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Avoid burns in your house |
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by HOTMAMA  (January 2007) (rank 32nd) |
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A common way that children are burned every year is from pulling something hot off of the stove, to avoid this ALWAYS turn the handle on the pots and pans toward the back of the stove out of the child's reach. It is a simple thing to do, also
when you are over having dinner at a friend tell them about this little trick, you never know who it may save. It is best to keep small children out of the kitchen completely while cooking, but that is near an impossible task. If you have a toddler, or crawler set them up in their high chair if they want to be in the kitchen, give them a few spoons and a small pot so that they may mimic what you are doing, at a safe distance from the oven and stove. Be wary of microwaved foods also! These can be cool to the touch on the outside, but hot enough to burn you on the inside. Feel the bottom of plates and dishes that have been used in the microwave before letting your child handle them. Our biggest problem with the microwave is popcorn, the bag is cool enough to remove but the steam inside is not! We have a rule to let it sit in the microwave one minute after the buzzer. And of course only the older children are allowed to use the microwave. Teach your children that are old enough to cook about safety. Always use an oven mitt when placing items into or taking them out of the oven, that way there is never a mistake.
Keep your water heater turned below 120 degrees f. that is what most safety sites recommend, I however think that is still too hot for a child, try 110. Don't let the children turn the water on themselves if yours is extremely hot. Always test the bath water with your elbow, not your hand, because your hand is use to hot water, your elbow is not. You can also buy cute tub thermometers at most grocery and super stores, I have seen boats and rubber ducky's with indicators, but just in case use your elbow.
Items that plug into outlets can become hot, some just warm to the touch, but a few that are for scented oil can become hot, so keep these out of children's reach, maybe use them in rooms that your babies do not have access to. Check all your plugs periodically, feel the walls near the plug also to see if it is hot, that can be a sign of faulty wiring and is a fire hazard. ( I know first hand that this can start a fire in the wall) Do not use items with frayed cords or broken plugs. If your plug requires a 3 prong outlet does not break off the prongs on the plug to make it work!
Check playground equipment on hot and even warm days, a few hours in the sun on a plastic slide can still make it to hot for children's delicate skin.
On hot days do not put your children into a car that has been sitting in the sun without first rolling down the windows, it can get hot enough in a car to bake cookies! Check the car seat straps, especially buckles as these become hot enough to blister your skin. Basic rule if your child is going to come into contact with an item, you should feel it first.
Feel free to add anything I may have missed!
