Spring Home & Garden
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 3C
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
Dogs like Andre can get into trash cans if they aren’t locked away or covered.
Child-proofing and
pet-proofing your home
By JADE McDOWELL
East Oregonian
Welcoming
a
new
little one into your home
— be they fur-covered
or diaper-covered — can
turn previously benign
household objects into a
hazard.
Strategies for child-
proofing and pet-proofing a
home are often simple and
relatively inexpensive, but
they do require a thorough
examination of the entire
house and yard.
Mary Shaver, owner of
Busy Bee Preschool and
Child Care, said the first
step is locking up sharp
objects, household cleaners,
medicines, cosmetics and
other items that could be
dangerous if a little one
decides to play with them or
drink them.
“Even something like
perfume can be toxic to a
child,” she said.
The same concerns
apply to the back yard,
where Shaver said certain
plants and bushes can also
be toxic if a child decides
to eat them while their
parent’s back is turned. She
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
A child safety gate can also work to keep pets out of rooms that contain things that
might be dangerous to them.
said she keeps the number
for poison control by the
phone in case a child does
ingest something they
shouldn’t.
Indoors, she said parents
should also be especially
careful when cooking. At
Busy Bee, the adults have
removed the knobs on the
gas stove so that a child
cannot turn them on without
access to where the knobs
are kept. They also have
plastic covers over all the
electrical outlets.
“That’s a biggie, because
kids like to stick things in
there,” she said.
Other tips found on
LOCAL RESIDENTIAL | COMMERCIAL | INDUSTRIAL
ENROLLING NOW
FOR SPRING 2017
Sunthurst Energy, LLC
Turning Sunlight to Savings
Your
Trusted
Consultant
& EPC
PARTNER
(310) 975-4732
sunthurstenergy.com
OR CCB 201975
WebMD for making your
home safer for infants and
young children include:
• Install safety latches on
cupboards and drawers in
kitchens and bathrooms.
• Secure bookcases and
other furniture items that
could tip over if a child tried
to climb on them.
• Make sure window
blinds do not have looped
cords that can be a strangu-
lation hazard.
• Place corner protectors
and bumpers over hard
edges like fireplace hearths
where a child could fall and
cut their head.
• Install safety gates at
the top and bottom of stairs.
• Install a toilet lock to
keep the toilet lid down
to
prevent
accidental
drowning.
Many of the same safety
tips also apply to welcoming
a new puppy or kitten into
the home. Toilet lids should
also be kept closed, for
example, to keep animals
from drowning or ingesting
dangerous cleaners.
“Cats love to drink out
of the toilet,” said Darcy
Coleman of Pioneer Humane
Society in Pendleton.
Other
suggestions
Coleman had, not already
mentioned above, were to
keep trash cans covered or
in a latched cabinet, place
dangling wires out of reach,
cover heating vents or other
holes that animals could get
stuck in and check washers
and dryers before turning
them on.
“Make sure your cat
hasn’t jumped into your
dryer before you turn it on,
because they love to do
that,” Coleman said. “It’s
nice and warm in there.”
In the garage and
driveway, pet owners should
also be careful to clean up
all antifreeze spills, as even
a taste is highly poisonous
to animals.
Contact Jade McDowell
at jmcdowell@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4536.