Baby Proofing Your Electrical Outlets

Once your baby has the ability to crawl, there are a whole new set of problems that you have to worry about. One of the biggest includes baby proofing your electrical outlets. Without the proper safety precautions, your little munchkin could become seriously hurt if they fiddle around with an outlet.

Roughly 2,400 children per year are severely shocked and burned by sticking items into electrical outlets, according to the National Fire Protection Association. It is not uncommon for your child to find their way to one of the many outlets within your home and stick their hands or toys inside of them. Luckily, there are ways you can cover the openings of an outlet so they don’t look as inviting.

Electrical Caps This is the most common way of baby proofing your electrical outlets. These caps are small pieces of plastic that plug directly into the outlet to cover it. The flat surface makes it hard for babies to grip onto it, so this is a very good choice. However, you do have to remove these caps every time you want to plug something in. When this happens, the cap has a good chance of becoming lost, exposing the outlet once again.

Safe Plates Rather than having to purchase dozens of caps for your outlets, you can simply replace the actual electrical cover. Safe plates are convenient covers that make you slide a piece of the outlet over in order to plug something in. Simply place the prongs of the plug into the outlet’s openings and slide it to the side and push forward. These covers are recommended for outlets that are used frequently, while unused outlets can simply utilize the caps.

If your baby is right around the age where they’re starting to crawl, start baby proofing your home ASAP! If you need to install new electrical outlets or would like help baby proofing your home, contact the electricians at Lancaster Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical. To learn more, or to schedule an appointment, give us a call at (717) 207-8198.