Child Safety Tips
A Comprehensive Resource

Be "alarmed".

• Install and maintain smoke alarms in your home—on every floor and near all rooms family members sleep in.
• Test your smoke alarms once a month to make sure they are working properly.
• Use long life batteries when possible.

Have an escape plan.

• Create and practice a family fire escape plan, and involve kids in the planning.
• Make sure everyone knows at least two ways out of every room and identify a central meeting place outside.

Cook with care.

• Use safe cooking practices, such as never leaving food unattended on the stove.
• Also, supervise or restrict children’s use of stoves, ovens, and especially microwaves.

Check water heater temperature.

• Set your water heater’s thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
• Infants and small children may not be able to get away from water that may be too hot, and maintaining a constant thermostat setting can help control the water temperature throughout your home—preventing it from getting too high.
• Test the water at the tap if possible.

Learn life-saving skills.

• Everyone should know the basics of swimming (floating, moving through the water) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Fence it off.

• Install a four–sided isolation fence, with self–closing and self–latching gates, around backyard swimming pools.
• This can help keep children away from the area when they aren’t supposed to be swimming.
• Pool fences should completely separate the house and play area from the pool.

Make life jackets a must.

• Make sure kids wear life jackets in and around natural bodies of water, such as lakes or the ocean, even if they know how to swim.
• Life jackets can be used in and around pools for weaker swimmers too.

Be on the lookout.

• When kids are in or near water (including bathtubs), closely supervise them at all times.
• Because drowning happens quickly and quietly, adults watching kids in or near water should avoid distracting activities like playing cards, reading books, talking on the phone, and using alcohol or drugs.

Play safely.

• Falls on the playground are a common cause of injury.
• Check to make sure that the surfaces under playground equipment are safe, soft, and consist of appropriate materials (such as wood chips or sand, not dirt or grass).
• The surface materials should be an appropriate depth and well-maintained.

Make your home safer.

• Use home safety devices, such as guards on windows that are above ground level, stair gates, and guard rails.
• These devices can help keep a busy, active child from taking a dangerous tumble.

Keep sports safe.

• Make sure your child wears protective gear during sports and recreation.
• For example, when in-line skating, use wrist guards, knee and elbow pads, and a helmet.

Supervision is key.

• Supervise young children at all times around fall hazards, such as stairs and playground equipment, whether you’re at home or out to play.

Play safely.

• Falls on the playground are a common cause of injury.
• Check to make sure that the surfaces under playground equipment are safe, soft, and consist of appropriate materials (such as wood chips or sand, not dirt or grass).
• The surface materials should be an appropriate depth and well-maintained.

Make your home safer.

• Use home safety devices, such as guards on windows that are above ground level, stair gates, and guard rails.
• These devices can help keep a busy, active child from taking a dangerous tumble.

Keep sports safe.

• Make sure your child wears protective gear during sports and recreation.
• For example, when in-line skating, use wrist guards, knee and elbow pads, and a helmet.

Supervision is key.

• Supervise young children at all times around fall hazards, such as stairs and playground equipment, whether you’re at home or out to play.

Checking that playgrounds have soft material under them such as wood chips, sand, or mulch.

Reading playground signs and using playground equipment that is right for your child’s age.

Making sure there are guardrails in good condition to help prevent falls.

Looking out for things in the play area that can trip your child, like tree stumps or rocks..

Lock them up and away.

• Keep medicines and toxic products, such cleaning solutions and detergent pods, in their original packaging where children can’t see or get them.

Know the number.

• Put the nationwide poison control center phone number, 1-800-222-1222, on or near every telephone in your home and program it into your cell phone.
• Call the poison control center if you think a child has been poisoned but they are awake and alert; they can be reached 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Call 911 if you have a poison emergency and your child has collapsed or is not breathing.

Read the label.

• Follow label directions carefully and read all warnings when giving medicines to children.

Don’t keep it if you don’t need it.

• Safely dispose of unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs and over the counter drugs, vitamins, and supplements.
• To dispose of medicines, mix them with coffee grounds or kitty litter and throw them away.
• You can also turn them in at a local take-back program or during National Drug Take-Back events.

Know the stages.

• Make sure children are properly buckled up in a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt, whichever is appropriate for their age, height and weight.

Birth up to Age 2: Rear-facing car seat.

• For the best possible protection, infants and children should be buckled in a rear-facing car seat, in the back seat, until age 2 or when they reach the upper weight or height limits of their particular seat.
• Check the seat’s owner’s manual and/or labels on the seat for weight and height limits.

Age 2 up to at least Age 5: Forward-facing car seat.

• When children outgrow their rear-facing seats they should be buckled in a forward-facing car seat, in the back seat, until at least age 5 or when they reach the upper weight or height limit of their particular seat.
• Check the seat’s owner’s manual and/or labels on the seat for weight and height limits.

Age 5 up until seat belts fit properly: Booster seat.

• Once children outgrow their forward-facing seat, (by reaching the upper height or weight limit of their seat), they should be buckled in a belt positioning booster seat until seat belts fit properly.
• Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs (not the stomach) and the shoulder belt lays across the chest (not the neck).
• Remember to keep children properly buckled in the back seat for the best possible protection.

Once Seat Belts Fit Properly without a Booster Seat: Seat Belt

• Children no longer need to use a booster seat once seat belts fit them properly.
• Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs (not the stomach) and the shoulder belt lays across the chest (not the neck).
• For the best possible protection keep children properly buckled in the back seat.

Install and Use Car & Booster Seats Properly

• Install and use car seats and booster seats according to the seat’s owner’s manual or get help installing them from a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician.
• Seat Children in the Back Seat
• Buckle all children aged 12 and under in the back seat.

Don’t Seat Children in Front of an Airbag

• Airbags can kill young children riding in the front seat.
• Never place a rear-facing car seat in front of an air bag.

Seat Children in the Middle of the Back Seat

• Buckle children in the middle of the back seat when possible, because it is the safest spot in the vehicle.
• Use Proper Restraints Every Trip
• Buckle children in car seats, booster seats, or seat belts on every trip, no matter how short.