By BERLE CROWE
Special to The Citizen

Babies and children are our best hope for the future and our most precious resource. Keeping them safe is top priority and on that note, May is National Child Safety Month.

Focusing on keeping kids safe is a big part of what we do in the Health Department — with immunizations to prevent childhood disease, teaching proper nutrition, testing for water purity and proper sewage disposal, assuring proper restaurant food handling, car seat checkups, and so on.

But do these efforts assure a safe environment for our children? Sadly, the answer is no. One of the most dangerous places for children is their own home!

Babies, toddlers and children love to explore and experiment. So what can be done to make homes safer for children? Parents and care givers can take some fairly simple preventive steps to improve the safety of children at home:

Any cord will be pulled or yanked, so using cord shorteners (available at hardware stores) or placing cords out of reach will remove temptation. Electric cords should be bound together and placed behind furniture. Mini-blind cords can strangle children, so ends should be tucked up out of reach or shortened.

Little experimenters will test outlets at knee height, so safety guards should be placed over outlets to prevent injury from electrical shock.

Heavy lids, such as those on pianos or chests, should have a few pieces of resilient material (cork or thick felt) glued on them to prevent them from lamming on little fingers.

Heavy plants can be pulled over by a determined toddler; if no injury occurs at the least there will be a big mess. Keep these plants out of reach.

High bookcases can be top heavy or wobbly, and very tempting to a potential mountain climber. Secure these to the wall with shelf brackets.

Mysterious bottles are also tempting household cleaning solutions should be in a locked cabinet, or cabinet doors should have childproof latches (very inexpensive). Temporary measures may be taken such as tying door handles shut.

Plastic bags should be tucked away out of reach. Experimentation with plastic bags, especially dry cleaning bags, cause many child suffocation deaths each year.

Stairs are fun to play on and children love to test their limits, so safety gates are a must. Gates at top and bottom are best, but if you only have one it should be moved according to where the child is at the moment.

Balconies are great playgrounds for children, but pose a terrific danger of falling. If the railings are far apart enough for the child to slip through, three-foot high plastic mesh should be stapled or tied to the inside of the railing.

Door and window guards are also a necessity; screen wire is not enough to protect a determined child from falling out, which takes only a second. Some local governments require these guards.

Sliding doors pose a danger because running children may not realize that they are shut. Placing decals or decorative tape on these doors can prevent a serious accident.

Doors on medicine cabinets should be locked. Inexpensive locks for sliding doors are available in any hardware store. Move any colorful or sweet-smelling soaps, shampoos or medicines to higher ground; don't underestimate the climbing ability of children, which improves on a daily basis!

Bathtubs need anti-slide decals or mats in the bottom; even adults can fall. Children love to play in water and are especially at risk to fall in the tub. The spout needs its own cover, which can be improvised with rubber hosing or purchased in any local hardware store. Anti-scald devices should be installed on the water heater, or the temperature can be adjusted to a low setting. Water that feels fine to adults can scald an infant.

Buckets with standing water pose a special danger to babies and toddlers. Small children have disproportionately large heads for their height; if they fall headfirst into standing water in a bucket they cannot get out and will drown in a few inches of water. Never leave a bucket of water unattended if there is a small child in your home, and keep the lid down on the toilet as well.

Test your automatic garage door by closing it on a cardboard box. It should automatically reverse as it touches the box; if it does not reverse and crushes the box it will do the same to a child trapped under it. Keep door openers out of reach of children; locking the car doors while in the garage is a good idea too.

Buttons on door openers and inside cars are far too tempting to children.

Keep all dangerous items in the garage inside a wire mesh pen. You can build this by pulling a ten to fifteen foot section of wire mesh into a cylinder; attach wood strips to the ends of the mesh with staples (bend back the sharp edges of the mesh); attach eyebolts or screws to the boards and run a padlock through the eyes of the bolts. This pen will keep children out of harm's way.

Of utmost importance is to teach fire safety! Teach children to get out of the building and away from the fire; practice fire drills and plan a meeting place for everyone once out of the building; don't stop to save any possessions; crawl close to the floor if you are in a smoky room; don't hide from the fire (it won't go away), and don't hide from the fire fighters when they arrive. Once out, call 911 from a neighbor's house.

A child's home should be a place to feel safe and be safe. Unfortunately, no one can guarantee safety 100 percent of the time, but implementing these measures will certainly improve the odds for children and their families. Child Safety Month can be the start of a new, safe environment for everyone!