Let’s Get Ready: Power Safety

Of your many jobs as a caregiver, keeping your family safe is naturally your most important concern. Whether it’s helping your child buckle their seat belt or changing the batteries in your smoke detector, your child’s safety is never far from your mind — and sometimes it’s literally in your hands.

Electricity helps us do amazing things: write e-mails, keep the nightlight on, and cook dinner. But it can also be dangerous. In this guide, you’ll find…

Strategies to keep your home power-safe for children

Ways to talk about power safety with little ones

Information about the special helpers who keep our power sources safe

Tips for keeping the whole family safe during a power outage

Preview the guide below:

Creating a Power-Safe Home

Use Safety Covers

Cover stove knobs and electrical outlets that children may be tempted to touch or play with.

Keep electricity and water apart

Radios, phones, hair dryers, or any plugged-in device should stay far from sinks, tubs, pools, or puddles.

Have tools checked and ready

Keep a flashlight with extra batteries, a charged battery pack for phones or tablets, and a multipurpose Type ABC fire extinguisher (effective for wood, liquids, and electrical fires), and working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms on every floor. Check these tools monthly to make sure they work when you need them.

Set hot-water temperature to 120 °F / 49 °C to avoid burns

Always test the water with the inside of your wrist or elbow to make sure it feels warm, not hot, before putting an infant in the tub and never leave children unattended while bathing or showering.