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Holiday Safety Tips
By Kimberlee Mitchell
Child Safety Expert & Professional Childproofer
Making your house look festive can often create safety hazards for young children. If you have babies, toddlers or will be entertaining some little ones over the holidays, give yourself peace-of-mind by childproofing your home first. Here are a few tips for a safe and joyful holiday season:
Buttons, Candy and Baubles are Choking Hazards
Wreaths, ornaments, nativity scenes, and other decorations with unsecured pieces become choking hazards when placed within reach of little hands. Be sure to keep them, and any holiday candy dishes—especially those containing nuts, M&M's or hard candies—on high tables or counters. Clean up carefully after wrapping gifts. Babies love scrap pieces of tape, ribbon and wrapping paper. Foils and plastic wrap are extra tempting due to their shiny quality.
If You Display It, They Will Climb It
 Beware of the determined climbers who will "MacGyver" a way to get to that shiny snow globe or gleaming candles. As you decorate, be sure to put the ladder away immediately as it will beckon your baby to climb it. Don't be a poor example to your little one by climbing on top of chairs or tables to reach high-placed décor and don’t underestimate the ingenuity of a curious child. She will stack an array of toys to be able to see out the window to spot Christmas carolers or daddy coming home bearing gifts. Anchor all shelving units, armoires, etc. to a wall stud as they each pose dangerous tipping hazards. Falling is the number one accident in households. Be sure to have mounted safety gates at stair tops and bottoms. Screens can easily give way and should not be considered a childproofing device. Keep windows locked or use window guards.
Babies Can Get Tangled up in the Trimmings
Strings of electric lights are as dangerous as they are attractive to young children, who can easily get wrapped up in the wires and risk strangling or even electrocuting themselves. Tinsel and wrapping ribbon are just as irresistible and nearly as dangerous. If you use these strings or lights of any kind, hang them high and keep your children away from the outlets. Sliding outlet covers are a great way to keep curious kids safe from electric shock. Never leave your holiday lights on or candles lit if you if you are not home as this can be a fire hazard.
Babies Can Topple a Christmas Tree in Seconds
Naturally your child will be fascinated by the lights, ornaments and colorful packages. If your tree isn't anchored securely to its stand, she may reach for a low-hanging bough and pull the whole thing down on top of her.
Saying, "No!" too often to a curious and excited toddler can dampen the holiday cheer for you both. Consider setting up your tree and other decorations outside the primary play area and putting up a safety gate to block your child from entering the room. If your tree must be in an accessible area, consider eliminating lights and breakable ornaments from the lower portion of the tree and barricading access to the tree with furniture or an expanded safety gate. When my Chloe was one, I bought a 3-foot Douglas Fir, decorated it with lights and a few of my favorite ornaments, and displayed it on a counter, far from her reach.
Click through to discover more tips from Kimberlee and learn about the Safety 1st Squad™!
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Everyone here at Safety 1st would like to wish you a happy holiday season. In the spirit of giving, we've got a few fun things to share with you! First we'll let you know about our great holiday shopping deal. Then we'll check in with Child Safety Expert & Professional Childproofer Kimberlee Mitchell for some holiday safety tips. Be sure to check out the great gift ideas in our featured products section and enter in for your chance to win one of them! We'll finish things off by turning the spotlight on a Safety 1st family as they prepare for the fun of the season.
Safety 1st makes life easier for parents everywhere with the Prism Digital Color Video Monitor. Fully loaded with innovative parent-assist features like Remote Zoom, Quick View and more, the Prism Monitor ensures a private and clear connection between you and your baby with superior digital technology. Digital leaves less room for static to sneak in to the audio and video channels, letting you feel like you're right in the room with your little one without having to disturb their slumber to know that they're okay.
Safety 1st brings parents peace of mind with the Alarm Security Gate that features a handy alarm to sound an alert when the gate is left open. It also features our SecureTech™ indicator to let you know that it's securely locked. Expanding from 27-42 inches wide, this gate adapts easily to fit a variety of open spaces.
The Safety 1st® Space Saver Fold-Up Tub is a great tub in a handy, compact package that makes it easy for parents to store after bath time. The seat is extra-roomy for baby's comfort and features a slip-resistant foam pad. There's even a built-in accessory tray to keep all your bath-time needs close by.
Safety 1st is helping parents to keep curious children away from out-of-bounds areas with the ProGrade No Drill Top of Door Lock. The lock clamps easily to the door and also features a special retractable guard to help prevent pinched fingers. With no drilling required, you won't have to worry about leaving holes in the door when you remove the lock!
We wondered if Mike and his wife Johanna had any special traditions that they looked forward to each year or new ones that they'd created once Ellie was born. "We enjoy different traditions throughout the year, but this time of year is always special. One of our favorites with Ellie is "Elf on a Shelf." Our little Elf friend (an Elf doll) comes and visits the house every year to keep an eye on her and will report back to Santa if she was naughty or nice each night until Christmas. She'll find him in a new location every morning after she wakes up. It's fun for Johanna and me, too, since we like to find silly hiding places for him each night after she goes to bed. Every morning is an Elf scavenger hunt for Ellie."
