European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 15, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday Aprim 52007 stars and stripes Page 19 what to look for Jerilynn Shaker a child safety expert provides clients with a Booklet of tips Here Are some of her suggestions Kitchen remove hazardous products from underneath the sink and lower Cabi nets to keep remaining objects out of reach use a safety Latch to secure the doors use a Latch on higher cabinets when children Are old enough to realize they can use a chair to get to out Freach temptations put locks on liquor cabinets alcohol can be poisonous to babies make sure cords from Small appliances Are out of reach when not in use make sure appliance cords Are unplugged and wrapped so a child cant pull them Down consider installing latches to keep children from opening the oven refrigerator and dishwasher doors do not hang dish towels on oven doors As a child can grab it and use it to pull the door open bathroom with their hard surfaces medicines and an abundance of water Bath rooms can be extremely hazardous to children turn the water Heaters thermostat Down to 120 to 130 degrees wafer at 156 degrees can cause third degree Burns in one second never leave a Young child unattended in the Bathtub a child can drown in water As shallow As 2 to 3 inches place locks on toilets to keep lids closed install latches on drawers and Medicine cabinets living room remove furnishings with Sharp edges or protrusions keep furniture that kids can climb on away from windows to  Falls any unstable furniture to the Wal to prevent it from toppling for television sets use an entertainment Center designed to hold a to and that cant be pulled Over by a climbing child a railing to can kill a child soft outfit the fireplace with a screen or doors that close use a padding air a Cushion on the Hearth in Case of of Dols decorative mirrors should have taped backs and a safety film to avoid shards in Case it Breaks other areas use door locks latches or child proof Knob covers to keep children from opening doors keep All plastic bags out of reach banish dry cleaning bags from closets swimming pools should have a Gate at least 5 feet Tail to keep children out in California state Law requires thai pools to have djs Footfall Fence with a self closing self latching Gate that has a alarm when opened do not allow children any Access to the garage safety Gates for Stair landings so the Gate cannot be pushed but of place for outlet covers Shaker prefers using covers that slide Over the outlet rather than the plastic covers the reason As they get older and if they work at if Long enough children can remove the plastic covers from the outlet then the piece becomes a Chok ing Hazard and sometimes parents forget to replace a cover when they take it out to vacuum use on piece doorstops stops with a removable rubber tip on the end pose a choking Hazard baby watch out once they Start crawling its time to kid proof your Home Tisha Hughes remembered the defining moment when she knew it was time to step up childproofing her Home to protect her 10monthold son Cameron Cameron a proficient Crawler who mastered the Art of pulling himself up to stand while holding onto furniture was puttering around the dining room one Day when he decided to use a chair to help him stand when he pulled up on the chair it fell backward and hit him on the fore head she recalled fortunately Cam Eron want injured but his Mother was pretty freaked out by the incident soon after the Hughees had a big garage Sale Many of the decorative items in their Modesto Home including tablecloths sconces candles floor lamps and a curio Cabinet filled with commemorate shot glasses were now seen As Poten tial hazards for Cameron so out they went the Hughees went on a baby proof ing product shopping spree they bought Cabinet latches door locks and covers for electrical outlets they also got a Gate to keep Cam Eron out of the Kitchen and a cushioned pad for their fireplaces Brick Hearth each year More than 25 million children Are Hurt or killed by hazards in the Home according to the us con Sumer product safety commission and the National safety Council its natural for toddlers and crawling babies to be curious As they a busily explore the world around them and Young children do experience a fair share of bumps and bruises As they become More to bile but with that increased mobility comes a greater Chance of getting Hurt or worse according to the nation Al safety Council Mechan ical suffocation think plastic bags and suffocation by ingested objects cause the most Home fatalities to children age 4 and younger other Haz Ards include Falls from High places drowning fire poisoning from House hold products Man parents think about or Start childproofing their Homes just before or right after their children Start crawling and Many quickly realize that their precious Little ones often find things to get into that the parents haunt realized was a Haz Ard Jerilynn Shaker a child safety expert remembers when her son Sharif now 9 Learned to walk we called him danger photos by the Modesto Cameron Hughes 10 months looks Over the Gate that keeps him out of the Kitchen in Modesto Calif its natural for toddlers and crawling babies to be curious but with increased mobility comes a greater Chance of getting Hurt bookshelves and rails if it was elevated he wanted to Shaker also remembers putting a lock on the toilet Early on because of Sharif Affinity of tossing stuff into it like his books and a piece of his moms jewelry after childproof which typically takes 45 minutes to an hour she makes suggestions it can be anything from moving furniture to cover ing outlets to removing certain furniture such As floor lamps and Glass tables she said when parents balk at having to remove furnishings and other pieces she tells them the changes Are Tempo Rary and i Tell them that childproofing wont prevent children from getting bumps and bruises but it will help prevent trips to the emergency room plastic outlet covers like this one might seem like a Good idea but experts say they can become choking hazards that she and her husband Mustafa started their own child proofing business kids assured in Castro Valley Shaker handles the consultations and installation she goes to potential clients Homes and walks them through each room pointing out the dangers ing her own Home one of the hardest things for parents Shaker started trying to childproof their Home is Figur helping her friends ing out what products to use stores do the same she such As target and babies r us have got so proficient whole sections devoted to childproofing products that when hiring a professional can be helpful Shaker said when she first Chii proofed the toilet in her bathroom it took her two tries because the first lock didst work properly parents should keep in mind that childproofing int a onetime task it is an evolving process Shaker said what May have worked in the and offering suggestions on How to fix beginning May have to change As your or eliminate hazards baby grows babies learn to figure Shaker said he wanted to climb up of limits during the Wal through i walk them through and get an idea things out of the family daily schedule she she adds a parting piece of advice said she asks what rooms the child will childproofing cannot replace adult spend time in and what rooms Are supervision to keep kids Safe but it can o 3 3 q cd o cd if up 0 cd give adults some piece of mind