Teach Your Kids About Electrical Safety

When to Start Teaching Kids Electrical Safety Knowing when to start teaching them electrical safety is an essential responsibility for anyone who works with or has kids in their life. Maybe you are unsure when to start preparing your kids about electricity.

Here's the good news. Now is the time to explain in an age-appropriate way. Patience and repetition are essential to utilize with kids of all ages. If you have younger kids, teach them more straightforward rules that they can grasp, like not touching outlets. You can go into more detail with older kids, such as not using electrical appliances with wet hands. It is essential to realize that kids are curious, and leaving electricity a mystery to them can be dangerous. 
Talk to Them about Electricity You know your child the best. Deciding when and how to talk with them about safety guidelines is ultimately up to you. Here are a few easy steps you can take to familiarize them with their home:

• Start early. As soon as your child can follow guidelines, it is good to set some. Start by explaining to them the importance of listening to the safety rules you set.
• Explain what electricity is in a way they can understand. Help them realize that electrical appliances are not toys. Although some sure look like they are! 
• Show them the different electrical appliances around your home. Explain what electrical appliances they can not use independently and who they should ask for help.
• Give them guidelines for what they can do on their own. For example, if your eight-year-old is allowed to use the toaster, make sure they know how to do it safely and explain that they should never stick anything into it, such as a fork, or touch it with wet hands.

Some basic safety rules for your home. No matter your child's age, you can set some basic home safety guidelines. These will help your child to understand what is not safe regarding electricity. Here are a few ideas:

• Never stick anything, hands or metal objects into outlets or electrical appliances.
• Don't use electrical appliances around water or when your hands are wet.
• Unplug electrical cords from the plug, not by yanking them out from the cord.
• Ask an adult for help in using an electrical appliance.
• Keep all electric devices and extension cords away from swimming pools or water.

What You Can DoEven with safety rules set in place for your kids, you can still do a few things to keep your children safe. 
  – Store all electrical appliances in bathrooms, such as hairdryers and electric razors, in a safe place out of reach of children. 
  -Make sure you have GFCIs installed anywhere in your home near the water.
  -Make sure all your electrical outlets are childproofed with covers. 
  -Keep electrical cords and extension cords out of the way and not lying around your home.

A great option to consider is tamper-proof outlets. They protect kids from electrical shock. In addition, they have a safety feature that only allows plugs to be inserted because they have two or three points. This prevents kids from tampering with outlets since the outlet has a shutter that will close if a single pronged item such as a fork is inserted into the outlet.  
 
Every year around 400 people are electrocuted in their homes, causing about 200 deaths. So it is essential to ensure your home is safe, especially with young kids. If you have any electrical concerns or are putting off fixing something, now is the time to fix that.