About 2−1/2 to 3 million children are injured or killed by hazards found in homes each and every. This is extremely unfortunate because with just a few safety devices put in place, most of these deaths can be prevented.

So here is a list of thirteen safety devices to incorporate within your home today:

1. Safety Latches and Locks: This is the most obvious. Child proofing your home is very easy. Go to a local hardware/dept. store and pick up inexpensive latches and locks for cabinets, drawers in kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas that your child can gain access to.

Make sure these latches are sturdy enough to withstand pulls and tugs from your child. Some times they can be very determined. With the typical safety latch or lock costing around $2.00, it's a low cost way to tackle the biggest safety issue out there.

2. Safety Gates: I suppose if you live in a single story home with no basement, then having a safety gate might not be high on your list of safety equipment to buy, but with that said, there might be a room or area in your home that may have a hazard or multiple hazards in them. So it's always good to have a couple of safety gates on hand that you can use in this case. Look for safety gates that your child cannot dislodge easily, but one that you'll be able to open and close without difficulty.

If you're placing a gate at the top of stairs, make sure to purchase one that screws into the wall vs using a "pressure gate". Pressure gates are too risky.

The typical cost of a safety gate can range between $13 to $40.

3. Door Knob Covers/Door Locks: To prevent children from entering rooms and other areas with possible dangers (like swimming pools), door knob covers and door locks are important.

Be sure the door knob cover is sturdy enough not to break, but still allows you to open a door quickly in case of emergency. By restricting access to potentially hazardous rooms in your home, door knob covers could help prevent many kinds of injuries. On average, door knob covers cost around a buck and door locks go from $5 and up.

4. Anti−Scald Devices: These devices can help prevent burns because they'll regulate your water temperature. Way too many kids get burned for no reason simply because the water was too hot coming out of faucets and shower heads.

The typical cost of an anti−scald device: $6 to $30.

5. Smoke Detectors: Install a smoke detector on every level of your home and near bedrooms to alert you to fires. Smoke detectors are essential safety devices for protection against fire deaths and injuries. And check your smoke detectors once a month to make sure they're working. Even when not in use, batteries do expire. Always change your batteries once a year or consider using a longer 5 year or 10 year battery. Smoke detectors run around ten bucks.

6. Window Guards and Safety Netting: To help prevent falls from windows, balconies, decks, and landings, install window guards and safety netting as needed. They can help prevent serious falls.

Typical cost of a window guard or safety netting: $8 to $16.

7. Corner/Edge Bumpers: Kids falls all the time. What happens if your child happens to fall and hits the corner of a wall or sharp edge of a piece of furniture?

Corner and edge bumpers can be used with furniture and fireplace hearths to help prevent serious head injuries from falls or to at least soften falls against sharp or rough edges. Typical cost of a corner and edge bumper: $1 and up.

8. Outlet Covers/Plates: Helps prevent your child from getting an electrical shock or possible electrocution. Make sure that the outlet protectors cannot be easily removed by children and are large enough so that he/she cannot choke on them. Typical cost of an outlet cover: less than $2.

9. Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detector: This is one safety device that many parents don't get for some reason. Maybe they're not aware of it or don't consider this deadly gas a threat. It is, especially to children. So by installing a Carbon Monoxide Detector outside bedrooms (it's always best to install them near sleeping areas), you can prevent the possibility of CO poisoning.

If your household uses gas or oil heat, getting a CO Detector is an absolute must. The typical cost of a carbon monoxide (CO) detector ranges between $30 to $70.

10. Cut Window Blind Cords; use Safety Tassels and Inner Cord Stops to help prevent the risk of your child from getting strangled in blind cord loops. This is a huge danger to little ones, and it's not taken seriously enough.

If you use blind cord safety tassels on all your miniblinds and tension devices on vertical blinds/drapery cords, you'll be good to go. For older miniblinds, cut the cord loop, remove the buckle, and put safety tassels on each cord. Be sure that older vertical blinds and drapery cords have tension or tie−down devices to hold the cords tight. Inner cord stops can help prevent choking from the inner cords of window blinds.

When buying new miniblinds, verticals, and draperies, ask for extra safety features to prevent choking risks.

11. Door Stops/Door Holders: These devices are important to prevent injuries to fingers and hands. Small fingers and hands can be easily pinched or even crushed with the full weight of a door on 'em. Typical cost of a door stop and door holder: less than $4.

12. Cordless Phone: Use a Cordless Phone to make it easier to continuously watch young children, especially when they're in bathtubs, swimming pools, or other potentially dangerous areas. Cordless phones are a much option than a typical landline phone.

Cost of a cordless phone: $30 and up.

13. Baby Monitor: Some parents might not place that much importance on having a baby monitor in place, but this is really an important safety device. It'll provide you some good peace of mind knowing that when your child is sleeping, you can hear them stirring in their sleep or making cute sleeping noises. After all, if they're making noises, there's no problems. So being able to monitor your child at all times is critical.

Here's a review of a top rated two room baby monitor and also the best philips digital baby monitor. Take care for now and be safe!

The Staff
TwoRoomBabyMonitor.org