Accidents happen but they are preventable.
That’s the mantra of Bronwen Strembiski, a St. Albert mom and expert child proofer.
Strembiski has launched Cocoon Childproofing, a business to help parents and grandparents identify obvious and hidden safety hazards in their home.
That means getting on her knees, pulling out a measuring tape and looking at the world from the eyes of a child.
“When I am done the assessment, they will get a complete information package from me with what I observed, what they were doing well and what may need improvement,“ she said.
Strembiski said a consultation takes two to three hours and costs $115, including GST.
Before visiting the family, she asks them to describe the layout and floor plan of the house so she can prepare a checklist of possible hazards.
Her first stop is the front yard, where she checks for poisonous plants, obstacles on the walkways and whether the railings meet the standards of the building code.
Inside the home, she looks at everything from coat hangers and floor lamps to the tethering of flat-screen TVs.
“One of the biggest differences is the advantage we made in technology, the flat TVs and the gas fireplaces,” she said.
“Falls are the number one reason for hospitalization and death for infants and children and toddlers.”
If toys can pass through a cardboard paper towel tube, they are a choking hazard. If a soda can fits through the rungs of a stair railing, that means a child’s head can get through them too, she said.
Cribs need to meet standard safety regulations, especially if they are older than 1986 and car seats need to be checked for expiry dates.
And then there are electrical cords lying around, poisonous cleaning supplies and pressure-sealed gates at the top of stairs that topple when a child presses against them.
The list goes on.
Strembiski brings at least five pages of points to be checked, making sure everything is top notch on current safety standards.
Asked why her work is necessary today, she said technology changes constantly and advice from other parents is often outdated.
“You look at how many new recalls there are for toys and how many new safety hazards appear in the media,” she said.
“It moved beyond common sense parenting to actual safety education.”
Strembiski, who has a background in child and youth care, said she updated all of her personal hazard test certifications, first aid and sudden infant death syndrome prevention courses.
She also took the Alberta government’s child safety course and now awaits membership with the international association for child proofers.
Though she does not partner with any companies, she can help families find proper safety equipment and toys.
She also has access to a number of blogs for moms, as well as pamphlets and referrals to safety courses.
Cocoon Childproofing opened for business on April 1 and can be reached at 780-718-6875 or at www.cocoonchildproofing.ca.
