You may be a new parent, a not-so-new parent or a grandparent or friend, but when it comes to shielding children from danger, your protective instinct kicks in. Yet, instinct is not always enough. It's important to be aware of some things in your home that you may not realize could be putting a small, vulnerable child at risk for injury or worse.
Each year in our country, more than 2,000 children die from an injury in the home, and more than 3.5 million visit emergency rooms for injuries that happen in homes. Keep your little one safe by being informed.
Dishwashers. Not only do they contain sharp objects like knives and forks, but also the detergents used to clean your dishes can be dangerous. Heed the wise advice of the Environmental Protection Agency, which says that the greatest exposure to toxic chemicals is right inside our own homes: Many commercial dishwashing preparations contain things like chlorine bleach, ammonia, hormone-disrupting chemicals like DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoethanolamine), TEA (triethanolamine) and formaldehyde, among others. Some can be irritating to the lungs or skin or dangerous if they're handled or swallowed (with the potential to burn the lining of the mouth and esophagus); others may pose long-term health consequences like developmental and reproductive toxicity and even cancer.
Be especially careful of those individual dishwasher detergent packets or liquid laundry packets, which can look like candy to babies, and can start to dissolve as soon as they come in contact with wet hands.
There are many natural brands available on the store shelves, like Mrs. Myers or Ecover, or try making one yourself.
Keep baby safe by pointing sharp silverware downward in the utensil basket. Delay filling the soap dispenser until you're ready to run a full load; once the cycle is complete, wipe down the inside doors. And of course, store your dishwasher detergent out of baby's reach (always in its original container, with the top firmly shut) and keep the dishwasher securely latched.
Stoves. A kitchen range holds the potential of danger in many ways. If it's installed improperly, it can fall forward if a child leans on or climbs onto the oven door. And if there's a pot of boiling water atop that stove, the pot can tip over and scald a child's tender skin. Babies love to reach and climb, so be safer by using the back burner of the stove and by turning pot handles away from the edge.
Rather than holding or carrying your child while you're cooking, place your little one in a high chair or infant seat, well within your line of sight.
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