Electrical safety for children that you should know.
Electricity is an important tool to have at any home. Nowadays, humans can’t survive without electricity and we use it for something or the other daily. However, if it isn’t used properly or isn’t safely tucked away it can be incredibly hazardous, especially for children. Children love to run around and bump into things, play and be themselves. However, that leads to many dangers when electricity is involved. They are so curious they might touch anything in their way. They don’t have the resistance or logical thinking that adults do.
Keeping this in mind, it’s super important to ensure that your kids are always safe and are taught about electrical safety. Try these tips to protect your kids and make sure that they are using electrical safety to the fullest.
Safety videos
Children don’t have a very large attention span and they tend to learn anything better in a visual format, therefore YouTube videos are a great resource. There are so many videos that teach children about electrical hazards and how best to avoid them. Simply search for the right one, and ensure that you watch with your child through the end. They should pay attention to each point.
After you’re done watching the video, have a little quiz. Ask them about the safety rules they learnt in the video and also explain how bad things can happen due to electricity misuse. You can even make a written test for this so that they have to pay attention later, and if they get everything right, you can award them with stars!
Online games
While excessive gaming does have its downside, websites and online games are also great tools to help children learn about electricity. Such games revolve around science or about how electricity is conducted as a whole. You can simply search for them on Google, however do make sure that they aren’t of an addictive nature. You don’t want your child to get hooked on them!
Books on electricity
One of the best ways for children to learn is through books on electricity, especially if they are visually demonstrated. It’s a wonderful way for children to learn how electricity is created and why it could cause shocks. Read these books together. It’s a lovely way to spend quality time with your child and also improve the learning process. Make sure to search for books that suit the age of the child. For example, if you start teaching them when they are two, get a book for toddlers that will have everything laid out in a simpler manner. As they grow older, get books that are more sophisticated and detailed.
Lay out some safety rules
Once your child has the basic foundation of safety, it’s time to create some rules to follow. You can sit and talk with them about the rules, and could have a reward-based system. For example, one rule will be to not touch a power outlet for the whole day. If they can do that, then they get a star on their chart. If they forget a rule, then don’t remove their star but sit beside them and remind them why these rules are so important for their safety.
Safety rules that you can implement include:
- Tell them to keep away outlets and not to put their fingers or objects inside. Explain to them how doing that could cause shockwaves and hurt them.
- Tell them not to use electronics near water or even if their hands are wet. Explain how water and electricity don’t get along and this could have bad consequences.
- If they are old enough to plug things into power strips or extensions by themselves, tell them not to overload it and not to put too many plugs in one source.
- Let them know that it’s very dangerous to yank cords to unplug them as this could lead to things falling down.
- Tell them not to touch the outdoor transformer boxes under any circumstance as they could get shocked badly.
- Teach them to keep their kites and drones well away from power lines and not to climb trees that are near the power lines.
- Ask them to look for an adult when they are commissioning any new electronics, especially if they have to charge them.
Extra electrical safety tips:
- Always try to unplug appliances when you aren’t using them and make sure to switch off the main power outlet so that even if your children touch it by mistake, nothing will happen.
- Make sure that you always use the correct wattage for fixtures, lamps, appliances and more, so that you don’t overload your power outlets. If your outlets are overloaded this could cause a shock.
- Don’t have damaged extension cords at home under any circumstances. If your child touches or trips on these exposed cords, it could lead to shock or a potential fire hazard. Make sure to replace any damaged cords with new ones.
- Don’t have electrical outlets or appliances near areas with water. For example, don’t plug in your hairdryer in the bathroom. Washing machines and dishwashers are fine as they are designed to handle water. However, for safety, keep your other appliances out of sight.
- Don’t place your cords under carpets, doors, windows or rugs as most of the time these are made of materials that are good conductors of electricity and are very unsafe, especially for children.
- Keep a fire extinguisher on hand and test it out in your lawn before placing it at home. You want to make sure that it works when you need it the most.
- Outlet covers are great ways to child-proof your outlets. You will find them at your local hardware store.
- Switch off your outlets and feel them. Are they cool to touch? If not, it could indicate an electrical problem. Make sure to call in a professional such as Octopus to check if this is the case.
Here’s your guide on electrical safety for children.
Remember to always be on guard even if you have given these tips to them as children are susceptible to accidents, especially at home. A visual medium or way of explaining is far more useful than a written format. If you need to have your outlets checked or repaired, don’t hesitate to reach out to Octopus on 800 3993. Our representative will be more than happy to get back to you.
