As a parent, leaving your children at home with a babysitter for the first time can be a terrifying experience. The babysitter may be a harmless friend or family member, but they also could be a borderline stranger quickly found online. As any good parent, you have had an initial meeting with the babysitter, gone over expectations and produced some form of “checklist” or “timeline” for them to follow. This is a great start. But, have you forgotten about the three deadliest products in your home that could put your children in extreme danger?
Let’s quickly review and come up with a simple solution that any busy parent can implement…
DEADLY PRODUCT #1 – ALCOHOL
Many homes have an extremely accessible liquor cabinet. There are two potential dangers with alcohol in your home. First, there have been many reports for babysitters drinking on the job. No one taking care of young children should be under any form of impairment. Second, an open liquor cabinet could present an opportunity for your children to access the alcohol. Under the supervision of a (potentially) distracted babysitter, children playing with bottles or ingesting alcohol have been reported.
DEADLY PRODUCT #2 – CHEMICALS
Commonly kept at kid-level under the kitchen sink, household chemicals present a threat to child safety. Gels, powders, liquids and detergent packets are often found in this cupboard. According to the Wall Street Journal and the American Association of Poison Control Centers, since mid-2015, there have already been seven deaths among children eating detergent packets/pods (normally used for either the dishwasher or washing machine). Furthermore, tens of thousands of poison reports are filed to the Control Centers each year for detergent packets alone. You know it’s a big deal when P&G (makers of Tide) air a commercial fully dedicated to it. Watch here.
DEADLY PRODUCT #3 – MEDICATIONS
Just as dangerous as the two household products listed above, prescription medications rounds out our list of the top three deadliest items a child or babysitter can get their hands on. With an estimated 4.27 billion retail prescriptions filled in the United States (2016 figure), almost every home has a few of these orange bottles laying around. The FDA acknowledges that there are at least 1.3 million injuries from medication errors each year, and at least one death per day. Don’t let this happen in your home.
THE SIMPLE SOLUTION
The simple solution to these three pressing problems is to control access. How do you do that? A smart lock. We all know that those plastic baby locks are annoying and ineffective in the long run. Smart Armor fixed that problem with the Smart Cube. Control access from home or on the go. Monitor when a cupboard has been opened. Share control keys through your smartphone. Walk up to the cupboard with your phone in your hand, pocket or purse, and the Smart Cube will unlock for you. Walk away from the cupboard and the Smart Cube will relock. Your phone is now your key. You can control your home hands-free. It’s that simple. Learn more about the Smart Cube here.
Protect what matters.
