Which household items are unsafe for my kids? We all know to put the medicine, knives and cleaners out of reach, but there are other common household items in our own homes that may cause serious harm to our children. These are items that you wouldn’t think normally be a problem but in the right circumstances, may be harmful. Take a look at the following list of household items and how you can avoid any accidents in the future.

#1: Laundry detergent pods

Although super handy, these little pods look like candy to a little kids. Plus, they are the perfect size to pop in your mouth. According to the Poison Control website, if swallowed, serious effects can occur quickly. They include severe vomiting, severe breathing trouble, burns to the esophagus, and coma. The liquid from laundry pods also can cause burns to the eye and skin.

#2: Super Glue

Super glue, of course, is not good if ingested, but what if it gets on your hands? Well, my little one-year-old hated it on his hands so he ripped it off. And it left an awful scar after it healed. Then, a year later, my kids left the super glue out and he did it again! Although, not all kids will try to take the glue off their hands, it’s best to keep this household item hidden or on a high shelf.

If one of your kids do get it on his or her hands, here’s a post on how to remove it.

#3: Button Batteries

This is a scary one and it happened to my good friend. Her son found a button battery in an old remote control and swallowed it. Long story short, it started burning his esophagus! He was rushed to the hospital and doctors performed an emergency surgery to remove the battery. He was able to completely recover, but if my friend not responded as quick as she did, they might have had a completely different outcome.  You can read the entire story here.

This household item is easy to leave lying around because they are inside of common products such as remote controls. Anything that uses a button battery should be placed out of reach of children.

#4: Magnets

These fun little toys are also very dangerous, particularly high-powered magnets. From 2009 to 2013, roughly 2,900 children and teenagers went to the emergency room because they had ingested at least one high-powered magnet. Check out the full article here. If ingested, the magnets can cling to each other in different parts of the body and perforate an organ, causing severe damage.

Despite the efforts of consumer advocates, high-powered magnets are still allowed to be sold in store. But as for us, you won’t find any of these magnets in our home.

#5: Water beads

These innocent little beads have been super popular in our home for a long time. Little did I know they are one of those dangerous household items. If swallowed, the beads can continue to grow once inside the body, causing blockages and life-threatening damage. And the beads may not be visible on X-rays, according to healthychildren.org.

It’s best to not have these beads in your home if you have children under three years old. But even then, it’s kind of risky.

#6: Dressers

When my oldest was two years old, he decided to climb the open dresser drawers to the top. Of course, he didn’t get very far before it started to fall toward him to the ground. Luckily, I was right there and caught the dresser before it crushed him. It was a close call and gave me a really good scare.

It is easy to secure your dresser to the wall. Furniture wall anchor straps will do the trick. Plus, it will give you the peace of mind knowing there won’t be an accident when you’re not around. Dressers are common household items. If you don’t want to secure them to the wall, you can also buy child safety locks for the drawers so they at least can’t open them.

#7: Stools

They’re just stools right? Well, my kids scoot our stools everywhere. And so little toddlers, it can be dangerous if they scoot over to the oven, to the pantry to climb the shelves or the sink and the disposal. Plus, kids fall off stools all of the time and can break bones and receive head injuries. Sadly, it has happened to our kids more often than I care to admit.

The rule at our house is they are not allowed to stand on the stools. They are only for sitting. That prevents most of the accidents right there. If you want to take it a step further, you can buy a toddler standing tower for your kids to stand on and help at the counter. Or you can buy some stools with a backrest that adds another layer of protection.

#8: Hard candy, food, coins & toys

Choking is the leading cause of injury and death among children.

So, which choking hazards are the main culprits? Hard candy. Yep. In fact, according to the Huffington Post, between 2001 and 2009, more than 16,100 children ages 14 and younger visited the emergency room because they were choking on hard candy.

Here are some other culprits that you should keep an eye one when you have little ones running around:

• Hot Dogs
• Nuts
• Popcorn
• Chips
• French fries
• Legos
• Coins

Unfortunately, this is a hard one to monitor because well, we all have to eat. But we can eliminate a lot of hazards. Keep you house tidy and free of tiny toys. Don’t leave spare changing laying around. Stay close to your children during meal times. Don’t allow your kids to run around when they are eating something. You can also have an anti-choking device on hand that will easily dislodge an object stuck in a child’s throat.

#9: Window blinds

More than 16,000 children in the US were treated in emergency departments for injuries caused by window blinds between 1990 and 2015, an average of almost two children every day, according to NPR.org. The main danger are the cords that hang right at the perfect height for children to become entangled and essentially hang themselves.

Here are some great ideas to make these household items safer for your children. Some of these ideas include:

• Temporary – tuck cords up high
• Cut looped cords
• Install cordless blinds
• Install or use safety devices

#10: Treadmills

Treadmills have been called the healthy danger in your home. The most common types of injuries we see from treadmills are usually from kids are reaching, climbing or crawling onto a moving belt to reach a parent or sibling. Small fingers and hands will quickly get caught in the belt mechanism resulting in removal of skin and muscles, serious burns, fractures, amputations, and other injuries. Children can also be thrown from the equipment, resulting in larger fractures or concussions.

Here’s some tips to keep your children safe from treadmills:

• Store the emergency safety key in a separate place
• Keep unplugged when not in use
• Do not use when children are nearby
• Teach older children and teenagers the dangers of treadmills

What household items have you found that might cause harm or injury to your child(ren)?  Leave your comments below.

Related link: 7 Powerful Resources to Help Teach your Kids about Pornography