Is Your Home Kid-Safe? Watch Out For These 10 Common Safety Hazards

Children learn by exploring the world around them, including in and around the house. Whether your smallest relatives are just visiting or you have little ones of your own, it’s important to keep them safe from harm by “kid-proofing” your home from common household safety hazards.

To help reduce or eliminate these hazards, you may want to hire an experienced local professional through Thumbtack. Thumbtack is a home services app connecting millions of users with top-rated providers in their area, such as electricians, general contractors, and window installers. Here are 10 common items and areas in your home that may pose a danger to small children, and how the pros listed on Thumbtack can help you address them.

1. Electrical Outlets

Electrical outlets can easily shock or burn a child if they accidentally stick their fingers or any common household objects — such as paper clips, bobby pins, pens, silverware, or keys — in them.

If a home was built after 2008, it is legally required to have tamper-resistant receptacles (TRR). These outlets have a shutter system that prevents foreign objects from being inserted into them. For houses built before 2008, an electrician can retrofit your existing outlets to TRRs. Even if your house has TRRs installed, purchase outlet covers or caps to cover up exposed outlets from children.

2. Sharp Edges

Corners and sharp edges on coffee tables, bed frames, desks, kitchen tables and other pieces of furniture can give children a nasty cut. Corner guards and edge bumpers can be easily placed onto furniture with sharp edges to help prevent injury. Most guards are simple to install and provide a soft buffer so no one bumps their head. You can also take an extra step by purchasing tables and desks with rounded edges.

3. Pools

While pools can be fun for kids to splash and play in, they can also pose a serious safety hazard. Adults should be supervising children at all times when they’re near water, but for additional safety, pools should also have fences, gates, safety covers and alarms installed to keep children out of the water. Chemicals used for keeping pools clean also need to be balanced. If too high, they harm swimmers’ skin; if they’re too low, microbes that cause digestive issues can form.

Professionals who maintain pools can address all of these safety measures to make sure children don’t enter the water unattended. They can also maintain the chemical levels in your pool so swimmers don’t get sick. Since these providers vary in the services they offer, check with them to make sure they can equip your pool area with what you need.

4. Doors

Children learn to open and close doors at a young age, which makes keeping track of them even more difficult as they become increasingly mobile. Installing door knob covers and childproof locks can keep little ones from accessing doors they shouldn’t. You can also hire a locksmith to replace any old locks and install stronger ones. For doors with dangerous areas behind them, consider installing alarms in addition to the locks to alert you immediately.

5. Stairs

If children climb up a staircase unattended, there’s a chance they may tumble down and hurt themselves. A childproof gate can redirect them away from the stairs back to safer areas. Gates should be high enough and sturdy enough to prevent a child from opening, dismantling, or climbing over them. To ensure proper installation, consider hiring a local handy professional to help you.

6. Windows

Open windows can be a threat to children’s safety. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, children can fall through a window opening as small as four inches. Even if a window isn’t open, if it is not secure, a child can accidentally open it and fall.

To help prevent any window accidents, you can equip your windows with screens, window guards, locks and safety netting. Window installers can measure your home’s windows and easily install any of these features. However, always ensure at least one window on each floor can be used to escape the house in the event of a fire.

7. Unsecured Furniture Or TVs

Unsecured top-heavy furniture — such as bookshelves, televisions, and end tables — can fall on top of kids, which can cause significant injury or even death. Each piece of furniture should be safely anchored to the wall to prevent any accidents. If you’re hanging a television, you can hire a professional TV wall mounting service to secure it from falling off the wall.

8. Houseplants

Household plants can liven up your space, but some of them, like dieffenbachias, pothos, calla lilies and tulips, are toxic to humans (and pets!) if ingested. Before placing potted plants in the arm's reach of children, do your research to determine whether any of those plants pose a threat. Farmer’s Almanac has a robust list you can use as a starting point, or you can hire a professional gardener to ensure you only have safe plants around the house.

9. Lead Paint

Homes built before 1978 may have been painted with poisonous lead paint, as it was before the United States banned the usage of lead paint. Prolonged exposure to lead paint can produce developmental issues in children and can cause high blood pressure, headaches, and fatigue in adults.

To know for sure, you can hire a professional lead testing service who can confirm if your house was painted with lead-based materials. If so, hire a lead paint removal specialist to remove the paint safely. Once all of the paint is removed, hire an interior painter who will get the job done using safe paints.

10. Fireplaces

While fireplaces can bring comfort in the cold winter months, they also pose threats to children. Open flames and residual heat can cause severe burns and the sharp fireplace tools and framing can cause cuts and bruises. Like with stairs and sharp corners, installing gates, foam corner guards and glass doors can prevent children from accidentally walking into harm’s way.

Fireplaces can also be a health hazard when they’re not in use. If not well-maintained, gas fireplaces can be the source of a dangerous and potentially fatal gas leak. Hire a professional to keep your fireplace well-maintained and install carbon monoxide alarms to alert you. For traditional fireplaces, achimney sweeper should come at least once a year to properly clean your chimney and clear out any blockage that could cause a fire.

Get Started With Thumbtack

Childproofing your home can be a daunting task, but you don’t have to do it alone: Thumbtack can connect you with local pros who can do it for you. To get started, type in your zip code and desired service to get a list of the top-rated home service professionals in your area. You can evaluate and compare services, view pricing, and read reviews from past customers. You can then contact your pro to ask any further questions and book them directly through the app.

Whether you’re looking for help with house painting, window installation, or simply childproofing doors and furniture, Thumbtack can help you find someone to get the job done efficiently, affordably and correctly.

Need help childproofing your home? Search for a local professional on Thumbtack today.