Protecting your family, especially young children, is very important to you.  

Home insurance is there to help protect your finances. If something happens, such as a fire or theft, home insurance is a shield.  

Home insurance can sometimes help cover medical bills and other losses if a child gets hurt in your home. On the other hand, your medical insurance may cover only your children themselves. Home insurance may not cover accidents related to other children. 

However, no parent wants either scenario to happen. Instead, consider these tips for child-proofing your home to reduce the risk of injury. 

#1: Invest in cabinet locks that keep children from getting into them. Do this for all cabinetry in your home. It is very important for cabinets containing chemicals to have secure locks in place. 

#2: Get down on your hands and knees and crawl around the home. Getting down to the baby’s eye view can provide insight into what’s really within reach. You’ll want to look at what the child can pull down, wrap around, or crawl into, putting the child at risk. 

#3: Get medications out of the way. Toddlers and small children should never have medications within reach. Put them in locked cabinets off the ground. Don’t leave bottles of medications or pill organizers within reach. Even what seems like a harmless vitamin can be a risk to your child. 

#4: Keep the home tidy. This may seem like an easy step, but really pay attention to the details. Pick up coins that fall out of your pocket. Be careful with staples, paperclips, and other small items. 

#5: Watch your purse and those of your visitors. Children get into everything that comes within reach. A purse can contain many dangerous items that could put your child at risk. Encourage visitors to store their belongings in a closed off room. 

#6: Safeguard stairs with care. Properly installed baby gates at the bottom and top of a set of stairs are very important. It is also important to keep them closed at all times. Get in the habit of using these gates properly. 

#7: Remember supervision is the most important step. Nothing – not even baby monitors and cameras – can provide this level of care for your child. 

Your home insurance can help if there is an incident and your child becomes hurt. However, you don’t want that to occur when there are other ways you can keep your home safe. 

If you have questions about how your home insurance protects child risks, call Choice One at 800-547-0006. We also offer a variety of home insurance information on our website.