Teen and 'Tween-Proof Your Home: Teen Proofing Checklist
When they were little you covered outlets, locked cabinets, and taught them the importance of seatbelts. They need that helping hand now, more than ever.
Go down the checklist & make sure you're teen-proofing your home today.
And remember, it's not about trust, it's about keeping kids safe!
Keep all alcohol in a locked cabinet
- Inventory and monitor any alcoholic beverages in your refrigerator.
Lock and monitor all over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications
- Only buy the medicines you need (preferably in limited quantities) and monitor quantity used.
- Clear out your medicine cabinets and properly dispose unused portions.
- Lock up medications when possible.
- Urge your friends and other family relatives to inventory and secure their medications as well.
- Visit our prescription drugs page for more information on prescription medications & safety.
Do the same inventory on common household cleaners, poisons, and sharp objects
- Look at the contents of your kitchen cabinets, garage, office, or anywhere in the house where cleaners, solvents and aerosols are stored. Monitor access and quantities for potential inhalant abuse.
- Monitor access to “sharps” such as razors, razorblades, exacto-knives, pocketknives, and syringes to ensure appropriate use and proper disposal.
Secure all firearms
- Make sure all firearms are stored unloaded in a locked safe and/or with trigger lock, separate from ammunition. Trigger locks are inexpensive; check with your local law enforcement agency which might provide them free of charge.
Monitor internet use
- Teens can order prescription medications online, meet adults posing as teens, and get information about dangerous misuse of over the counter medications as well as other “legal’ substances.
- Check your teen’s social networking page, such as MySpace or Facebook, to make sure there is no identifying information that could endanger your teen.
- Check websites they use to see if they are engaging in online gambling. If so, block those sites from your computers.
- Place computers in open areas of your home (not in your teen’s room) so internet use can be better monitored.
Monitor teen parties
- Use limited guest list by invitation only, avoid “open party”, and don’t use email to invite.
- Welcome calls from other parents, be sure to call parents “landline” if your teen is attending a party.
- Set clear rules ahead of time, such as no alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. Report violations to parents.
- Limit party access to easily monitored areas of the house, make regular unobtrusive checks.
This information adapted from “Teen Proof Your Home” from the Southern Rockingham Coalition for Healthy Youth.