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!!
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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.
More from my site
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Improving Driver Visibility With a PEAK Back-Up Camera
How to Create a Safe and Spooktacular Halloween, Thanks Giving and Holiday Season Giveaway
Protect Your family with CO monitors in your house #giveaway
How to Be Safe Using Social Media Over The Holidays #MasteringAuto #AD
Family Safety: 5 dangerous Driving Mistakes
We plan to keep the holidays safe by keeping our fresh tree watered everyday and to make sure we turn off all decoration lights when we go out or go to bed.
We’ve thrown away worn out extension cords and strings of lights. We also keep lighted candles out of children’s reach. Have a safe holiday!
I am very careful with candles and they go out if we are leaving the room (even to go to the bathroom, heehee).
I am planning to be more careful with the electrical this year. I do tend to overload.
Safety is one of my biggest concerns… no mistletoe in our house with small children, no poinsettias because of the pets, and flameless candles on the mantel look just as nice.
Thanks for the tips!
I am constantly checking near my warm morning stoves to make sure that the kids are not laying clothes near them. We talk about the importance of this daily!
We’ll continue to stay safe by just hanging ornaments and cards instead of putting up a tree that our cats could mess with and potentially set a fire by chewing on wires.
Our girl cat is quite a little rascal when it comes to trees, or ANYTHING she can climb that she shouldn’t!
I plan on mapping out our fire escape route.
I plan on setting timers so I don’t forget to blow out candles. It’s so easy to forget them.
We bought the warmers to melt holiday scents to keep away from using candles.
We turn off all of our Christmas lights at bed time or when we are not home, we use warmers for our candles and do not use extenion cords.
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com
I don’t plan on using candles.
oooh I think I better skip the pointsettia this xmas ?? !!
http://www.icoulduseadeal.com
jtrophy at gmail dot com
good news Poinsettia are not really poisonous. You will get sick but not dead unless you eat the entire plant.
http://twitter.com/jtrophy/status/10757311769346048
tweeted
jtrophy at gmail dot com
http://www.icoulduseadeal.com
I plan to be extra careful when using my space heater& I don’t plan on using candles at all.
I plan to commit my family to saftey by buying new safer energy efficient light bulbs and making sure our extent ion cords are safe.
I’m putting candles in only a couple safe places, and making sure theyre put out if we leave the room. We’re also unplugging Christmas tree lights when we go to sleep or leave the house.
I plan to keep kids and pets away from the decorations and turn them off at night.
we added circuit breakers to all our lights
Great post! This year all of my Christmas candles are of the flameless variety – all of the flicker and glow, none of the fire danger!
to keep safe this holiday season we dont use candles, have timers on all lights, and we also use a fake christmas tree for further safety. We also make sure all cords are out of our little ones sight 🙂
We keep our tree watered daily, and use Scentsy Plug Ins instead of burning candles inside.
I am allowing myself more commute time to work. I noticed that holiday traffic has been picking up already. Also, I work with the developmentally disabled population, and I have started having a lot of holiday safety talks with all of them.
I’m super parnoid about boo-boos so we don’t use stocking hangers, we actually use those commmand stick on things that come right off after the holidays! We also don’t leave the tree plugged in all the time!
We water the tree at least once a day & never, ever leave the lights plugged in unsupervised
On Christmas my parent’s used to leave the tree lit all night (just on Christmas night) but this year, in my own house the lights will go off when I go to bed. I can wake up early and turn them back on before the kids get out of bed; they’ll never know. 🙂 We also use an extension cord with a foot switch so we aren’t tempted to just yank the plug from out of the wall.
we have decided when we go too bed to not keep the lights on the on
tree is unplugged at night and candles aren’t left burning if no one is in the room.
tattgiff at centurytel dot net
We bought flameless candles this year. We almost had a fire last year from a real candle, so I threw all of those out! I also plan to unplug my tree at night (If I ever get it put up!) and talk to my little ones (again) about where to go if there is a fire!
We’ll be sure to turn off everything electrical whenever we leave the house and we’ll check the batteries in our smoke/carbon monoxide detectors.
To be safe this year, I’m not putting any tinsel on the tree because I’ve read it can be harmful to cats if eaten (and my cats eat everything they aren’t supposed to).
by making sure nothing is left on unattended, especially before we go to sleep
keeping all unused outlets covered with numerous extension cords.
cgdarnell67@hotmail.com
I add a note by the front door as a reminder to unplug lights and turn off the heater before we leave the house and go to bed. 🙂
we never leave the lights on the tree unattended… and check the wires often to make sure they are not hot
I’m only going to keep candles burning when I am in the same room and keeping a close eye on them.
Biggest thing this year is switching to plastic ornaments. Once my kids are older we’ll go back to real ones:)
My light sets were really old and not energy efficient. So I replaced them all.
We put our tree up high, out of reach of our kids, and have it attached to the wall so it won’t fall over on anyone. We also go through the house every night to unplug the lights and blow out any lit candles.
The most important thing is to not overload your circuits with too any plug-ins. Always use an outlet mutliplier with a on/off switch and never use multiple outlet multipliers on one outlet!
The most important thing is to not overload your circuits with too any plug-ins. Always use an outlet mutliplier with a on/off switch and never use multiple outlet multipliers on one outlet!
by making sure all lights are unplugged and off when everyone is not home or asleep
The one thing that I go crazy with every year is making sure the tree has enough water.
The one thing that I go crazy with every year is making sure the tree has enough water.
we use an artificials christmas tree and we just bought new lights
We keep the holidays safe by safe guarding the house that has pets. We keep plants, cords and the fire place covered.
We are buying LED lights for our christmas tree so they wont be excessively hot
I will commit to safety by making sure all appliances are shut off before we leave for the holidays.
I will take care not to overload our electrical outlets.
We use flameless candles in our house, that way we don’t worry about accidents happening or anyone burning themselves!
We turn off all of our Christmas lights at bed time or when we are not home, we use warmers for our candles and do not use extenion cords.
We have the christmas tree plugged into a surge protector & always turn it off when we leave and when we go to bed
We are going to be safe with our space heaters
I will make a sure all candles are blown out and to make sure outlets are not overloaded
We take holiday nsafety serioulsy in our household. We make sure not to leave any lights on when we got out, and never run any cords under carpet or plug in too many at one time.
chipper101athotmaildotcom
we use a artifical tree so that we dont have the fire worry we have installed new smoke detectors and we use LED lights as they stay cool and are not as much of a fire hazard.
We will have a fake tree, and not too many lights that might overload our circuts.
I commit to make sure all our lights that we decorate with are UL listed and that we put the lights out whenever we go out or go to sleep.
Thanks so much.
rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com
We replaced all of our tree light this year to safer & more energy efficent ones. The olds ones we so old was worried about the wiring.We always turn them when not at home and before going to bed. To many people having house fires this time of year, don’t want to take any chances.
Beside the house worries, we are being more careful on the roads. Many more people out there this time of year. children & Adults tend to run out into the roads, without looking. We have had alot of Pedestrians & Bicyle riders killed here in florida. I’ve made it a biog issue with everyone I know. Slow down be more watchful.
I am going touse the battery operated candles instead of the flame ones
I commit to safety this Holiday season by never leaving candles unattended and checking my christmas lights saftey ratings make sure they are safe and just be cautious so we can enjoy a great Holiday this year : )
Even though the Christmas lights are a lot safer than they used to be, we unplug them when we are not “using” them anyway. Better to be safe than sorry!
Hi and Happy Holidays! 🙂 Well, we’ve always shut off the lights before going to sleep anyway, so that’s definitely not a problem. :)l
Lois
OV_099@yahoo.com
I plan on making sure there are no fire hazards around the christmas tree, drive safely, make sure fire alarm is working correctly and doors are locked at night.
I plan on using electric wax melters instead of candles.
itsjustme62613 at gmail.com
We turn everything off and unplug before going to bed or leaving the house. Thank you.
We mist our Christmas tree in the morning and before going to bed at night. As the tree dries out, it becomes highly flammable keeping it moist helps! Also have a humidifier in the room or near the tree! Definitely adds to the moisture level of the tree!
Love this topic by the way!
We make sure to water our tree often to prevent a fire hazard.
I am putting all my lights on timers this year so that there is no possibility of any shorts or fires starting by leaving the lights on at night while we’re sleeping. That way we will never forget to unplug them either inside or outside and the lights will only be on while we are awake.
unplugg tree at bedtime and when we leave for any reason 🙂
turn off lights at night and no breakabe ornaments on lower part of tree where kids can reach them!
tvollowitz at aol dot com
We bought flameless candles this year. With two toddlers running around, we just don’t what to take a chance. Thanks for the giveaway!
Replacing your Christmas light regularly is a great Safety Precaution.
I commit by not overloading the electrical circuit.
plan to turn off all decoration lights when we go out or go to bed
I commit by not having the lights be on 24-7. Turn them off sometimes, so they dont get overheated.
Merry Christmas Everybody. Have a safe and happy holidays. 🙂
i commit to safety this holiday season by unplugging all lights before bed, buying non-breakable ornaments (i have a 2 year old), and using scentsy wickless candles so i can keep my place smelling good with out flames of candles.
We will use flame less candles, and not overload outlets. We also are replacing all of our Christmas lights to ones that are cool to the touch, since we have young children.
I’ve tried to be VERY careful about using only heavy duty extension cords that are appropriate for outside use when I’m putting up my lights.
We will unplug all electrical items before leaving the house!
We threw out any old lights and made a transition to a fake tree. We also turn out the lights before leaving or going to bed.
We make sure all holiday lighting is turned off when we leave the house.
We make sure everything is up high so the kids can’t reach candles, and blow them all out before it gets too late.
when doing our holiday lights outside i made sure they were for outdoor use and i didn’t overload the extension cord
nannypanpan at sbcglobal.net
We have a one year old, so we have taken extra safety steps this year, including securing and placing all cords and plugs out of reach, using flameless candles instead of real ones, and making sure we don’t use products that get overly hot to touch~
We have committed to always unplug our Christmas tree when we’re not home and at night time when we sleep.
We have older children so we dont think about hazzards, but we do unplug our tree and lights every night. I got beautiful poinsettas this year and knew ther were toxic to humans but never thought about the dogs, I looked around and relized how many holiday thinkgs could cause them harm. So I am working so they have a safe holiday also…
After reading that it made it sound like we dont care about our saftey…. all the idaes listed on taop are great ones to follow and we try and keep everyone safe… opps should have read before I posted…..
I always make sure we have fresh batteries in the smoke detectors and CO2. I also bought some smoke detectors for my son’s apt. You can never have enough protection.
We double checked all of our christmas lights to make sure none were broke, or blown out before putting them all on the tree. =)
I commit to make sure our outlets are all safe.
We have committed to safety by skipping the Christmas tree since we will be out of town for 5 days. If it dried out it could catch on fire.
I commit to safety this Christmas by checking our lights before we put them up and throwing away old ones.
We’ll be working on safety during holidays by checking lights work before putting them up, keeping items out of reach, and teaching our daughter about possible dangers. These were great tips?
I am skipping the decorating this year. We are leaving to go on a trip, so decorating did not make since balanced out with safety.
I plan to commit safety by replacing old strands of Christmas lights. We purchased new lights for outside yesterday, and when I pull out the tree and decorations, I’ll check those lights. Thanks for the review (good safety tips) and giveaway!
jackievillano at gmail dot com
I plan on not leaving any space heaters unattended and turning off the Christmas lights when we’re not home.
When we travel out of town this Holiday season we will have a first aid kit with us, fully stocked, with whatever we need should we have a medical (or car) emergency.
hmhenderson AT yahoo DOT com
Well, a couple things we will do is to buy more of the multiple plug ins for our tree and other lighted decorations…sorta sad my hubby is an Elect. Engineer and he’s got wires going ALL over in our basement from computer and electronics, and we often overload. Plus, we will keep strings of lights outdoors away from walkways so no one tangles themselves in them…ESPECIALLY Santa! 😉 I notice alot of people, us included, that have let shrubs and bushes grow too far out into pathways and the lighting strings or “webs” get to close to walkways.
I plan to commit to safety by making sure my car is in peak running condition 😀
One way we are committing to safety is by being sure that our toys are age appropriate and that none are on recall lists and that none contain lead. We want to do our part to make sure the items we give to our 9 grandkids are safe for them to play with
Make sure you turn off your outside lights when you go to bed or leave the house.. This is one of my fears.. I always make sure all lights (including the tree) is off when it is unattended.. Better to be safe than sorry
Unplug, unplug, unplug! I unplug whatever I can when I are not home, or when we go to bed. If a fire starts, I should see it right away!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
We plug all lights into a powersurge outlet,we make sure the tree is stablized so that it won’t fall over,we put lights on a timer.
Definitely making sure the outlets arent overloaded.. My mom and i go a bit crazy with the lights etc
I commit to never leave the candles burning while we leave the house or sleep at night and to unplug the Christmas lights before we go to bed. I also replaced all of the extentsion cords this year.
tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com
Email subscriber.
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Follower GFC.
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wearing my seatbelt, and turning lights off when we leave the house
never leave the candles burning while we leave the house
following on GFC
I commit to blowing out candles before I go to bed to prevent fires
Our family will commit to putting away all plastic bags, and bags with handles, to keep our cats safe. One already got his head stuck in a plastic bag, and it scared him nearly to death, so we want to prevent that in the future
I am going to make sure the Christmas tree lights are switched off before we go to bed.I know they look pretty but I have heard of fires starting from malfunctioning lights left unattended. I hope everyone has a happy, safe holiday season and a good start to the New Year.
I always make sure to follow all the instruction on the tree and lights carefully.
This also helps save on your electric bill! And lord knows everyone can stand to have extra cash flow around the holidays…
I commit to safety by buying battery powered candles. They look just the same are safe, and last forever 🙂
keeping up with my two yr old or should I say a few steps ahead. I sent off for that extra eyes in the back of my head but still no reply.
I plan to commit to safety this Holiday Season by making sure electrical cords are not frayed or damaged.
Make sure tree is well watered.
I make sure outlets and connections are child and pet safe.
HAVE MONEY!
I will keep a close eye on my tree and the lights on it to keep our nature loving puppy out of the real tree!
Thanks!
We turn off the Christmas lights on our tree, before going to bed.
Keep at good eye on lit candles
I will make sure to blow out all the candles before I go bed. I will also make sure the tree stays watered so it doesn’t dry out and catch fire from the lights.
I’ll be checking all my lights and cords. I’ll use an artificial tree.
Making sure the lights in my Christmas Houses is out.
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Check all of the cords to make sure they are unplugged as part of our pre-bedtime routine.
We use surge protectors and have unplugged unneeded items!
bleatham*at*gmail.com
I follow your blog.
I plan to make sure the tree always has plenty of water and make sure to turn all lights off when we leave the house or go to bed. thank you for the giveaway.
koinonia572001@yahoo.com
We’re getting rid of all our old lights and buying new led ones.
my plan to commit to safety is not to burn candles at all… I am switching to plug-in holiday scents which can fill the house with smells of christmas without the danger of an open flame – especially since I have a little 3-year old mischevious elf boy in the house. 😀
We always use surge protectors
I replaced the batteries in the smoke detector and the carbon monoxide detector
unplug all the lights, keep my candles up high and never out of sight, use plastic ornaments instead of glass, and put covers over outlets when there not in use.
No holiday candles 🙁 flameless only
I always make sure candles are extinguished before I leave the house.
I will make sure to blow out all the candles before I go bed, and making sure electrical cords are not frayed or damaged.
Unplug. When it is not in use. Unplug it!
I subscribe via email.
We are always careful to keep cords and tripping hazard out of walking paths. We also always turn off Christmas lights, etc when we’re leaving.
Merry Christmas!!
Angela L.
lasitera at yahoo dot com
I plan to use flameless candles instead of regular candles. I’m checking all my strings of lights and throwing away any questionable ones, I am not leaving my holiday lights plugged in all night, plus be vigilante that my smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are in perfect working order.
we will check the smoke detectors
I replaced the batteries in the smoke detector
bleatham*at*gmail.com
I plan to commit to safety by keeping little ones away from danger in the kitchen
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hmhenderson AT yahoo DOT com
please delete this comment #155
I will be ensuring my family’s safety this holiday season by making sure that all holiday lights are turned off and unplugged before leaving the house or going to bed.
Thank you!
carissa.sutton(at)gmail.com
This year I bought a bunch of festive flameless candles instead of regular candles. I love the look and scent of candles but I’ve found myself forgetting that they’re lit (when I go to bed! yikes) and that’s so scary. So this year I decided to buy flameless candles instead..plus I’ll have them forever, some are scented too and all I need is a battery to have a lovely flickering candle!
I plan on replacing all blow bulbs and keeping the christmas tree watered
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I will be safe by turning off all of the gas heaters when I am not home.
I commit to making sure I blow out the candles before leaving the room!
I plug the lights into a power surge strip and only keep teh lights on a few hours a day.
To be safe we always unplug the Christmas tree before we leave the house.
We bought a new ceramic space heater that does not get hot to touch. No accidental burns from touching the case.
I plan to commit to safety by keeping sissors an lighters up where little hands cant get them,an keep candles where only I can touch an keep them on safely
vlbelk(at)hotmail.com
We always unplug the tree at night and when we leave the house!
I plan to commit to safety by replace the batteries in the smoke detector monthly
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
I commit t making sure there are no tripping obstacles laying around
i commit to Test each smoke alarm in your home
i commit to Replace the batteries in each smoke alarm twice a year
i commit to designating an outside meeting place for your family (for example: the mailbox) in case of a fire or emergency
I plan to unplug lights whenever I am not at home. thanks for the contest.
Blow out candles before leaving the room or going to sleep
I use battery operated votive candles and unplug any unnecessary electrical items.
I am allowing myself more time for commuting due to the extra holiday traffic.
I only have plug in the tree when everyone is home so nothing overheats
I speak/write well huh 😛
I will not use a space heater or leave burning candles unattended.
We will turn off the power strips and the gas fireplace when leaving.
have several fire extinguisher in your home. In the kithen, bd, basement, garage.
I will make sure to turn off all the lights before I go to sleep and also unplugg them
shopgurl101 at gmail dot com
My commitment to safety is unplugging all Christmas lights before leaving house and going to sleep.
@swtthing3 on Twitter
mayble73(at)yahoo(dot)com
I always commit to never leaving a candle unattended and I make sure to unplug all decorations when we are not home or are sleeping !
We always “audit” the electric wires for the lights and decorations….looking for problems before they become problems!
I commit to blowing out all holiday and scented candles, and unplugging all Christmas at night and when we leave the house.
I commit to holiday safety by making sure all the candles are out before I retire to bed.
I’m an email subscriber
I plan to commit to safety this Holiday Season by making sure I don’t have any open flames within my children’s reach and doing an outlet check to make sure I have the safety caps on all my outlets (already did this)
KellywcuATyahooDOTcom
We are only decorating the top two thirds of our tree and have put all cords where our toddler can’t reach them!
I only use flameless candles now. I think they smell better anyway!
This year, we commit to safety by using flameless, fragrant candles for our festive midnight meal on Christmas eve.
mousylim@yahoo.com
I commit to never leave christmas candle unattended
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barbara dot montyj at gmail dot com
I follow you on Twitter @JalapenoMama
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We are using plastic bulbs to avoid injury with the children ths year.
I am definitely being careful with candles this year. We have a 2 1/2 yr old running around and I don’t want her to burn herself or to knock over any candles.
clenna at aol dot com
We’re checking all of the lights that we put up, checking for broken lights, and making sure not to put the tree too close to an electric outlet or our heater. Thanks so much!
Place an night light in hall ways
We got new lights, a power strip, and an extension cord. Ours were more than ten years old so we thought it was time for an upgrade. We made sure to hang our ornaments up high on the tree to keep little hands away from danger.
I commit to replace all smoke alarm batteries 2x
commit to checking all light strands and replace if necessary
I commit to safety by only using flameless candles.
I will commit to safety bu unplugging tree lights when leaving the house.
I’m trying to only plug in the Christmas lights when we are in the room, no candles, and trying not to leave the kitchen with something on the stove.
jtmagmom73(at)gmail(dot)com
I am going to commit to safety by never having Christmas tree lights on when not at home or when asleep.
I plan on committing to safety this season by pet-proofing my house on all the Christmas decorations. With 4 pets running around, we have to make sure we keep cords up high and items off the ground that they cannot swallow or choke on.
I plan on making sure our Christmas tree lights are turned off and unplugged while we are away from home!
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.
I follow on twitter as willitara. #1
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
camper223[at]live[dot]com
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
using the heater instead of the fire place
Unplugging lights and appliances when not using them
We inspected all our lights and our cords this year and we made sure not to overload anything. Plus, we only had our lights and tree lit when we were home and awake.
I will look for the UL label on products
I want to remind Moms (Dads) and kids with long hair to be careful to not let their long hair get near the flame of candles. Hair burns very quickly. Keep your hair back in a ponytail and just be cognizant of your hair near lit candles (especially birthday candles.)
I plan to make safety a priority in my home this year. As a stay at home mom to three young kids, safetly is always in the front of my mind. I make sure to frain the bathtub RIGHT after anyone has a bath. We use toilet lid locks on our toilets, drawer and door latches on our cupboards, a stove top guard on my stove and pinch guards in out=r door frames. I also just recently bought a hearth cushion for our fireplace to prevent accidents from falls should any of the little ones fall on the bricks. My husband and I also both agreed to NOT hange our stockings on the mantle this year as we love to have fires in the fireplace and this poses a fire hazard… rather, we hung them on the entertainment center under the TV. 🙂 Happy holidays to all and most importantly, be safe!
We turn off the lights to the tree when we go to sleep and don’t leave it on all night. We alos only burn candles in rooms that we are in and blow them out when we leave.
Plus this season with our toddlers we were extra safe withe the cords making sure they were out of reach and unplugged if not in use.
I’ll make sure the UL label is on all my products
mcirish02 at hotmail dot com
we make sure that all candles, heaters, and electronics are off/out before going to bed every night.
I am committing a minute to safety for New Years Eve. I will not be going out tonight. Please if you all decide to go out and have a few drinks, have a responsible sober driver to take you home. It could save your life and others. Happy New Year
sweokgrl@gmail.com
I will make sure the UL label is on anything I use!
I’m staying home on New Year’s Eve – drinking but not driving.
I love this idea. Even if I don’t win the card, I love that there’s a discussion about it. Seen too many holiday injuries that with a little forethought could have been prevented. Thanks for this!
I’m committing a minute to safety by choosing to stay in on New Year’s Eve. It seems like a very dangerous night to be out and about…Thanks for the chance to win!
mrsmchappell at gmail dot com
I changed my smoke detector batteries 🙂
I check that all rug edges are securely taped down – it’s a tripping hazard for toddlers and seniors
I’m pretty careful all year round, not just at holidays. I unplug or turn off power strips for small appliances not in use(including computers and monitors)
We don’t burn candles since I really worry about them starting a fire.
Thanks for the giveaway!
My holidays are safe because I do not drink any alcohol and I do not over-load electrical outlets. I avoid the places were those two things exist. I have safe, peaceful holidays. I am following, liking, joining and subscribing. Jacob G. Simmons@Facebook
gainessimmons@aol.com
Ho Josefine,
You won the Commit a Minute to Holiday Safety Giveaway on Mom Start. Please send me your name phone number and address for shipping from the sponsor. Thanks and congrats on winning!
I will check, and replace if necessary, the batteries in all my smoke detectors. 🙂 Thank you.
I turn off all lights when we’re leaving and try to unplug electrical appliances when not in use.
I will commit to safety by reminding others to not use the oven as a heat source, and to unplug all lights when not in use.
Check for frayed electrical cords and dispose of immediately.
EXCELLENT reminder about the stocking holders. Ours are gorgeous, but made of heavy iron, and since we have a three-year old, I haven’t used them since he was first born. It’s just too chancy.
To keep safe over the holiday season we made sure the tree was watered as often as it needed, and that we shut off the tree lights when we weren’t in the same room with it.