PA Promise for Children List Focuses on Bedroom Safety for Children

Whether they are sleeping or playing, a child’s bedroom fulfills many purposes. PA Promise for Children has put together a list of ways to ensure that the bedroom remains a safe place for children.

Windows

One item on PA Promise for Children’s list is window safety. If the windows in a child’s room has blinds, guardians should make sure that all blinds and their parts - such as the strings used to raise or lower them - are not accessible to the child.

Window blind strings can pose a strangulation risk.

Cribs

To prevent a child’s head from getting caught between a crib’s bars, guardians should make sure that crib slats are no more than 2 ⅜ inches apart.

The mattress should fit snugly in the crib and no more than two fingers should fit between it and the side of the crib. Parents should not use a pillow for a baby or small child.

If a child can climb out of a crib, they should be moved to a regular bed. It is important to include guard rails or use a toddler bed until the child becomes used to sleeping in a bed. In the meantime, one option is placing the mattress on the floor.

Furniture

Guardians should keep all furniture away from windows - including cribs, beds, dressers, changing tables, or shelves. Additionally, shelves or dressers should be secured to the wall to prevent children from pulling them over.

Heavier objects - such as a television or mirror - should never be placed on top of furniture where a child could climb or pull the furniture over. Keep dresser drawers closed to discourage a curious child from using them as steps.

Toys

Parents should ensure that all toys are age-appropriate. They should check the recommended age range for all of their child’s toys. 

It is also important to check to see if specific toys pose choking hazards for children under the age of three.

Other

A child’s bedroom should have child-proof plugs in electric outlets. Additionally, all other rooms in the house should also have child-proof electric outlets.

And parents or guardians should also make sure that the child’s bedroom door does not lock from the inside. If it has a lock, they should remove it or change the door knob.

PA Promise for Children’s list of bedroom safety measures can be found on its website.