer to visit, too.

• Never leave a child alone in or near water.
• Set the hot water heater at 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
• If you have a swimming pool, fence it in on all four sides.

• Lock up medicine, cleaning supplies, makeup and other unsafe products, or store them in a cabinet with a child-resistant safety latch.
• Keep houseplants out of reach.
• Keep products in the bottles they came in, and buy products with child-resistant caps.
• Install a carbon monoxide detector near sleeping areas in a home that has gas/oil heat or an attached garage.

• Install a smoke detector on each floor, and change the batteries twice a year.
• Make a fire escape plan, and practice it.
• Place guards around open heaters and fireplaces.
• Use "cool" nightlights, and keep them away from drapes and bedspreads.
• Use a cool mist humidifier (not a vaporizer).
• Keep hair dryers and curling irons unplugged and stored out of children's reach.

Want to see more?

• Home, Safe Home
• 14 Tips for Protecting Children from Holiday Hazards
• Protect Your Child Against Poisons
• Talk about it!