116 HAWAII PARENT NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 reach; know the names of all plants in the house in case a child eats one of them. • Have a bottle of Ipecac in your home. This should only be used when instructed by a medical professional. • Cover electrical outlets with childresistant outlet covers. • Older homes may need ground fault circuit interrupters installed on outlets near sinks and bathtubs. These will stop the electrical current when an appliance gets wet. • Place screens around fireplaces, radiators, and portable space heaters. • Use hardware-mounted safety gates at the top and bottom of stairways as presmobiles, remove them from the crib. • Shorten drapery and blind cords. • Either remove the plastic end caps on doorstops, or replace the stops with a onepiece design. • Drill breathing holes into any trunk that is used as a toy box in case a child gets trapped inside. Install safety hinges on toy boxes if needed, or buy one with a removable lid to prevent pinched fingers.) • Lock any potentially dangerous products in an upper-level cabinet, i.e., alcoholic beverages, household cleaning and laundry supplies, and medications. • Keep houseplants out of children’s Child-proofing never really ends, even as children grow. “Get down on your hands and knees. Crawl from room to room looking at things from baby’s vantage point and for things within a toddler’s reach.”
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