Children are born to explore.
They conquer new territory by touching, smelling and tasting everything in sight. It’s an effective way to learn about the world, but it’s also risky business. For example, figuring out how the toilet flushes has led to drownings. Experimenting with dangling drapery cords can turn them into nooses.
“There are all kinds of risks in the home,” says Michael Lawton, president of the Baby Care Division of Gerber Products Co. “You can never eliminate all of the risks, but you can do a lot to reduce them with certain products that are now on the market.”
Awareness of the hazards in the home and efforts to child-proof it have increased in recent years. “Safety products are a much more high profile category than they used to be, in part because of demographics,” says Peter Graves, vice president of marketing for Selfix, which manufactures the Fisher-Price line of child safety products. “Parents work more now and they are more cognizant of safety issues because they may not be there themselves all the time to personally protect their children or give them guidance.”
Graves says that new technology has brought about demands for products that go beyond the traditional ones. “New consumer products on the market require their own child safety devices,” he explains. “You need video cassette guards, for example, so that a child can’t stuff a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into the VCR and you need a similar product for hard drives.”
New technology also makes it easier to keep children under a watchful eye. In the past, devices have allowed parents to listen to their children without being in the room with them. Now video cameras combined with TV monitors make it possible to watch them from afar.
Child safety products are easy to find–in home centers, toy stores, supermarkets and drugstores. Gayle Franger, product manager for Selfix, recommends carefully reading the label of a product before purchasing it to see how it has to be installed and what purpose it serves. In addition, she says, people often install a product designed to keep children out of harm’s way and just assume that it will work. She advises: “Have your children see if they can figure out how it works, because if they can, it defeats the purpose.”
The prices listed for products are suggested retail prices. You can contact the listed manufacturers for help in finding a retailer in your area that carries a specific item.
A night light that won’t bite
Gerber, which is well known for its food products for babies, also offers a line of safety accessories. One of the latest items in this series is a Dual Purpose Night Light/Outlet Cover. The Night Light, which plugs directly into a wall outlet, is designed to turn on automatically when the room is dark. The lower part of the device covers the second outlet, but it is fitted with a spring-loaded switch that allows adults to open the outlet when it’s needed. Price: $3.99. Gerber Products Co., 445 State St. Fremont, Mich. 49413-0001. Phone: 800-4-GERBER.
Keeping an eye on baby
Safety 1st manufactures a wide array of child safety products, ranging from a VCR lock, which prevents children from putting their fingers into the VCR or trying to stuff objects into the slot, to a bed rail that folds up so it can be taken on trips. Now Safety 1st has introduced the Baby View Monitor so that parents can move about the house and still keep an eye and an ear on their baby. The product includes a camera with a wide angle lens and a switch that allows the baby to be seen when the nursery is dark. The monitor can be plugged in, but it also operates with a 6-hour battery pack so that it can easily and quickly be carried from one room to another. Price: $2.99 for the VCR Lock, $17.99 for the Travel Bedrail, $199.99 for the Baby View Monitor. Safety 1st Inc., 210 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02167. Phone: 800-962-7233.
New CO detector technology
Safety 1st has also launched the IDR (Immediate Detection and Response) Carbon Monoxide Detector. Detectors in the past were sensitive not only to carbon monoxide but to a number of common household fumes, resulting in numerous false alarms. But the IDR is activated solely by carbon monoxide. It is designed to detect small amounts of this colorless, odorless gas at levels that may be safe for healthy individuals but can be harmful to children and pregnant women. The detector carries a 5-year warranty. Price: $79.99.
Anti-scald shower valve
A new pressure-balance anti-scald shower valve from Gerber Plumbing Fixtures makes sure that the temperature of the water doesn’t change drastically when someone uses water elsewhere in the house. The device is particularly useful in homes where there are children because it can be preset to a maximum temperature so that youngsters won’t ever be burned by scalding water. The easy-to-use loop handle was designed to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, so it will also be simple for little hands to use as well. The valve is part of Gerber’s line of single handle Hardwater Faucets, which are equipped with components that can withstand the damage traditionally caused by hard water. Price: $113.80. Gerber Plumbing Fixtures Corp., 4600 W. Touhy Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60646. Phone: 847-675-6570.
Toilet seat for tots
Since small children usually balance precariously on toilet seats that are designed for adults, Kohler has created one that is just their size. It has a smaller opening and cute scalloped edges that are actually designed for holding on to the seat. The seat is available in white but also in three colors–red, blue or yellow–adorned with green hinges. The seat fits any conventional round-front toilet bowl. Price: $42 to $47, depending on color. Kohler Co., Kohler, Wis. 53044. Phone: 800-4-KOHLER.
A room-by-room inspection
“Home Safe Not Sorry” is a video that takes viewers on a room-by-room inspection of an average home, as well as a look at the garage and back yard, to detect safety hazards and suggest solutions. Sometimes accidents can be prevented by simply using common sense while other hazards may require installing child safety products. The video, which was produced in conjunction with the National Safety Council, is hosted by Ken George, a child safety expert who has worked as a consultant to manufacturers of child safety products. The video is available in retail stores as well as by mail order. Price: $19.95. Opfer Productions Inc., P.O. Box 10561, Springfield, Mo. 65808-0561. Phone: 800-NO-TEARS.
A safety gate that fits
First Alert, which has made a name for itself with its smoke detectors, has launched a new line of child safety products. This group of 16 items ranges from electric outlet covers to toilet, cabinet, VCR and appliance locks to a nursery monitor that transmits the sounds in an infant’s room. It also includes the True Fit Child Safety Gate, which was created to stay in place in doorways and other spaces that are not square. The gate, equipped with adjustable bumpers to enhance the fit, is also designed to prevent children from climbing over it. Price: $1.99 to $49.99 for products in the line; $49.99 for the True Fit Child Safety Gate. First Alert, 3901 Liberty Street Road, Aurora, Ill. 60504-8122. Phone: 800-323-9005.
Locked out of trouble
The Fisher-Price line of child safety products, which are manufactured by Selfix, now includes two locking devices to keep children out of danger. Lid Lok prevents youngsters from lifting up the toilet seat. It is adjustable so that it can fit any size lid. It doesn’t need any tools for installation and it doesn’t use Velcro or adhesive so it can be easily removed when, for example, guests are expected. Safe Lok is a latch to prevent children from getting into cabinets. It allows a child to open a door just a very small crack, but it then requires three steps that children can’t perform in order to open the cabinet completely. Safe Lok doesn’t have a spring action, which is used on some locks designed to keep children out of cabinets but which can also pinch their fingers. Price: $8.97 for the Lid Lok, $2.97 for 3-pack of Safe Lok, $4.97 for a pack of 6. Selfix Inc., 4501 W. 47th St., Chicago, Ill. 60632. Phone: 800-344-TIDY.
