If you are a parent, then you understand that children are very prone to accidents. The most unlikely objects somehow end up hurting them, and therefore safety can never be overdone. Most of such accidents can be prevented with appropriate child-proofing. You may not think of your garage as a danger to your child, but when mismanaged, it can be a source of a lot of pain.
Here are some useful tips on child-proofing your garage to prevent unnecessary accidents:
KNOWING WHETHER YOUR GARAGE IS SAFE
You need to evaluate your garage to see whether it is safe for your children or whether it needs to child-proofed. Here are a few questions that will help you do so:
- Are there dangerous tools or harmful chemicals in the garage? Can your children reach them quickly?
- Are there machines that could get operated easily by the children? Do you lock them whenever you are not in the garage?
- Is the garage clutter-free?
- Does your garage door have any safety and security features? Do you employ them when you are not in the garage?
- What are the hidden risks in your garage?
- When was the last time you checked the garage door or called in maintenance?
CHILD-PROOFING THE GARAGE
The aim is to make sure that if your child wanders into the garage, there’s nothing around that could hurt them. You could also make sure that they don’t wander in in the first place.
Your first concern should be access to chemicals and tools that are dangerous to the child. Every time you leave the garage, make sure that such things are put away somewhere the children cannot reach them even if they stepped on a stool. The best option would be to lock them away.
The garage door should also be locked whenever you are not in the garage. If you cannot manage to store away everything, then you might as well make sure that the children cannot go in. You should also check the door regularly to see whether it needs any repairing or replacement.
You should never allow clutter to build up in your garage. Clear your working space to make sure that both you and your child don’t trip or step on anything harmful. Such objects may also easily find their way out of the garage and into the hands (or mouth) of your child.
If you use an automatic door, you may want to keep the remote out of your child’s reach. Few things would excite them more than opening and closing the garage door using a few buttons, and maybe even taking a peek into the garage on the lookout for something even more exciting.
CONCLUSIVELY…
Safety must be your number one priority, more so if you have children running around the house. Do all you can to keep them out of the garage but if you can’t, make sure that nothing harmful in there is easily accessible.
