by JQ Adams

Created on: February 09, 2009

There are a number of items that can be found around the home that can become part of a home-safety kit, and help you evaluate whether your home is safe for children or not. ConsumerReports' recommends that you gather the following items into a do-it-yourself home-safety kit, and use them regularly to ensure the safety of young ones in your home:

Ruler: Use the ruler to check the space between crib slats and deck rails and stair rails. They should be small enough so that a child's head can't get stuck. Less than 2 1/2 inches apart is recommended for crib rails, while deck and stair rails are recommended to be less than 4 inches apart.

Toilet Paper Tube: If you have a child under the age of 3, or will have a visitor under the age of 3 - test small objects that are within reach of the child. If they fit through a toilet paper tube, they are a choking hazard.

Digital Thermometer: Test the temperature of your water regularly. Put the thermometer under running water in the tub and the sinks of your home to see if the temperature is higher than 120 degrees. Young people can be seriously burned at temperatures of 120 or greater, so turn the temperature down on yoru water heater so that it is below 120 degrees.

Piece of Wood: If you have an automatic garage door opener, slide a piece of scrap wood in the way of the door and hit the button to close it. The door should touch the wood and reverse direction so as not to squash a person who might be in the way of a closing door. If it doesn't work, get it fixed!

In addition to the above mentioned home safety tool kits, you can purchase inexpensive testing kits for the following:

Lead Test Kit: This allows you to quickly test toys or painted items to see if they contain lead. With all of the lead scares with toys lately, this is a terrific way to ensure that the items are safe for your children.

Electrical Polarity Tester: This tester will let you know if an electrical outlet is wired properly and will test ground-fault interupters.

Radon Testing Kit: This kit tests for radon, which is a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer.

In addition to the above mentioned home safety tool kits, you can purchase inexpensive testing kits for the following:

Lead Test Kit: This allows you to quickly test toys or painted items to see if they contain lead. With all of the lead scares with toys lately, this is a terrific way to ensure that the items are safe for your children.

Electrical Polarity Tester: This tester will let you know if an electrical outlet is wired properly and will test ground-fault interupters.

Radon Testing Kit: This kit tests for radon, which is a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer.

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