Prepare for Holiday Guests of All Ages

The holidays are here! Friends and family will be arriving soon to celebrate. Being the host of the party means more than preparing a great meal, you also have to plan for the safety of your guests. With grandparents, parents and children all under the same roof, there are simple steps you can take to keep guests of all ages safe in your home.

Take a quick safety tour of your home. Walk through every room as you think about the different ages and needs of your guests. Read the labels on products you find. If young children live in or visit your home make sure your medicines, cleaning supplies, matches and lighters are all stored in a locked place where children cannot see or touch them. Pick up and put away any loose change small toys or hard candies. Small things like these could cause a little one to choke.

Keep all your guests safe from falls by installing grab bars in tubs and showers. Make sure stairways and hallways are well lit and clear of clutter. Install night lights along the path your guests would use to get to the bathroom in the night.

Make a list of the things you need to do before the guests arrive. As they unpack and settle in, take a few minutes for a quick family fire drill. Push the button on your smoke alarms so everyone knows what it sounds like. Show everyone two ways out of every room and where your outside meeting place is. Explain that if the alarm goes off, everyone should get outside fast and meet there.

Safety Tips for Hosting Holiday Guests

Click here for more ways to create a safe environment for your guests.

Click here for a complete list of home safety tips to help you keep your family safe year round.

Tour MySafeHome

HSC has created a first-of-its-kind online tool to help people find and fix the leading causes of accidents in the home. Visit MySafeHome to tour a virtual home, room-by-room. You will learn about the leading causes of serious home injuries. And you'll see what you can do to keep your loved ones safe.