FINDS! Worry-Free Home Safety & Foresight (featuring Kidde systems).

I don’t WHAT is going on at my house lately, but we have been accident-prone. Like, unbelievably accident-prone. I even cut my finger with a kitchen knife. No one is exempt (except my husband, but he doesn’t count because he’s at work and not technically under our roof during the day). It’s freakin’ me out. Luckily, nothing *serious* has happened (knock wood). Those of you that know me know I was never a big baby-proofer… and instead choose to watch my girls like a crazy hawk and yell things like, “Don’t run!” “Get away from that!” “If you keep coming near the corner of this table you’re going in your crib!” I’ve had my share of scares. I’ve also learned many a valuable trick about how to effectively stop bleeding from Hubby himself.

In the spirit of my recent “Home Safety for Tweens” segment on Hallmark Channel’s “Home and Family” (I informed viewers how to check water-heater temperature to prevent tap water scalds and introduced fabulous safety knives that actually cut a tomato decently), I’m hereby shouting very loudly that being “FAB” also means having FORESIGHT AFTER BABIES. Having FORESIGHT and planning ahead will make you feel more worry-free… and that’s fabulous.

For starters? Put all emergency phone numbers inside the First Aid Kit so you know where they are. Period. (Duh.) But consider other instructions too… For instance, put simple instructions for common household accidents into your home’s First Aid kit so that (heaven forbid there’s an accident without you being home) the tween/sitter/grandparent doesn’t have to panic to remember what exactly to do when someone has to get something to stop bleeding. I’ll even give you one: “How to Tend to a Burn” from the stove/grill/oven (compliments of my husband, the pediatric plastic surgeon): 1) IMMEDIATELY immerse burn area in ice water – or, better yet, run under cold water – for 15-20 minutes. 2) If burning does not subside (and skin is bubbly and/or your guts tells you it needs medical care), spread Vaseline on top of burn, gently cover with gauze or a soft cloth and go to hospital. Does that leave you a bit more worry-free?

Another part of super-basic home safety (and, the law) is having a working smoke alarm AND carbon monoxide (CO) detector/alarm. Did you know that approximately 20,000 Americans are affected with illness caused by carbon monoxide poisoning each year? Carbon monoxide is emitted by appliances (furnaces, fireplaces, gas grills/stoves) and is tasteless, odorless and virtually undetectable… unless you’ve got a detector for it. Carbon monoxide poisoning can even cause death. I had no idea. (Great, one more thing for this mom to worry about.) The good news is that leading home safety experts Kidde have developed an easy-to-install, exclusive line of “Worry-Free” smoke alarms and CO detectors… that last TEN YEARS. TEN YEARS! No changing a battery for TEN YEARS.

Kidde does it by using a sealed-in lithium battery that is beyond clever and the only one of it’s kind on the market. No more annoying low-battery chirps in the middle of the night, no frantic searching for a battery to stop that annoying chirping (in the middle of the night). Always actively on (once installed) the only time anything’s gonna chirp on these babies is after TEN years when it’s time to replace the entire unit. The smoke alarms are also the smartest that you’ll find: alarm features are customized for specific rooms in your home: 1) The Hallway alarm has a special LED light to help with egress, 2) the Kitchen alarm has an intelligence sensor that can discern the difference between a *real* fire as opposed to a lot of smoke coming off a frying pan from an innocent overcooking of bacon, 3) the Bedroom alarm incorporates a human voice with the siren sound to awaken sleepers more quickly (it’s been proven that sleeping adults and children wake faster if a voice is talking, rather than a siren sounding). To make matters better, there’s a 3-step, 1-screw install option that even I pulled off installing myself on the set of “Home and Family.” Kidde’s complete Worry-Free line is available at The Home Depot (prices vary). Or, you can visit WorryFreeAlarm.com for more info.

HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR HOME SAFE?

DISCLOSURE: This is a sponsored post. TheFabMom was compensated for mention/content, but any and all opinions are authentic and based on personal experience with the product itself.