playground checklist, garages, babies

Playground Safety Checklist

Install a soft surface under all any playground equipment that you might have in your yard. Nearly 70 percent of all playground injuries are due to falls. We recommend playground wood chips, which are available at most landscaping companies. It should be poured to a depth of about 1 foot for a 6 foot high playground structure.

·	Make sure that all swing-sets are firmly anchored to the ground, and cemented in wherever possible.

·	Check over the equipment to ensure there are no gaps anywhere where a child's foot or arm could become trapped. If there are, fix the gap immediately.

·	If building your own equipment, be sure to do so exactly according to manufacturer specs for placement of the bars, etc.

The Garage

·	Keep all chemicals in a locked cabinet in the garage, such as oil, antifreeze, pesticides, lawn treatment, etc.

·	Keep all tools and gardening supplies safely out of the reach of children.

·	Keep the garage door down when children are playing outside.

Especially for Babies

·	Realize how babies learn. They are sensory learners. They look, see, touch, taste. Anything that you don’t want them to either touch or put in their mouth, should not be anywhere around the child or accessible in any way.

·	Buy all crib and room equipment according to current safety standards. Check periodically for recalls or defects in equipment. We provide a link on our website to look up children’s product safety information.

·	Be sure to place the babies crib away from blinds or windows, or any other potential hazard that they could possibly get their hands onto.

·	Sleep babies on their backs to avoid suffocation or SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

·	Make sure the crib mattress fits tightly, and that there are no gaps that the baby could fall into and suffocate in. Avoid sleeping infants in adult beds, as there is almost always a gap where the child could roll into and suffocate, or roll off the bed and suffer a head injury.

·	Avoid placing babies on top of soft cushionings such as sofas, soft cushions, water beds, or quilts, where they could suffocate if they either roll into the cushion or have their face wedged in between the soft surfaces.

·	Keep the crib area clear of pillows or large stuffed animals that could suffocate a child.

·	Keep the baby’s toys, pacifiers, and room free of any strings that could become entangled around the baby’s neck. This includes strings on pull toys.

·	Install safety gates around all stairs.

·	Try and keep your child’s room or play area a sanitary safe zone. Keep things out of it that could fall unnoticed and become a choking hazard, such as loose change, candy, adult food, etc.

·	Inspect the floors of your house constantly for fallen items that could be a choking hazard.

·	Always check the heat of bottle fluid on your arm before serving it to your child. Babies are still very sensitive. Serving a baby a bottle that is too hot, can burn their throat, causing it to swell and cut off their airway.

·	Keep a baby’s bath water right at about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Not hotter, not colder.

·	Keep children away from radiators, heating vents, space heaters, fireplaces, stoves, and any other equipment that could burn them.

·	Make sure no electrical cords are available for babies or toddlers to chew on or play with.

·	Consider installing a baby monitor in your child’s room so that you can always monitor your little one.