Many people have some concerns when it comes to the safety of a manufactured home.
In truth, there are some manufactured homes that are safer to live in for adults as well as children than the traditional site built homes.
When it comes to baby proofing, a manufactured home is no any different from any other home.
It may not seem as so at first, but there are several potential everyday dangers that your child could be exposed to in a non-baby-proofed house.
At the end of the day, everyone wants to keep their child out of harm’s way regardless of whether you are a new parent, or a child care professional. Unfortunately, the most common cause of accidents and deaths for children at home are preventable accidents.
Learning and knowing how to childproof a manufactured home does not have to be strenuous or stressful, it can be easy and quick, and it helps in preventing common accidents at home.
Household accidents are the leading cause of injuries to children, and they should be taken with the seriousness they deserve.
When baby proofing your home, you don’t have to feel pressured to do it all at once. You can start by making the most urgent adjustments to make your home safe for a newborn then work your way up as the child grows.
Issues That Necessitate Childproofing A Manufactured Home
Having a small child completely changes how you view the world. The once-peaceful and safe home suddenly becomes dangerous and loud, and it feels riddled with landmines. This is what makes most people get caught in the frenzy to purchase every baby proofing products available in the market.
When it comes to buying supplies for childproofing your manufactured home, there are some factors that need to be considered.
In a home, the cabinetry is usually opened. There are a number of cabinet doors in front of one large space, so the doors have to be always locked. Also, the interior doors of your manufactured home can be narrow, making it challenging for the normal child safety gates to fit.
The right way to baby proof a manufactured home is to look at your child’s safety in healthy perspective. The safety of your child is ensured and exponentially improved when you take the required precautions at home.
Also, when baby proofing your manufactured house, be careful so it doesn’t end up looking like a giant padded bubble.
Such items as countertop foam guards, door knob covers, bath faucet spout covers, bathtub bumpers and foam guard door stoppers should be avoided or bought sparingly.
The doorknob of a manufactured home are also a bit smaller, which makes it hard for doorknobs to work well. The most challenging thing about making your manufactured home childproof is the constant trips to and from the store to get better fitting products.
Families who have small children or who are planning on having a baby need to look around and ascertain that the home is child-safe. When it is safe for the child to play around in the house and outside without getting injuries and accidents, there is minimal stress.
First….
The first step to childproofing your manufactured home is to look around and make a list of anything that poses danger to your child. If there is something that can cause accidents while your child is playing, get ideas on how to eliminate it.
When child proofing your manufactured house, beware of the areas of concern that pose as dangers for your child.
Falls are the most common cause of accidents for a child, as a child can fall out of windows, down the stairs or off high places both in and outside the house.
Furniture and high objects can also fall onto the children and should be guarded against.
Other injuries that small children are susceptible to result from burns and electrical shocks, ingestion of poisonous hazards such as common household cleaners, chemicals and medicine.
Ensure that the tip-over items in the house are also secured to prevent them from falling on your child while playing in the house.
Childproofing The Interior Of Your Manufactured Home
Cabinets
Cabinets are a common cause of accidents at home especially when there are small children running around. As such, it is important to notate any cabinets that the child can bump into while playing, especially if there are household cleaners and detergents in these cabinets.
Kids are known for their curiosity and desire for exploration, which is why they are likely to end up hurt and in ground level with cabinets. It is possible for a child to eat something dangerous from the cabinets, such as dog food, so all cabinets should be locked.
Remember that all cabinets need to have locks, and not just the ones you think are dangerous.
Poison safety
It is in the nature of children to be curious and adventurous, which is why they need to be taken care of well. In a manufactured home, children are surrounded by poisonous objects and substances that are harmful to them. A small child should never be let into the bathroom or kitchen alone because these are where the chances of poisoning are highest.
Keeping the child safe and out of the bathroom and kitchen is easy when the child is just crawling, but once he learns to walk, more measures will be needed.
Out of all the poison exposures today, 44% involve small children, and so it is imperative to take the required measures to ensure poison safety in your manufactured home.
Children can get poisoning from drinking, smelling or simply touching these poisonous objects or substances, so keep these hazards as childproof as possible.
Sharp corners
In a manufactured home, there are tons of sharp corners that pose a threat to your child. The corners of counters, tables, entertainment centers and the cabinetry can be dangerous to children.
As such, it is advisable to analyze the corners in the house to decipher which ones are likely to be a risk to your child, especially if the child is just learning to walk. The corners that are likely to cause injury to your child should be covered with rubber covers for safety.
As your child learns to crawl and to walk, they are bound to take some tumbles and these sharp corners and edges are dangerous.
The edges of coffee tables, and at the fireplace can cause major injuries to your child if left unattended. As such, it is advisable to keep your child safe by installing foam edge guards and corner cushions to cover these sharp edges. You can also use specially designed foam padding to cover these sharp edges to make your manufactured house baby-proof.
Medications and Chemicals
It is common for people to have chemicals and medications stored in cabinets, bathroom holders and refrigerators. In a manufactured home, these foods, medications and chemicals are a potential threat to a child because they can be fatal if ingested.
Your child can get access to these dangerous household items by opening the drawers. It is also possible that the child gets hurt and slams the drawer on his fingers while trying to open and close the drawers.
There should be secure closures to ensure that the compartments holding the chemicals and medication are always locked to keep children off. The medication and chemicals should also be stored in childproof bottle to make it impossible for a child to open them without adult supervision.
Tall furniture
At a certain age, children love to climb especially on top heavy furniture. In a manufactured home, it is advisable to secure the tall furniture such as bookshelves to the wall to prevent toppling easily.
Large objects such as televisions and armoires, and tall furniture should be secured to the walls to prevent them from falling on your child.
Exposed power outlets
Most of the manufactured and mobile homes do not have ample outlets which necessitates the need to add outlets. These outlets are added using power strips, extension cords and surge protector devices which are particularly dangerous to small children.
As such, it is advisable to supplement the outlets with outlet covers especially for the outlets that are easy for the child to reach. Small children end up doing what they shouldn’t do, which makes them get hurt a lot.
In a manufactured home, it is advisable to cover, lock or block off all the exposed outlets that pose danger to your child. Children are also fond of touching or sticking things in exposed holes, which can be deadly especially if there are live wires.
The average number of children who die from electrocution annually are about a hundred, and the chances are higher in manufactured homes.
The outlets that are low on the wall should be covered with sliding plastic covers to avoid children inserting their fingers and other potentially dangerous objects into the outlets.
The plastic covers are preferred to outlet covers because the latter can loosen and fall out. If they fall out, they can be a choking hazard to your child.
There are other outlets that might be in use where your child plays, which could also be dangerous.
The wires to these outlets should be safely and neatly tucked under the carpet or taped on the wall to prevent children from tampering, pulling, or tripping on these wires.
Concealing the cords keeps them bundled, controlled and hidden which protects your child from wire entanglement.
Electronics
Fire accidents are very common especially for small children in manufactured homes. It is important to keep all your electronics unplugged in the kitchens and bathrooms to avoid accidents.
Also, it can be quite easy for water to spill in the house, and when combined with electricity, it becomes potentially dangerous. A manufactured home should have GFIC outlets installed near all the sources of water in the house, or alternatively keep electronics unplugged and hidden.
When electronics are left plugged in when not in use, they can cause fire accidents and burns to your child. Electrical appliances, especially those found in the bathroom such as hair dryers, electric razors, and curlers should be stored in a cabinet and away from water.
They should be secured with a safety lock when not in use, and if possible, have ground-fault circuit interrupters installed. This can help reduce the risks and possibility of electrical injuries when electrical appliances accidentally fall into sinks.
You can also help ensure electricity safety in your manufactured home by taking an inventory of your electrical landscape to be aware of all the reachable wires and outlets.
It is also vital to evaluate and compare the electrical safety products options you have. This is in an effort to determine the best option that works best for your home.
Childproofing The Outdoors
The outside of the house is where children play mostly without adult supervision. It is vital to ensure that your home is safe, both inside and outside for your child to play in without getting hurt. There are many dangers to children that are as a result of water, heat or electricity.
Most people opt to have pools outside their homes, and as the pool section is where most children like to play, it should be completely safe and childproof.
Children often fall down, especially when they are just learning to walk, run and to climb. It may not be possible to guarantee a safe landing for your child when he falls, but you can increase the odds by being precautious.
When it comes to outdoor baby proofing for manufactured homes, the outdoors as well as the playing equipment for your child should be completely safe.
Playground
Making the outdoors baby proof means securing outdoor playground equipment to ensure there are no loose parts, and also avoiding playgrounds with hard surfaces. If the outdoors has high playground equipment, be very careful with open spaces where the child can fall from.
To ensure that your child is completely safe when playing or walking outside, it is advisable to supervise them.
The play structures and toys of your child, both for inside and outdoor playing should be age, skill and size appropriate.
If your child is smaller less mobile or agile, stay closer in case you are needed. The toys and play structures should be frequently checked for animal poop, insects and wild animals that might hurt your child.
Garden Safety
If you have an outdoor garden, ensure that you don’t plant any poisonous plants. Such plants as poinsettias, mushrooms and rhubarb grow in the garden, and they can be highly toxic and fatal.
Pool safety
When determining if your pool is safe and baby-proof enough to let your child out to play, there are some things you need to consider.
Pool Fencing
First, ensure that you have a fence around the perimeter of your pool to keep your child from falling in accidentally. The gates to the pool area should also be self-latching and self-closing to ensure that the child cannot reach them without adult help.
Pool Alarms
Sometimes you can leave your child out to play and go inside the house, which is why the alarms and cameras from the pool area and gate should always be functional. This way, when your child is in danger, you will get to them on time and avoid a potentially dangerous accident.
Pool Drain Covers
While ensuring outdoor safety for manufactured homes, ensure that your pool has anti-entrapment drain covers.
These covers should be in compliance with the P&SS Act and they should be in a good working condition. In terms of compliance, ensure that your pool is inspected regularly so it is in compliance with the state, federal, and local laws.
Qualified Adult Monitoring
It is possible for your child to get into an accident even with all these measures in place. This is what necessitates the need for someone with skills and knowledge in CPR, emergency response and first aid at home. In case of an accident, there should be someone who is good at swimming and in emergency response to help contain the situation before it gets worse.
Conclusion
When it comes to keeping your child safe, there is no certain way to do it 100%, but you can create an environment that is not completely dangerous for your child. Baby proofing helps you to get rid of the dangers that face your child while in your manufactured home, but its efficiency lies with close monitoring.
It is also not possible to ensure that every place you take your child is child proof, especially when you visit friends. As such, it is important to teach your child what no means, and to teach them to keep off things that don’t belong to them as part of a safety precaution and parenting.
Child proofing your house is simply altering some parts of the house temporarily to keep curious children out of harm’s way, while still preserving access to the house.
Child proofing your manufactured house can be done by analyzing the things you need to do, and those things you need to buy.
For things you need to buy, go for childproofing products that are suitable for your type of manufactured home such as electrical outlets.
