Everyone needs to feel safe and stable at home, but kids need this feeling more than anyone else. A stable physical, social, and emotional environment is essential for a child’s healthy growth and bright future. As the two fathers who developed TouchNot know, youngsters who learn to identify potential risks in their households are less likely to engage in risky behaviors when they get older.
What’s TouchNot and how does it work?
TouchNot is a safety tool for kids that teaches them to avoid risky behavior and notifies adults when their kids are in potential danger. It also prevents children from handling dangerous home appliances or expensive objects. Using TouchNot is as easy as 123… You simply need to attach it to items or zones that you would like your kids to avoid. When your kid attempts to touch these items or approach these danger zones, the gadget will produce a loud alarm.
To take care of your child, you must create an environment that allows them to play and explore safely. The physical safety of a child comes first as it’s the best way to prepare them for the future.
Keeping kids away from household hazards is just as vital as maintaining a home free from abuse and neglect. Open windows, electrical outlets and cords, hot surfaces, poisonous materials, weapons, and sharp items are just a few of these. Here are the best tips to make sure your kids are safe:
- Keeping them away from the kitchen
Keeping your kids away from your kitchen is a critical step when it comes to ensuring their physical safety at home. It’s even more important to ensure they are not getting into the kitchen during cooking hours when they’re prone to getting burned.
Oftentimes, the kitchen is a hazardous spot with sharp objects, hot surfaces, and electrical appliances. To make things worse, there might be heavy objects on the countertops that can fall on them causing major injuries.
Some of the ways you can limit their entry into the kitchen include using safety gates and establishing clear boundaries. Beyond that, you can teach your kids about kitchen safety and keep hazardous items away, among other safety measures.
- Teaching them not to let strangers in
Teaching your kids not to let strangers in is an essential lesson that’s often underrated. This is actually a vital lesson when it comes to personal safety. To deliver lessons consider these steps:
First, set clear boundaries: teach them not to open the door without adult supervision or permission. What’s more, explain to them that asking questions first before opening the door is important.
- Locking away hazardous substances
Household cleaners, medications, and other toxic substances should be stored out of reach and locked away in cabinets or drawers with childproof locks. Keep these items in their original containers with child-resistant caps and avoid transferring them to unlabeled containers, which could lead to accidental ingestion.
- Covering electrical outlets
Electrical outlets pose a significant risk of electrocution, especially to young children who may insert objects into them out of curiosity. Install outlet covers or safety plugs to prevent children from accessing electrical outlets. Consider using tamper-resistant outlets that feature built-in safety mechanisms to reduce the risk of electrical shock.
- Childproofing hazardous areas
Identify areas within your home that pose potential risks to children, such as kitchens, bathrooms, and staircases. Install safety gates at the top and bottom of staircases to prevent falls. Use door locks or childproof doorknobs to restrict access to hazardous areas, such as laundry rooms or garages, where cleaning supplies or tools are stored.
- Securing furniture and electronics
If not securely secured, heavy furniture—like dressers, televisions, and bookcases—can topple over and seriously injure people. Use furniture straps or anchors to secure these items to the wall and prevent them from tipping. Keep electronic cords and cables out of reach or use cord organizers to prevent the risk of tripping and potential strangulation.
- Installing window guards and safety netting
Windows present a potential fall hazard, particularly on the upper floors of the home. To stop kids from accidentally falling out of windows, install safety netting or window guards. Ensure that window screens are securely fastened and cannot be easily pushed out.
- Eliminating tripping hazards
Keep floors clear of clutter, toys, and other objects that could cause tripping hazards. Secure area rugs with non-slip rug pads to prevent them from sliding or bunching up. Use safety gates or barriers to block off areas where cleaning or repair work is in progress. These physical barriers will prevent children from accidentally tripping over tools or equipment.
- Supervising water safety
Water poses a significant drowning risk for young children, so it’s crucial to supervise them closely around bodies of water. These include swimming pools, bathtubs, and even buckets of water. Install safety locks on toilet lids to prevent toddlers from falling in. Consider installing a self-closing, self-latching gate around swimming pools and using monitoring gadgets like TouchNot to alert you if a child enters the water unsupervised.
- Installing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
These are vital safety devices that alert occupants to potential fires or gas leaks. Put smoke detectors inside and outside of bedrooms on every floor of your house. Additionally, install carbon monoxide detectors near sleeping areas and ensure that they are in working order by testing them regularly and replacing batteries as needed.
- Buy a few pieces of TouchNot
Even with the above measures, constantly monitoring your toddlers is impossible. With everything you have to take care of at home, children may wander off without you noticing. That’s where TouchNot comes in handy as a digital solution. With this gadget, the safety of your kids is guaranteed. You just need to place it in hazardous spots in your home and enjoy peace of mind. Whenever they approach these danger zones, the sensor on this device will detect their movement or sense their touch and notify you through a loud alarm.
TouchNot is constantly on the lookout for children who are engaging in risky behavior. If you’re worried about your kids playing in the kitchen, wandering out the door unsupervised, or running around by the swimming pool, TouchNot is a no-brainer. Simply attach TouchNot to objects that you don’t want your children toying with like sockets, a glass vase, the hot water tap, or the oven. When your child approaches said object, an alarm will go off, giving you time to respond and avert disaster.
You can also install TouchNot on the door if your kids tend to open the door without your knowledge. Yes, you heard that right – TouchNot doubles as a security device. Any attempt to open the door will activate the alarm on this device.
By emitting a loud alarm when the little ones are engaging in risky behavior, TouchNot gives you peace of mind and an opportunity to react before it’s too late.
If you’d like to give TouchNot a try in your home, you can grab yourself one or more on Kickstarter.
Final take
Creating a safe living space for your kids is not impossible with the right tools. With the above steps, you create a safe space where your kids can play freely and explore without facing unnecessary risks. At the same time, you can safely turn around to take care of something with the confidence that TouchNot is always on the lookout.
