Posted on 07/10/2016
How you decorate your child’s bedroom, or even the line of furniture you select, isn’t nearly as important as how safe it is. Did you know that “unintentional injury” claims more lives of those age 14 and under than anything else? Over 30% of those injuries occur within the child’s home. Because your child is in his or her bedroom unsupervised (and when you’re least alert), that room deserves some special consideration, when it comes to safety. With their increased mobility and curiosity, toddlers are often more susceptible to risks than they were as infants. Especially if you are the parent of a toddler or preschooler, you’ll want to make sure these items are secured or removed from your child’s bedroom.
Windows and Cords
Unless your child’s bedroom window needs to be left as an emergency exit in case of fire, it should be secured with a screen, lock, or guard like those described here. Especially if your child’s bedroom is on the second story or higher, his or her natural curiosity could be met with disastrous results. You should also consider the window treatments you use, and use cordless blinds, if at all possible. If you have blinds with cords, be sure to secure them high enough so that your child cannot climb to reach them.
Food or Small Toys
It’s best to make a no-food-in-the-bedroom rule for cleanliness purposes, but even if you don’t, all food should be removed before bedtime. You often can’t hear someone who is choking, so the risk at night can be great. Even when children are generally past the stage where you need to worry about them putting everything in their mouths or choking on food, night time can still pose a risk. Some kids like to chew on things when they’re tired or bored, so be aware of this tendency in your child. You can purchase items that are safe for them to chew (meaning small pieces won’t break off, creating a choking hazard).
Decorations and Lighting
Heavy wall art should be secured into a stud, whenever possible, and any glass or breakable décor should be positioned far from where your child sleeps, and high enough that your child cannot climb to reach it. All lighting needs to be safely mounted and positioned where it won’t come into contact with blankets, clothing, or other flammable materials. Make sure your child knows that sneaking a lamp into bed is never a good idea; instead, rely on a flashlight or built-in bedside lighting from any of our Smartstuff™ collections by Universal Furniture. As an alternative, you can provide a simple flashlight — ideally one that uses batteries larger than AA size (as small batteries may pose a choking hazard).
Read Part 2, here.