Step Four
Step 4: Child-proof the Windows and Doors
Many accidents can happen in these areas of entry and exit. But they're easily avoided with a little planning.
- Window guards are a necessity: A window screen is not enough to protect a child from danger. In fact, some local governments require guards on windows in their housing safety codes. Otherwise, children can fall out of windows the moment your back is turned.
- An excited child running from a playmate can mistake a sliding glass door for an open doorway. To prevent a serious accident, mark the window with decorative tape or stickers to distinguish it from a doorway.
For doors, you can make a reusable door stop with four-inch sections of one-inch quarter molding and coat hangers. To start, cut the molding into four-inch sections, one for each door you'd like to stop. Then unwind a coat hanger, and using your hands (bend the wire back and forth at the same point) or a strong clipper, break off a six-inch piece of wire for each door. Make a 90 degree bend about an inch from the end, and make another bend an inch-and-a-quarter away from the first bend. This forms a hook that will hang on the hinge.) Take a moment to file the ends down so there aren't any rough edges. Hammer along this bend to drive the wire about an inch into the molding. It's ready! Just slip it over the hinge and the door can't slam shut. Make sure that the molding rest in between the flaps of the hinge.
Tips:
Kids are adorable, but they're a little stinky sometimes. If you need ventilation but you want them in the room, try this little trick. Install a screw-eye and hook into the door and door jamb.
Make sure you put the screw-eye on the other side of the door, so that the door can open two inches or so. Result: the air gets in, but the kids can't get out.
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