3 Ways to Make the Home Safer for Children

Home is a safety zone for one’s children. It is where they should feel the safest, and the most comfortable. Children need to be able to be in their home without fear of bodily harm. There are certain things parents can do to ensure safety for their children in the home. Here are three ideas to accomplish this.

First, remove all toxic cleaners from the home. Lots of people put their cleaners under their sink, or in other easily accessible places. This is not acceptable. Of course one could just put these chemicals on a very high shelf, or keep them under lock and key, but possibly getting rid of these chemicals could be the best option. When these cleaners are used, the fumes are still going into one’s lungs, and causing harm to one’s body. Instead of using toxic cleaners, try white vinegar. It is cheap, and de-greases very well. Baking soda for scrubbing works very well, and of course there are many other natural cleaners out there, with less harmful ingredients. The last thing one wants for children is to have the danger of them consuming them, but even breathing them in is harmful.

Second, do not let one’s child sleep on a fire retardant mattress, or sleep in fire retardant pajamas. Fire retardant materials are made using chemicals that are notoriously deadly. Some of these chemicals include Antimony Trioxide (arsenic), Boric Acid (roach poison), Silicon (silica glass), Ammonium Polyphosphate, and Formaldehyde. Even pajamas are made fire retardant now, so one needs to check and make sure that the pajamas one’s child is using, is not fire retardant. To put a child in such close proximity for extended periods of time could cause havoc for a child’s health. Warning symptoms could be rashes, trouble breathing, itchy eyes and nose, immune and nervous system problems, shaking and vomiting. Organic bedding, pajamas, and natural mattresses are the best option for one’s child.

Third, carpet may not be the safest place for one’s child to play. Everyone loves the new carpet smell, but unfortunately, that smell is coming from a host of chemicals that are on the EPA’s Extremely Hazardous Substances list. Some of these chemicals are toluene, benzene, formaldehyde, ethyl benzene, styrene, and acetone. A known carcinogen, p-Dichlorobenzene, which has caused fetal abnormalities in test animals, is also in carpet. Even old carpet is not safe. Some of the chemicals may have worn off, but when one walks in chemicals such as pesticides or lawn chemicals with their shoes, and then on carpet, the chemicals are trapped in the carpet for possibly years. What is the solution to this dilemma? Hard surface floors are the safest option. They are easy to clean, and do not trap chemicals, dust mites, and other harmful substances. If one uses a rug, use one that is made out of a natural substance, such as wool. Children love to play on the floor; often they have their faces right in the carpet. Think of possibly changing this situation to make a safer environment on the floor for one’s child.

There are many other ways to make one’s home safer for children, and ultimately, for everyone in the home. Babies do not have fully developed immune systems that help filter out harmful chemicals, so these substances are even more dangerous to them than they are to adults. Consider changing a few things around the home to make it a friendlier, safe place for children to live.

by Rachel McDaniel