A bedroom should be a safe place to be. When organizing your child’s room, you need to make sure that there is no possibility of a dangerous accident. To help ensure that your child is as safe as possible in his bedroom, follow these tips.
Room for children from 0 to 3 years
* The safest place for a baby to sleep to help prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is to sleep in a crib, on a firm mattress, and with a fitted sheet.
* Keep toys, blankets and pillows out of the crib to avoid suffocation.
* Do not hang anything from the crib, as this poses a risk of strangulation.
* Make sure all bolts and screws are tight on the crib. This will ensure that the crib does not fall apart while your baby sleeps.
* Place a nightlight in the room. For children who can walk and sleep in a toddler bed, the night light will provide light to see at night. Many children are also afraid of the dark, so this will help them fight their fear.
* Smoke detectors must be installed in all rooms, including your baby’s bedroom.
* Putting window guards on the windows will help prevent your child from falling.
* The best toy chest for a toddler is one without a lid. However, if you buy one with a lid, make sure there are holes in the top in case your child gets caught. They will then be able to breathe and this will help you hear them better when they ask for help.
* Make sure all toys are picked up off the floor to ensure they (or you) don’t trip over in the middle of the night.
Room for children from 4 to 12 years old
* Again, you must place a smoke alarm in your child’s bedroom. Be sure to test your smoke alarm regularly.
* Children between 4 and 9 years old tend to run a lot. Make sure if your room has a carpet and put non-slip mats underneath to prevent slipping.
* The doors to your child’s room should not have bolts. Or if they do, make sure you can unlock them from the outside.
* There should not be any furniture with a glass ceiling or glass doors in your child’s room.
* Be sure to regularly check furniture for loose parts. If there are, be sure to fix them to avoid injury.
* Use railings for the bunk beds to ensure that the child does not fall.
* Anchor bookcases and dressers to the wall. This will help prevent these pieces of furniture from falling on top of them when they try to scale it, because they will reach for that toy on the top shelf.
* Insist that all toys be picked up from the ground.
* Use cold lamps to the touch.
Tweens and Teens Room
* Make sure the plugs are not overloaded. This could cause overheating which could start fires.
* Insist that there are no books, papers, objects, or clothing on the floor.
* Keep lamps away from flammable objects.
* There should be no electrical cables under the carpet.
As children get older, you should be able to begin to trust that they will not need periodic reminders to be safe. However, no matter the age, check your child’s room regularly to make sure no dangers lie ahead.
