Why and When to Childproof
Why Child Proof
Preventable injuries are the number one cause of the fatality of a child with the majority of injuries occurring in the home. Statistically, there are 2,700 child fatalities annually from in home injuries. The next number really alarms us; 120,000 children are permanently disabled with 70% of those children under the age of four.
Happily, a lot of the accidents do not cause fatalities, but you must ask yourself just what kind of condition are the children in if they are hurt badly or perhaps are permanently disabled. Did they fall and break their back and become paralyzed? Do they have behavioral problems from a poison? Did they lose a finger?
When children first begin to crawl, their curiosity about the world around them triples as they explore any and everything. Preschoolers develop motor skills, but they have poor impulse control and judgment. Children do not have the strength, coordination nor maturity to avoid injury and their curiosity is a powerful force. As a result, they enter one of the most dangerous times of their lives when they are at the highest risk for injury.
There is no greater devastation than losing a child and certainly that devastation is compounded when the loss is due to a preventable accident. Your question is not will your child find hazards in the home, but when….
When to Childproof
It is recommended you make a home safe before a child is born, or at least by the time they are six months old. This will give you time to personally adjust to the changes and to develop new habits of closing gates and latching cabinets. It takes about six months for an adult to learn new habits so they occur naturally and reduce the risk of harming a child.