Parents worry endlessly about how to protect their children from stranger abduction and violence, but many overlook one of the biggest threats to their children's safety and well-being — their own home. Experts say that children between the ages of 1 and 4 are more likely to be injured or killed by fire, burns, drowning, choking, poisoning or falls than by a stranger's violence.

Fortunately many accidents can be effortlessly avoided if parents follow a few accident prevention tips:

Living area
The most effective way to ensure your baby's safety is to take a baby's eye view of your home. Get down on your hands and knees and see how things look from down there.

Carefully lock up or stow away every potential poison or other hazard, including cleaning products, medicines, vitamins and knives. Another option is to use gates to limit your child's access to areas of your home that might contain dangerous items.

Keep an eye out for any tiny objects that your baby could choke on. Pick up coins, marbles, beads, paper clips, and other small objects you find on low tables or the floor or in low drawers or cupboards.

Large or heavy bookcases, dressers and appliances can be very hazardous. Bolt whatever you can to the wall. Push items like televisions back from the edge of the furniture they're on or move them out of reach, and then secure them too. Always put heavier items on bottom shelves and in bottom drawers to make furniture less top-heavy.

Be sure to keep dresser drawers closed when you're not using them — they make perfect ladders. And be particularly careful to fully close file cabinet drawers, since pulling out one drawer could cause the cabinet to fall over.
 
Furniture corners are another common hazard, especially those found on coffee tables. Cover all sharp corners and hearth edges with bumpers to soften the impact if your child falls.

Use door stops and door holders to help prevent injuries to fingers and hands.  Install a carpet in all rooms to soften the impact of your child's tumbles and stumbles.

Supervision is always the best way to prevent injuries. While on the phone, use a cordless phone to make it easier for you to continuously watch young children.

Kitchen
Never put inedible products in food or drink containers. Children may not be able to read the label and could inadvertently put something dangerous in their mouth.

Keep sharp objects such as scissors and knives out of reach. Make sure that drawers have stops to prevent them from being fully pulled opened.

Cook on the rear stove elements to prevent children from reaching up and burning their hands.

Store cleaners, disinfectants, bleach and other chemical agents in a locked cupboard or on a high shelf.

Bathroom
Never leave children unsupervised in the bath. Put non-slip stickers on the bottom of the bathtub.

Install shower and bath rails as they are a very good safety measure for the whole family.

Use outlet covers to help prevent electrocution. Be sure the outlet protectors cannot be easily removed by children and are large enough so that children cannot choke on them.

Fire Hazards
Keep candles, matches, and cigarette lighters away from children’s reach.

Install a smoke detector on every level of your home and near bedrooms to alert you of fires. Install a Carbon Monoxide detector outside bedrooms to help prevent CO poisoning.

Keep a fire extinguisher handy in the kitchen, near the fire place, and on the bedroom level,  and make sure you know how to use it in case of an emergency — it may save someone's life in a crucial moment.

Effective child home proofing will not eliminate childhood injuries, but can reduce the likelihood of them occurring.