Baby Proofing Appliances

Answer 1

A lot goes through a parent's mind when they first find out that they're going to be parents. They may think about all the new furniture they need to buy, the cost of diapers, whether to breastfeed or not, the list goes on and on. One thing that is commonly overlooked, however, is childproofing your home. Many soon-to-be-parents put off this task until after the baby is born, but this puts the child as risk of stumbling upon a dangerous appliance that can hurt them.

A child doesn't have to be a walking toddler to stumble into trouble. As soon as your child is mobile, whether it be through walking, rolling or crawling, they can reach potentially dangerous items. The most common appliance that is overlooked is the power drill, nail gun, or similar devices. These pose a very high risk to children because they are often stored in low areas, such as under a bed, on the floor of the closet, or in the kitchen cabinet.

Toolbox appliances are also very dangerous because of how simple they are to work. Many times all that's required is to press a button and suddenly you have a spinning blade or a piece of metal shooting out of the end. Even if the appliance is stored in a toolbox, many don't come with locks. Parents can fix this by adding their own locks and being sure to always place the toolbox out of reach of curious hands.

Another common appliance that can cause injury is the vacuum. Parents may use the vacuum cleaner as often as every other day, or even daily. Just as a child becomes interested in spoons and forks after seeing their parents use them, it's natural for them to become interested in an appliance that they see being used as well.

The vacuum cleaner itself doesn't pose much harm as long as parents always remember to keep it unplugged. This will prevent any small fingers or toes from being accidentally sucked up should a child accidentally hit the 'on' button, which is normally stored at the bottom of the vacuum. The part of the vacuum that causes the most damage is actually the cord. Made long enough to reach across several rooms, the cord can become a noose for innocent children if it's not stored properly. Parents can prevent this problem by always wrapping up the cord and storing the vacuum cleaner in a hard-to-reach place, such behind a closed closet door.