Oh the Holiday Crazies are among us. Family everywhere, frantic shopping, constant traffic, perfectly wrapping, decorating the house, cooking food, cooking desserts, cooking cooking cooking, party planning and need I go on? What aren’t we doing this time of year, oh I know, we’re not getting sleep. As a mom, you know life can get extremely busy while preparing for the holidays. However, sometimes the focus on celebrating can turn fun festivities into injuries and accidents if safety is not a priority for families. Studies show that nearly 230 people will visit the emergency room each day in November and December to be treated for holiday-related injuries.
Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a leading independent safety organization, is calling all parents, specifically moms, to set aside time in their schedule to commit at least one minute to safety each day this holiday season. You know who UL is right, they have their label on almost every single cable you can find that goes into an electrical socket, but they do more than that, they are on appliances, always thinking about safety in everything we do.
We’re committing to Holiday Safety as a family and I invite you to as well.
My husband decorated the house last weekend, he let the kids help in ways that were age appropriate.
He checked all of the cords, extension cords, and made sure they were safe to use and the indoor cords were used indoors and the outdoor cords were all outdoors. He carefully checked voltage, and organized the cords where they are not tangled in any way. And we placed one of the cables at our front door under our welcome mat so no one will trip on the cord on their way into our house. (we have smart neighbors, Thanks Robin!)
Here are a few more tips from UL:
Focus on the Fireplace
Move stockings and holiday decorations off the mantle before starting a fire in your fireplace and always use the fireplace screen. Recycle wrapping paper instead of burning it in your fireplace. Burning wrapping paper could produce dangerous sparks or flares of intense heat.
Read moreStay Warm Safely
Look for the UL Mark on your space heater and read the instructions before using it. Move space heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn (e.g., curtains, blankets) and never leave a space heater on when you leave the room or go to sleep. Be sure to teach children (and practice it yourself) to never place anything on top of a space heater to dry.
Read moreKeep Watch in the Kitchen
The kitchen is a busy place from Thanksgiving through the holiday season. Never leave anything cooking unattended, not even for a minute. Turn pot handles inward so that little hands can’t grab them. And keep your kitchen and your cooking area free of clutter to avoid unnecessary accidents.
Read moreUse Candles with Care
Walk around your home and move candles away from anything that can burn. Store matches and lighters away from children and be sure to blow out candles before you leave the room or go to sleep. Never leave a burning candle unattended.Easy Electrical Safety
Check electrical outlets and make sure they are not overloaded. Look for the UL Mark on all your electrical cords and holiday lights. When decorating, inspect cords for damage and fraying and always keep extension cords away from where children play. Never run an extension cord under a rug or tack it up to a wall with a nail or staple.
Read more
I have to say one other thing that happened today, make sure you watch your children when they are playing. I wasn’t paying attention to my son this morning and he pulled one of our stocking right off the mantle today and I’m lucky that the letter P, the stocking holder, didn’t hit him in the head and knock him off of the fire place. It would have left a nasty bruise. Kids and Christmas do go together but keep it safe!!
Enter to Win:
100.00 Visa Gift Card
To Enter:
Just leave a comment on this post telling me how you plan to commit to safety this Holiday Season!
The Gift Card provided for the giveaway is my compensation for this post and I wanted to share it with my readers. By posting this and all of you leaving comments, I will be entered into a contest to win a 250.00 Gift Card from UL. The blogger with the most comments wins! Thank you for your participation!
This giveaway ends December 31st.
I plan to keep my tree watered, and unplug the lights before going to bed. I also plan to keep candles at a safe distance from flammable items and away from children. I also have fire alarms placed throughout the house.
Mel4Him777{at}gmail{dot}com
We’ve put up a gate between the dining and living areas so the dogs don’t near the tree
We are committed to checking outlets and extension cords every night. They are a real hazard if not properly taken care of, especially if you have animals.
I will make sure our front porch is clear of ice, so the mailman can deliver all our Christmas packages safely.
Have the talk with your kids
Never play with matches, lighters or candles.
Never play with electrical cords and never put anything in a socket.
Blankets or clothes should never be thrown on top of lamps.
Don’t turn up a heater without a grown-up’s permission.
If your clothes catch on fire, stop, drop and roll.
I plan on double-checking the batteries in our smoke detectors. I don’t think I’ve done it since last Spring!
Hidding cord from the kids,making sure the oven is off and the stove
I’m going to commit this holiday season to safety by making my husband only use electrical extention cords made for outside, outside, No more using indoor extentions out. Thanks for a great giveaway and for reminding us to be safe.
I’m going to be sure our Christmas lights are turned off before going to bed.
Families often string together extension cords without a second thought But You should
Step 1: Read the manufacturer’s instructions for the cord.
Step 2: Check the information on your cord. Extension cords are labeled with valuable information as to the use, size and wattage rating of the cord. .
Step 3: Decide whether you will be using the appliance indoors or outdoors. .Never use an indoor extension cord outdoors
Step 4: Determine how long you need the cord to be.
Step 5: Determine the gauge needed.
Step 5: Place the cord correctly. Extension cords should not be placed underneath rugs or other heavy furniture. They should not be tacked in place to a wall or taped down. Extension cords should not be used while coiled or bent. \
more info http://safetyathome.com/home-safety/home-safety-articles/extension-cord-safety-what-you-might-not-know-about-choosing-a-cord/
we will be careful with the candles and while making meals in the kitchen
I am going to make sure all cadles are out of reach of the kids.
We’ve already told my daughter to be careful when there is a fire in the fireplace – we don’t let her near it. She gets to turn off the Christmas tree lights before she goes to bed- she loves that.
I commit to protecting my chidren not to be to busy and watch for drowning hazards. The most significant hazard from spas and hot tubs is the same as swimming pools — drowning. Since 1980, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has reported more than 700 deaths in spas and hot tubs – almost all preventable. About one-third of those deaths were drownings involving children under the age of five.
Making sure my granddaughter and other children are not playing around the stove, especially when we’re cooking this holiday season.
Remember Garage door safety when loading the kiddies in the car and unloading presents.
The Hidden Dangers of the Garage Door
# Leave Doors Fully Open or Fully Closed
“Garage doors weigh as much as 600 pounds and can cause serious injury or even death if they’re not used with care,” says Barbara Guthrie, UL vice president of consumer affairs.
“Although UL Listed residential garage door openers manufactured since 1993 have enhanced anti-entrapment safety features, homeowners should not take safety for granted,” Guthrie adds. “If entrapment occurs, remain calm, and call for help from your local fire department.”
# READ AND FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS.
# Never Let Children Operate the Door – Keep remote control away from children.
# Never Cross the Path of a Moving Door – Always keep people, pets and objects clear of the moving door until it is completely closed.
# Test the Door Monthly – The garage door MUST reverse on contact with a 1-1/2 inch high object (or a piece of two-by-four lumber laid flat) on the floor. If the door doesn’t stop and reverse after contact with the object, disconnect the operator and use the door manually until the operator is replaced or repaired by a qualified technician.
# Use the Emergency Release Only When the Door is Closed – Use caution when using this release with the door open. Weak or broken springs are capable of increasing the rate of door closure and increasing the risk of severe injury or death.
# Keep Garage Doors Balanced – An improperly balanced door increases the risk of severe injury or death. Have a qualified service person make repairs to cables, spring assemblies and other hardware.
Read more http://safetyathome.com/home-safety/home-safety-articles/the-hidden-dangers-of-the-garage-door/
Going to make sure that my Christmas Lights are off at bedtime and unplugged! Also going to make sure my 18 month old can not get to any of it! mommy2rylie@ymail.com
I commit to having a fire drill even in the middle of winter…so the kids know where to meet outdoors.
Fire does not know a time or season so we must be prepared!
I’m committing to yard safety and making sure to get rid of ice when my parents come visit so they don’t slip and fall
xoxoxo
safety tip Turn down your hot water heater to 120 degrees or less to prevent burns this is an enivronment al tip too so I am going to post it again.
This year we aren’t even putting up lights or anything the kids can mess with. It’s not worth it in many ways.
Happy Holidays!
We’ve committed to never leave the internal or external lights on when we leave the house, to use flameless candles or never leave lit candles unattended, and to use surge protectors and child-safe power cords this year. Thanks!
Obvious but important safety tip Put down your hot drink when carrying your baby
We talk alot about fire detector but Carbon Monoxide are just as important/
retweeted ..
thanks for posting.
plan on keeping an eye for low tires.
I’m going to commit a minute to have a fire safety drill with my family.
First and foremost, we will not be driving after drinking (neither of us drink very often and I would not even be comfortable driving somewhere within an hour of having one drink — I think anything less than “most alert” is dangerous to get behind the wheel of a 2-ton vehicle).
I won’t burn candles in the house when young children are present. It is simply too enticing for little eyes and fingers — and it really is impossible to have an eye on them every single second. Also, having a shield on the stove top and a lock on the oven door to prevent little fingers from getting burned is imperative.
During a large party with lots of guests, when you have toddlers it is a good idea to have a separate play room that has a safety gate to prevent the children from slipping outside during all the commotion. The room should be within sight of the adults where the parents can still interact with them (a dining room set off of the living room within sight of the parents is just perfect). This room (or section of a room) can be set up exclusively as a festive, yet toddler-safe, play zone. This idea came about after a friend of mine’s toddler son turned up missing for a brief while during a party. He had followed one of the guests out the front door and not one adult noticed when he slipped out. Thank god he was found safe and was not run over. Too many parents have lost children tragically when they were run over in the driveway of their own home (or in the street directly in front of their home) during times of celebration.
selectivesensualist(at)yahoo(dot)com
I commit to keeping the cords to the lights off the ground so my puppy can’t chew them up this year.
I commit to staying safe this holiday by using automatic shut-off Christmas lights! And locking my car doors to keep our newly bought gifts/valuables safe.
we switched to LED light candles.
Every night before I go to bed, I turn off all my surge protectors, cutting power to appliances. I turn off the space heaters(the one in the bathroom is a special concern of mine, simply because I worry one of the kids will spill on it or throw an article of clothing that way). Sometimes it’s a little chilly in the mornings, but the peace of mind I get when I close my eyes is worth it and we do a monthly fire drill.
Can you add this to my previous post? (or make it an additional if that’s allowed, but the way I understand it’s one comment only, I think this is an important one though)
I wanted to add that our family only bought flameless candles and scents for my step mother this year. She has early stage alzheimers and I think these wonderful smelly type gifts are great for someone with a forgetful mind. Everyone loves for their homes to smell pleasing, we shouldn’t forget that when considering the elderly or ill.
This may sound odd ,but we got rid of our cat who was fond of chewing on electrical wires (only live, plugged in wires!).
beckytag618 at gmail dot com
I take a minute (or two) and inspect all the electrical cords for our tree decorations. Any that are worn, frayed, broken or brittle get disposed of.
We make sure everything is unplugged before we leave!
I’m going to water my Christmas tree every day and turn off the Christmas lights when we aren’t home.
Make sure you keep real Christmas Trees hydrated
I plan to check all of my holiday lights and unplug my tree at night.
I plan on and have been staying safe by watering the tree, unplugging the electrical plugs every night and watching my daughter carefully. We keep candles in a safe spot and are careful while cooking.
T keep the tree fresh and watered, to unplug all decorations
mightynaynay(at)cs.com
One thing we have always done is tie the Christmas tree in place. Between the children and the cats it was all to easy for the tree to go tumbling over, breaking ornaments and creating a dangerous situation. Now with it tied in place the cats can climb up the branches and it won’t fall over.
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I’m carefully watching (and watering) the Christmas tree to make sure it doesn’t dry out before it’s time to dispose of it.
I never, ever leave the Christmas tree or outside lights on when I am not around to monitor them. Too many fires happen because of electrical problems with lights.
I secured the tree to the wall using hooks and clear wire so there is no chance for the child or the cat to knock it over!
I plan to commit to safety by being very careful on the roads
Make sure you are using a sturdy candle holder or hurricane lamp
Turn off all appliances at night, check all cords for damage, replace all batteries, keep handles on stove away from stove edge, keep oven door closed when small children are around, check water heater lower temperature, watch nothing is covering heater, vents, check outdoor light bulbs and keep extras on hand cold weather makes bulbs fragile, salt sidewalks and steps
Thank you so very much for giving me a chance to be a winner
Thank you for all your time, effort and hard work
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We inspect holiday lights each year for frayed wires, broken or cracked sockets before putting them up.
We use extension cords to connect all the lights so that we don’ t overload electrical outlets.
We make sure that we don’t put the tree or decorations near fireplaces, radiators, or space heaters.
I will keep the area clear around the meters, so they can be safely read by the utiltiy worker’s.
bepoia(at)hotmail(dot)com