Garage Safety

Garages aren't just for cars; they are an extension of our homes. Most families use the garage for storage or projects that are too big or too messy for indoors. Unfortunately, the garage can be a magnet for junk, which also makes it a place where falls, poisonings and fires can happen.

Set aside one Saturday of each month and work with your family to clean out and organize your garage. Start by deciding what to keep and what items you don’t need in your garage. From there, group items you use together like bikes and biking supplies, gardening supplies and tools together for easy access.

Falling and accidental poisoning are two of the most common injuries that happen in the garage. Installing shelves or securely hanging items from the walls and ceilings will help create additional space in the garage and reduce tripping hazards. To prevent poisonings, be sure all poisonous items are securely locked in high cabinets and out of reach of children.

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Holiday Safety Tips

Families gather in the kitchen while the cook(s) prepare for holiday meals. You can not avoid it. Make your kitchen safe for all ages while cooking is very important. Most house fires start in the kitchen. The number one reason is due to distraction. The cook will put something on the fire/stove and forget it to go see something on TV, or join the conversation in the other room, or attend to the kids. Be mindful of how long your pots, pans, and utensils have been on the fire. Again distraction can cause a person to grab a hot pot, pan, or utensil without a hot mitt or any other type of protection.


Because the kitchen can be very busy with lots of cooks, keep children and pets out. You don’t want to trip over them while carrying hot water or grease. You don’t want them to run up behind you while you have the oven door open. Use a safety gate with a door for easy access and boundaries. This will allow the adults to easily move in and out of the kitchen while keeping the little ones safe and out of the way. If you are unable to use a safety gate, try taping of the area around the stove or the entire to the kitchen. It will be hard to keep the pets from crossing the line; but your kids will be able to understand. Make it into a game and see how long they can keep from crossing the tape.

Here are some other tips:

~ If you can, stay in the kitchen while cooking
~ Keep the fryers and large pots toward the back burners
~ Keep things that can burn such as dishtowel and bags away from the burners
~ Keep toaster ovens clean of crumbs that can burn
~ If clothes do catch on fire; stop, drop and roll. I know its old school saying but it still works.
~ If burned, cool the burn areas with cool water or refrigerated butter
~ Always turn pot handles to the back of the stovetop prevent them being tips over or a child from pulling it down on themselves.
~ Electrical outlets in the kitchen, and especially near the kitchen sink, should have Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs). This will prevent a dangerous shock. If you don't have them, have an electrician put these in your home.
~If you will have small children visiting, install automatic snapback outlet covers
~Post emergency numbers in visible areas.

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Safety Playtime

Children could find anything to play with to keep themselves entertained. They occupy their time with things that we would never think of as a toy. You never know what is going to interest your little one. Some things they will pass up and others will capture their curiosity and they want to see how it works, and why it does that, and if they can make it do something else. Pots, pans, empty boxes, broom, under the table for a cave are some of the more common things and generally safe. Its really fun to watch how their growing personality draws them to certain things. Very cute but could also be very dangerous. My 2 year old’s new thing is floss. He likes to wrap it around the chair legs. He says “it’s cute!” As he is ‘decorating’ all I can think of is how did he get that again and how dangerous it is, and why won’t he play with his toys. If your child is interested in something that poses a danger, introduce them to something else that is similar and safe. Be sure to tell them. You could say something like, “The floss is not a toy and its dangerous. You can play with this wash towel instead. (help mommy clean at the same time) ;> Babies love plastic and paper bags mostly kids like them because of the sound they make. But 8 times out of 10 they will also see how it can fit over their head. In this case you need you can get a toy that makes similar sounds.

Here are some examples

~ When they want to climb on an unstable toy to see on top of the table, give them a chair.

~ Instead of having a ball in the house that they can throw and break something, give them a balloon.

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