Managing a Healthy Home Guide
Basements, Home Offices and Stairs
Average User Rating:
Living room
For everyone:
For everyone:
- An adult should be present whenever there is a lit candle. Matches and lighters should be secured where a child can’t reach. “Candle fires are on the increase,” says Appy.
- Secure gas fireplaces with a key or valve cover. Make sure all working fireplaces have a screen. If the fireplace is lit, make sure there is a barrier around it.
- Make sure items like bookshelves and TV sets can’t be tipped over by a child.
- Place protective material on sharp furniture edges and corners.
- Check that wicker furniture and baskets are in good repair. Small loose pieces can break off and be a choking hazard.
- Keep scissors, utility knives and other sharp objects locked away.
- Keep choking hazards like buttons, needles and paper clips out of reach.
- Choose a desk with a solid back that’s against the wall, so cords aren’t dangling. Wind up excess cords and secure with an elastic or twist tie.
- Experts agree that this is a minefield when it comes to small enclosed places, power tools and other sharp instruments, the electrical panel, laundry appliances and tub, and poisons such as bleaches, cleaners and paints, so consider making yours off-limits. “Constant supervision is a must,” urges Bost. If you have a living area for kids, like a rec room or play room, follow the living room guidelines.
- Lock laundry chutes with child-proof latch.
- Keep recycling bins out of children’s reach, due to sharp cans, glass and toxic residues.
- Remove all clutter, like laundry, toys and mail, from stairs.
- Consider having a railing on both sides of the stairwell, says Apply.
- Railing spindles should be no more than four inches apart. (If your home was built before 1999 they may be more like six or nine inches apart. You can purchase a clear plastic shield from a childproofing company.)
- Install a gate that screws into the wall at the top and near the bottom of the stairs. An adult should be able to easily undo it with one hand. Don’t use pressure gates, which can give.
