Home Safety Checklist: Safety by Room

Safety by Room Family room Kitchen Bedrooms Nursery/Child's bedroom Bathroom Garage Backyard Family room | top Have a working smoke alarm and CO detector. The CO alarm is at least 15 feet away from any fuel-burning appliance. Place space heaters at least 3 feet away from flammable materials. Secure tall and heavy furniture to the walls with furniture straps or brackets. Kitchen | top Place space heaters at least 3 feet away from flammable materials. Keep hot foods and liquids away from edges of counters or tables. Cook with pots and pans on back burners, and turn the handles to the back of the stove. Never carry children and hot foods or liquids at the same time. Store vitamins, medicines and household products locked or out of children's reach. Avoid giving small, round and hard foods to young children. Store sharp objects safely out of reach. Empty all buckets after use and store them upside down. Make sure the highchair is sturdy and has a safety belt. Bedrooms | top Have a working smoke alarm and CO detector. The CO alarm is at least 15 feet away from any fuel-burning appliance. Place space heaters at least 3 feet away from flammable materials. Store vitamins, medicines and household products locked or out of children's reach. Don't overlook poisonous items you may have in your nightstand. Secure tall and heavy furniture to the walls using furniture straps or brackets. Nursery/Child's bedroom | top Have a working smoke alarm and CO detector. The CO alarm is at least 15 feet away from any fuel-burning appliance. Eliminate openings of more than 3 ½ inches in headboards or furniture. Use a small parts tester to determine if a small toy or toy part is a hazard for children ages 3 and under. Secure tall and heavy furniture to the walls using furniture straps or brackets. Use a safe crib with a firm, tight-fitting mattress covered with a crib sheet and nothing else in it. Lay your baby on his or her back to sleep. To keep him warm, use a sleep sack (wearable blanket). Remove all stuffed animals, bumper pads, hanging mobiles, toys, pillows, extra sheets and blankets from the crib. The sides of mesh playpens and portable cribs are always kept up in the locked position. Keep all baby supplies, diapers and toiletries within your reach, yet out of your baby's reach. Place all furniture (especially the crib, playpen, changing table and chairs) away from windows, draperies, heating sources and electrical cords. Remove any strings on baby's products, including pacifiers, bibs and toys. Give your child age-appropriate and well-maintained toys. Use toy chests with removable lids or spring-loaded supports. Bathrooms | top Consider putting anti-scald devices on faucets. Seat your child facing away from the faucet so he or she won't try to turn it on. Test the bathwater with your wrist or elbow before bathing your child. Never leave your child unattended in the bathroom, and always keep one hand on him or her during bath time. Store vitamins, medicines and personal care products locked or our of children's reach. Use a toilet lock and close all doors to bathrooms. Empty all buckets after use and store them upside down. Use a non-skid rug on the floor and a non-skid mat in the bathtub or shower. Buy products with child-resistant caps. Garage | top Store all dangerous, poisonous and flammable products (such as gasoline, antifreeze, pesticides and fertilizer) locked and out of children's reach. Keep containers of flammable liquids (such as paint and cleaning solvents) stored tightly in their original containers and away from ignition sources such as furnaces and water heaters. Install an automatic garage door opener with an approved fail-safe mechanism. Don't warm up your car inside the garage; do it outside instead. Install a carbon monoxide detector in your garage. Backyard | top Make sure your pool has four-sided fencing and a self-closing, self-latching gate. Cover and lock hot tubs when not in use. Install protection to prevent entrapment if you own a pool or hot tub. For new pools or hot tubs, install multiple drains or use a no-drain circulation system. If you have drains, use protective measures like anti-entrapment drain covers and a safety vacuum release system. Inflatable pools should be surrounded by a fence, just like any other pool, and emptied when not in use. Have 12 inches of shock-absorbing materials such as sand, pea gravel, wood chips, mulch or shredded rubber extending at least 6 feet in all directions from play equipment.