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2torial #0578:
Learn2
Child-Proof Your Home (Continued)
 Child-proof the windows and
doors
Many accidents can happen in these areas of
entry and exit. But they're easily avoided with a
little pre-planning.
- Window guards are a necessity: a
window screen is not enough to protect a child
from danger. In fact, some local governments
require guards on windows in their housing
safety codes. Otherwise, children can fall out
of windows in the moment your back is turned.
- An excited child running from a playmate can
mistake a sliding glass door for an open
doorway. To prevent a serious accident, mark
the window with decorative tape or stickers to
distinguish it from a doorway.
For doors, you can make a reusable door
stop with four-inch sections of one-inch quarter
molding and coat hangers. To start, cut the molding
into four-inch sections, one for each door you'd
like to stop. Then unwind a coat hanger, and using
your hands (bend the wire back and forth at the
same point) or a strong clipper, break off a
six-inch piece of wire for each door. Make a 90
degree bend about an inch from the end, and make
another bend an inch-and-a-quarter away from the
first bend. This forms a hook that will hang on the
hinge.) Take a moment to file the ends down so
there aren't any rough edges. Hammer along this
bend to drive the wire about an inch into the
molding. It's ready! Just slip it over the hinge
and the door can't slam shut. Make sure that the
molding rest in between the flaps of the hinge.
 Step
5
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