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Home office
• Lock away any poisonous substances -- ink for the printer, for example.
• Store sharp items or small items that could cause choking in drawers equipped with safety latches.
• Tie up electrical cords and wires, and tuck them behind the desk. Place a safety latch out of a child's reach on the outside of the office door.
Living room
• Lock up alcoholic beverages.
• Put decorative matches out of reach and out of sight. Keep all matches and lighters out of reach.
• Cover electrical outlets.
• Freestanding lamps should be put in storage or placed behind heavy furniture.
• Cover the fireplace with a tight-fitting screen.
• Remove unsteady furniture, glass coffee tables, and any ornaments that could shatter when knocked over.
Basement and garage
• If you have an extra fridge in the shed or basement, use a fridge lock -- they're sold in baby stores.
• Lock away all poisonous substances and power tools. Store laundry products on a high shelf.
• Keep doors to the garage and basement locked.
• If your laundry facilities are in the basement, add a spring door-closer to the basement door. That way, when you're carrying a load of laundry, the door will close automatically behind you.
Visiting
When you are visiting other homes with your child, remember that the home may not be childproofed.
• Before putting your toddler down for a nap at someone else's house, check bedside tables and the nearby bathroom for small objects or potentially poisonous substances.
• Check the toys that your host offers to your child for missing or broken bits.
• Be alert for purses or briefcases left where your toddler can reach them. They may contain medications.
• Be alert to unsteady furniture, glass coffee tables, and any ornaments that could shatter.
• Ask to move dangerous items out of the way or to move to another part of the house for the visit.
• Check for doors that open onto a pool or into a basement.
• Never leave a toddler unsupervised near water, whether it's a tub, a pool, a river, a lake, or the sea.
Excerpted from Growing with Your Child: pre-birth to age 5 by Christine Langlois. Copyright 1998 by Telemedia Communications Inc. Excerpted, with permission by Ballantine Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
