Outlet Cover Baby Safety
As an essential part of baby-proofing, installing outlet covers helps ensure your baby's safety. If your baby inserts anything made of metal into an uncovered outlet, he could encounter fires and injuries caused by the electric current running through the outlets. To prevent any disaster, buy outlet covers before your little one grows old enough to begin exploring.
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Why Outlets Are Dangerous
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If your baby sticks something metal into an electrical outlet, he could suffer an electrical injury, including burns or organ damage, or even start a fire. Adults and children can also experience these injuries, but, as Upstate Medical University points out, outlets are located directly in a baby's line of sight, which makes them especially intriguing for curious babies who love to explore the world.
Catastrophic Consequences
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MedlinePlus warns that an electrical injury could seriously harm or even kill your baby. Sticking a metal object into an uncovered outlet could cause skin burns, heart attack, muscle destruction and brain damage. Playing with an outlet can also start fires, which cause more at-home deaths for children younger than 5 years old than any other cause, according to the the City of Redmond's (Washington) Fire Department.
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How to Prevent Mishaps
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Cover each unused outlet in your home with a safe plastic cover. This barrier serves a dual purpose: The outlet looks less interesting, since it displays no enticing holes to poke things into, and even if your baby still tries to play with the cover, he will not reach the interior of the outlet, where he could connect with the electrical current.
Choosing Outlet Covers
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ConsumerReports.org recommends using the kind of outlet covers that screw on, covering the entire outlet plate, rather than the small kind that you insert into the outlet's holes. Babies could potentially remove the smaller kind, whereas no baby can successfully unscrew a cover that you have drilled into the wall. If the outlet is near any source or use of water--for example, in the kitchen, laundry room or bathroom--then you should install a tamper-proof ground fault circuit interrupter, or GFCI, recommends the Home Safety Council. The GFCI shuts off the electric current if any water reaches the outlet, which helps prevent electrocution.
When to Cover the Outlets
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Start covering all unused, accessible outlets before your baby begins crawling, which often occurs around 6 months. Accordingly, the City of Redmond's Fire Department recommends installing outlet covers when your child is between 4 months and 6 months. Keep the covers on unused outlets at all times, even if you're in the room; it only takes one section of curiosity to cause irreversible damage. If you remove a cover so you can use the outlet, replace it as soon as you unplug the electrical cord.
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References
- Photo Credit outlet image by Albert Lozano from Fotolia.com
