Making Sure Your Grandchildren Are Safe In Your Home

One of the most important things you can do for your grandchildren is to make sure they are safe when visiting you in your home. Or, if you are one of the 4.9 grandparents whose grandchildren live with you, then you are on safety patrol 24/7.  Of  our 5 grandchildren the 2 year old and the 1 year old are the hardest to keep up with. I call them Miss Chievous and Mister Chievous.

 

Can’t you just see the mischief in their eyes?

Last night I couldn’t find Miss Chievous but I knew the general area where she disappeared. We have laundry chute from our upstairs to our laundry room downstairs. I opened up the closet door and low and behold, there she was! It had to be dark in there, but dark doesn’t scare her. I’m not sure anything scares her….which scares me.

She also helped (?) me unload the dishwasher and when I turned around to put the knives and forks away she took the empty lower tray of the dishwasher and disappeared. That time I found her in the den rolling the tray across the floor!  Not only is she mischievous, she’s fast!

Preventing Accidents

If our goal is to keep our grandchildren safe, and of course it is, then we need to know what accidents occur most often. I visited the CDC website and here is what I found.

Fatal Accidents

• For children less than 1 year of age, two–thirds of injury deaths were due to suffocation.
• Drowning was the leading cause injury death for those 1 to 4 years of age.
• For children 5 to 19 years of age, the most injury deaths were due to being an occupant in a motor vehicle traffic crash.

Nonfatal Accidents

• Falls was the leading cause of nonfatal injury for all age groups less than 15.
• For children ages 0 to 9, the next two leading causes were being stuck by or against an object and animal bites or insect stings.
• For children 10 to 14 years of age, the next leading causes were being struck by or against an object and overexertion.
• For children 15 to 19 years of age, the three leading causes of nonfatal injuries were being struck by or against an object, falls, and motor vehicle occupant injuries.

My Challenges

We have 3 sets of stairs in our house and that has been one of the biggest challenges I have faced with my grandchildren. We don’t have a pool ,but I have been guilty of leaving water in the tub and that’s a no no too. I always use the car seat and fasten them in securely but if I have to take the car seats out of the car I have a terrible time getting them fastened back in properly. Usually I have to get my husband to make sure they are secured in the proper manner.

I also have to be very careful about where my cleaning supplies are kept. I read that children like to put detergent pods in their mouths so I moved those to a high shelf in my pantry. It’s a little inconvenient but better safe than sorry, right? My daughter has child proof locks on cabinets and doors, which is a good idea with little ones around. Even if I lock all the cabinet doors little Miss and Mister still can get in my drawers. There’s something especially tempting about nana’s makeup drawer. Yesterday after little Miss left I noticed this on my door frame. I think (hope) it is lipstick.

What are your biggest challenges with your grandchildren’s safety? Do you have a little Miss or Mister Chievous in your house?

For tips on how to prevent accidents check out Childproofing and Preventing Household Accidents at KidsHealth.org