Home Safety Checklist

Posted: Jan. 1, 2004

Print out the list below and check off each guideline that your family already follows. Work on those you don’t.


Safety Guidelines—Infants and Young Children

_____ Use a car safety seat at all times until your child weighs at least 40 pounds.

_____ Car seats must be properly secured in the back seat, preferably in the middle.

_____ Keep medicines, cleaning solutions, and other dangerous substances in childproof containers, locked up and out of reach of children.

_____ Use safety gates across stairways (top and bottom) and guards on windows above the first floor.

_____ Keep hot water heater temperatures below 120 degrees F.

_____ Keep unused electrical outlets covered with plastic guards.

_____ Provide constant supervision for babies using a baby walker. Block the access to stairways and to objects that can fall (such as lamps) or cause burns (such as stoves).

_____ Keep objects and foods that can cause choking away from your child. This includes things like coins, balloons, small toy parts, hot dogs (unmashed), peanuts, and hard candies.

_____ Use fences that go all the way around pools and keep gates to pools locked.


Safety Guidelines—All Ages

_____ Use smoke detectors in your home. Change the batteries every year and check once a month to see that they work.

_____ If you have a gun in your home, make sure that the gun and ammunition are locked up separately and kept out of children’s reach.

_____ Never drive after drinking alcohol.

_____ Use car safety belts at all times.

_____ Teach your child traffic safety. Children under 9 years of age need supervision when crossing streets.

_____ Teach your children how and when to call 911.

_____ Learn basic life-saving skills (CPR).

_____ Keep a bottle of ipecac at home to treat poisoning. Talk with a doctor or the local Poison Control Center before using it. Post the number of the Poison Control Center number near your telephone. Also, be sure to check the expiration date on the bottle of ipecac to make sure it is still good.

Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

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