1. Shocking Problem
Parents worry that children will be killed by a stranger's violence when, in fact, experts say that kids between 1 and 4 years old are more likely to be killed by drowning, burns, fire, poisoning, choking or falls. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 2.5 million children are hurt or killed each year by dangers around the house. That's why it's so important to have a childproof home, protecting your baby from the dangers they can discover while crawling around. This is especially true when it comes to electrical outlets. If little fingers get in there, they can get shocked.
2. Plug in For Safety
Buy pluggable child safety electrical outlet caps. It's a small cover that inserts right into an ordinary plug, preventing your baby from accessing outlet holes. They also can't plug any foreign object into the electrical outlet. The only drawback to these plugs is that there are mouth-sized and some can be simply pulled out. They then become chocking hazards. Make sure that the pluggable cover is hard for a child to remove. Test it out and make sure it doesn't come out too easily. That's really the only way to see if it's safe. Child safety electrical outlet caps are cheap and easy to find at baby or big box stores.
3. Big Cover up
Remove any outlet plates that you're not using and cover the outlet with a plate cover. This will really improve the electrical safety of your home, for a mere $2 a piece, if that. Some stores and online retailer also sell slideable covers. They are a sophisticated solution to childproofing. All it takes on your part is replacing the coverplate. It works because a spring automatically slides a coverplate over when you remove a plug from an outlet. It keeps your baby from inserting items into the outlet and automatically seals off the danger when your baby removes an electrical plug from the outlet. It covers up automatically. A warning--they are more expensive and little bit more complicated to install than the kind of covers that plug right in.
4. Out of Sight, out of Mind
You should try to put furniture in front of electrical outlets whenever possible. The saying "out of sight, out of mind" works in this respect, too. A baby won't try to touch an electrical outlet if he doesn't see one. While you're childproofing your outlets, examine the rest of your electrical system. Experts say you shouldn't run electrical wires under your carpet or rugs because your baby will become interested in the wires. Make sure you don't have too much plugged into an electrical outlet and get rid of any appliances or equipment with frayed cords or extension cords. That's just an electrical fire waiting to happen. Twist tie any electrical cords that are hanging down to keep them away from your baby.
5. Outsource Electrical Safety
You can actually hire a professional child proofer. They'll come in and survey your home, then suggest changes such as anchoring down furniture, childproofing doors and appliances and covering electrical outlets. The benefit is that the professional child proofer knows just what to look for and has access to more safety items than you do. Many offer a free consultation and only make a profit by selling safety items and installing them for you.
