When it comes to raising a family, there can be no better part of Orlando than Hunters Creek!
Many people relocate to the area to take advantage of the excellent local schools, fun activities and other local amenities within Hunters Creek and the surrounding areas. Parents love the convenient location with great access to downtown Orlando via 417, 528 & Osceola Parkway to Interstate 4 as well as its close proximity to Orlando International Airport, your local gateway to the world.
That said, if you are a young couple with small children and are looking to childproof your Hunters Creek home then here are some great tips to help you!
However, before going into that, here is some information on child safety;
Remember that when a child is young, they are constantly looking to climb, grab, taste and get involved in anything they can find around the home. From 18 months to 2.5 years children have more accidents than at any other age as they are increasingly active and do not yet understand the danger of certain activities.
So how can homeowners in Hunters Creek and beyond make sure their home is as childproof as possible? Well each room has its own problems, so lets break it down by room!
1. Bathroom – lock away medicines, cleaners and install a safety lock on all cabinets. Keep electrical devices out of he bathroom and if it has to be there have an electrician install a GFCI wall socket that will help protect against accidental electric shock. Also lock away the trash or put lids on it and deal with slippery floors. Most importantly, check the temperature of the hot water coming out of the tap, adjust the thermostat on your water heater to cool it down if it is too hot.
2. Home Office – Clear out the clutter, lock away valuable items and hide pencils, pens and other stationery. Check the wiring of any electrical items and route the wires away as best possible. Even tape down cords to keep them out of sight. Use locks to keep the child out of drawers and cabinets. Better yet, put a lock on the home office door to keep your child away from the room all together!
3. Kitchen – The kitchen can be host to the most dangerous items and situations to a child! So here are some important tips: Use a garbage container with a lid, hide electrical cords, install GFCI plugs and make sure items are unplugged when not in use. Don’t forget to put child locks on all the cupboards and drawers that you don’t want children to have access too – EVEN THE REFRIGERATOR! The last thing you want is for the child to get into drawers with knives or other sharp blades etc. Also don’t forget the cook-top and oven get hot and should always be turned off when not in use. This is where education comes in, a child needs to know even if the stove-top or oven is off it can be hot. Stove-top guards can help but aren’t perfect. There are many more examples of dangers in the kitchen so use common sense and perform an audit of your kitchen!
4. Laundry Room – An often overlooked room when it comes to child safety, the laundry room is full of nasty for young children. From detergents, starches, bleaches, cleansers, fabric softeners, and stain removers, all toxic for your cherub. Also, keep the surfaces of the washer, dryer and other areas clean and free of residue and clean out any trash and de-clutter, getting rid of any junk. When it comes to using the iron, be very careful! It is recommended that you wait until a child is preoccupied either with toys, is napping or is otherwise entertained a safe distance away. In general the best practice is to keep your child out of the laundry room all together by closing and or locking the door.
5. Garage – Following on from my previous post about organizing your garage you will remember that I said that while most homes in Hunters Creek have decent sized two car garages and when it comes to organization, they are often overlooked. Organizing your garage is not only a good idea but is also good practice for child safety. After all fascinating tools and machinery make garages dangerously appealing to children. The best practice is to keep these areas strictly off limits. Most garages and workshops contain so many sharp power and hand tools, as well as chemicals and fuels, that it is impossible to make them entirely safe, so your strategy should be to block entry but also to try to minimize risk if your child does get in. So apart from simply keep doors to the garage securely locked when not in use, if your child does get in, the organization will help if you put child-safe latches on cabinets and store flammable liquids in safety cans with a spring closure. Buy cans with the UL (Underwriters Laboratory) or FM (Factory Mutual) mark. Rags that have soaked up flammables should be disposed of in the outdoor trash after hanging outdoors to dry. Install a smoke detector in the work area. Keep an A-B-C fire extinguisher near the garage exit. Also if your garage has an automatic garage door, be sure that its operating switch is placed well out of your child’s reach.
So there you have it – some tips to help you make your Hunters Creek home more child friendly!
If you are considering relocating to Orlando and are looking for a beautiful single family home or a spacious condo in a prime location then perhaps Hunters Creek is the perfect place that you could live in! Contact Steve Glose for professional Hunters Creek Relocation advice.