With parenting comes great responsibility, as I am sure many of you know. There are so many things to remember, learn and figure out. One main thing is to ensure that our children are as safe as possible in the homes we raise them in. Baby gates, deadbolts and toilet lid locks, these are all obvious parts of making sure your home is safe for the wee ones in your lives. We also need to make sure that electrical safety is not overlooked.
Being married to an electrician, I am lucky that I have had years of experience with electrical safety. You see, my husband is a Master Electrician and has always been adamant that our house be as safe as possible.
I remember when I was pregnant with our first child, my husband ran around the house ensuring that all the receptacles were intact and installed correctly. To this day he still checks to make sure that everything electrical in the house is safe and monitored properly. Electrical safety is very important to him because not only is it his job, he is well aware of the consequences an electric shock can have on the body.
Electrical Safety Tips
Given that my husband is really into electrical safety, it has made me far more aware of the steps that need to be taken to ensure that our family is well protected.
There are many steps that we have taken to protect our family from the dangers of electrical shocks. Here are some important ones everyone should follow:
- If your outlet has a missing or broken cover plate, replace it immediately. Outlet covers create a barrier between children and exposed wires.
- Install tamper-resistant (TR) receptacles to protect younger children from shocks. They have shutters that cover the plug slots and help prevent little fingers or objects from going into the outlet.
- Small kids often want to explore new things by putting them in their mouths. Keep cords away from little hands and mouths. This is a serious shock hazard—and no shock is a safe shock.
- Teach older children how to plug in and unplug safely. Never overload outlets by plugging in too many cords. Use an approved power bar that has surge protection instead. When it’s time to unplug, don’t yank cords from the wall. This can damage the appliance, the cord and the outlet
- If a cord is frayed, replace it. Tape won’t protect kids from a shock. Extension cords—which should only be used temporarily—are prone to cracking and fraying, which can lead to a shock or fire.
- Water and electricity can be a lethal mix. Install Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs)—the ones with the reset button—in any room with water (ie. bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms) to help protect from a shock.
- If you have electrical work that needs to be done in your home, hire only a Licensed Electrical Contractor for the work.
Making sure we have followed these tips has helped to keep our family “shock-free” and safe. We are lucky to have only positive experiences with electricity because we have always been smart about the way we deal with it. My kids still aren’t really allowed to plug and unplug anything to the outlet without permission and they are 9 & 6. They have always witnessed us making the right choices with electricity and so they have been taught by example and also education. We have always made sure to show them the proper way to unplug cords, making sure to never grab them and pull them by the cord itself and also explaining the proper way to work with electricity. We want to avoid the risk of shock, the best we can.
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Ninjamommers was provided compensation in order to share her experiences and these learning tools. All opinions are of her own and not influenced in any way.