Home Safety for Infants and Young Children

Prevention Tips

Look at each room from your child’s eye level, and use the following tips to protect young children in your home.

In the Kitchen:

• Put all plastic wrapping or bags where children can’t reach them.
• Check floors and low places for small bits of food. A young child could place the food in his mouth and choke on it.
• Always supervise children when they are eating.
• Install child safety locks on cabinets where you store chemicals, cleaners and other toxic products.
• Post the poison control center phone number (1-800-222-1222) and other emergency numbers next to every phone.
• Children should stay three feet away from the stove to prevent burns.
• Store matches, lighters, candles, and other fire tools out of children’s sight and reach, preferably in a locked cabinet.
• Keep appliances and cords away from table and counter edges.
• Don’t use tablecloths that can be pulled down.

In Your Child’s Room:

• Locate cribs, beds, chairs, and other furniture away from windows.
• Install window locks or safety guards on above-ground windows. Be sure they have a quick-release mechanism in case of fire.
• Put babies to sleep on their backs and keep soft things out of the space where they sleep.
• Make sure book cases are fastened to the wall.  Book cases that are not secured can topple and crush a child.

In the Bathroom:

• Keep medicines, cosmetics and other hazardous substances in locked cabinets. 
• Keep soap, lotion and shampoo out of a child’s reach.
• Install toilet seat locks; turn over all buckets and store them up high.
• Test faucet water at the tap and adjust water heater to 120F or below.
• Purchase products with child resistant packaging.
• Never leave a child unattended in the bathtub, even for a moment.

In Every Room:

• Check floors and low places for small objects like buttons, beads, marbles, coins, pins and stones. Young children can choke on these items.
• Keep plants out of a child’s reach. Some plants are poisonous.
• Cover sharp corners on furniture with rubber guards or soft fabric.
• Install baby gates at the top and bottom of stairs.

Toy Safety Tips

• Buy toys that suit your child’s current age, interest, and abilities.
• Look for the letters “ASTM,” which show that the product meets the national safety standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials.
• Look for safety labels like “Not recommended for children under 3 years of age,” “non-toxic,” and “washable/hygienic materials.”
• Check toys regularly for damage and safety hazards such as sharp edges. Make necessary repairs immediately or throw away damaged toys.
• Toys are frequently recalled for safety reasons. Check the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission site at http://www.cpsc.gov for updates and information on toy recalls.
• Always watch your children while they play.
• Teach your children to put toys away safely after playing. Safe storage prevents falls and other injuries.

Massachusetts Statistics

• Injuries are the leading cause of death among children 1-4 years of age.

• The leading causes of injury death among infants less than 1 year of age in 2005 were suffocation (n=5) and homicide (n=2). The leading cause of injury death among young children 1-4 years of age was drowning (n=5).

• In 2005, there were 19 injury deaths among MA residents 0-4 years of age. In this same age group in FY 2005 there were 1,034 non-fatal injury-related inpatient hospitalizations and in FY 2005 there were 42,982 nonfatal injury-related emergency department visits.

• The leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits in residents 0-4 years of age was a fall, accounting for approximately 40% of these events.

Related Links

• National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care
• Safe Kids Worldwide
• Injury Free Coalition for Kids
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Home Safety Council
• International Association for Child Safety

Contact Us

To learn more about safety for infants and young children, please contact us.