CANDLES
- Battery-operated candles are a great substitute for traditional candles. If traditional candles will be used, make sure your children are always supervised around them and keep any matches and lighters out of reach.
- Keep lit candles away from Christmas trees, wrapping paper and other flammable materials. Do not burn wrapping paper to dispose of it. Just throw it away!
- Place lit candles in areas where they won't be knocked over.
- Blow out all candles before leaving the house or going to bed.
- Strings of lights are festive, but they can also be a strangulation hazard. Garland poses the same issue, so don't let your children play with them.
- Inspect all lights and cords for fraying, loose wires or loose connections before using them.
- Replace burned out bulbs quickly as empty sockets can cause the whole strand to overheat.
- Do not connect more strings of lights than is recommended by the manufacturer.
- Don't plug too many strands of lights into one outlet.
- Make sure that your outdoor lighting is UL-rated for exterior use.
- Nails and staples can cut through the wire insulation on light strings causing a fire hazard. Hang lights using UL-approved hooks and hangers.
- Outdoor lights are too hot for interior use so do not use them indoors.
- Turn off all indoor and outdoor holiday lights before leaving the house or going to sleep.
- When decorating your tree, keep glass ornaments, metal hooks and any small decorations that could be choking hazards on higher branches.
- To prevent small children from pulling large Christmas trees over on top of themselves, attach trees to the wall or ceiling using thin wires.
- If you have small children in your home, don't use sharp or breakable decorations unless you can display them somewhere out of reach of little fingers.
- Contrary to popular belief, poinsettias are not poisonous, but they will give your child a tummy ache and possibly cause vomiting if they eat the leaves, so keep all plants up high. However, holly berries ARE toxic and should definitely be out of reach of small children.
