Curious hands, low outlets
Receptacles sit right at a crawling baby's eye level, and cords look a lot like something to chew or pull. Most electrical injuries to young children happen at home, and most are preventable with a few simple changes.
The goal is layers of protection: devices that make shocks unlikely, a home set up so children cannot easily reach hazards, and, as kids get older, clear rules they understand.
Tamper-resistant receptacles
Tamper-resistant (TR) receptacles have spring-loaded shutters behind the slots. The shutters only open when both prongs of a plug push in at the same time. A hairpin, key or fork pushed into one slot meets a plastic barrier instead of a live contact.
The Canadian Electrical Code requires tamper-resistant receptacles in new homes. You can recognize them by the letters TR on the face, and you will often see the shutters behind the slots.
If your home is older, replacing standard receptacles with TR versions is one of the best childproofing upgrades you can make. It is quick work for a licensed electrician, and it is a good moment to check those receptacles' connections and add GFCI protection where it is missing.
Removable plastic caps are easy for older babies to pull out, can be a choking hazard, and are often left off after vacuuming. TR receptacles protect every slot, all the time.
Cords, power bars and chargers
- Route cords behind furniture and use cord covers along baseboards so they cannot be pulled or chewed.
- Keep lamps and appliances back from the edge of tables and counters so a dangling cord cannot bring them down.
- Unplug phone and tablet chargers when not in use. A live charger end can still give a mouth burn if chewed.
- Use power bars with covers or place them out of sight and reach. Do not chain power bars together.
- Throw out any cord with cracked, chewed or exposed insulation.
Health Canada advises keeping baby monitor cords at least one metre away from cribs and playpens. The same thinking applies to blind cords and any other cord near where a child sleeps.
Kitchens, bathrooms and water
Water makes shocks far more dangerous. GFCI protection is designed for exactly this situation, so make sure the receptacles near your kitchen and bathroom sinks are protected and test them monthly. See GFCI and AFCI protection explained.
- Keep hair dryers, straighteners and curling irons unplugged and stored away from the tub and sink.
- Never leave a child alone in the bath with any plugged-in appliance in the room.
- Push kettles, toasters and slow cookers to the back of the counter with cords out of reach.
- Teach children never to touch switches or plugs with wet hands.
Teaching older kids
As children get older, protection shifts from devices to understanding. Simple, repeated rules work best:
- Never put anything other than a plug into an outlet.
- Pull on the plug, not the cord, and ask an adult if a plug is hard to remove.
- Tell an adult if a cord is damaged, an outlet is warm, or something smells like burning.
- Stay away from the panel and never open it.
Outside, the big ones in Edmonton neighbourhoods are overhead lines and the green transformer boxes in many yards and boulevards. Kites, drones and balloons belong in open fields. Trees near lines are not for climbing. And the green boxes are never a place to sit, climb or play. If one is damaged or its door is open, keep away and report it to your electricity distributor.
Do not touch the person if they may still be in contact with the source. Switch off the power at the breaker or unplug it if you can do so safely, call 911, and get medical advice even if the shock seemed minor.
Teenagers and first projects
Older kids and teens often get curious about how things work, or want to wire up gaming setups, LED strips and room lighting. That curiosity is great, but it needs some boundaries:
- Plug-in, certified products are fine. Anything that connects to household wiring is a job for a licensed electrician.
- Teach them never to open the panel or remove faceplates.
- Watch for overloaded power bars behind desks and gaming systems, and for chargers left on beds and under pillows.
A quick childproofing checklist
- Replace standard receptacles with tamper-resistant ones, starting with low outlets in living areas and bedrooms.
- Confirm GFCI protection in the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry area and outdoors.
- Manage cords and power bars in every room the child uses.
- Check smoke and CO alarms. See hardwired smoke and CO alarms.
- Move space heaters out of children's rooms. See extension cords and space heaters.
A licensed electrician can do the receptacle and GFCI upgrades in a single visit, and a home electrical inspection will flag anything else worth fixing before the baby starts to crawl.
Common questions
How do I know if my outlets are tamper-resistant?
Look for the letters TR on the face of the receptacle. Many also show visible shutters behind the slots.
Are tamper-resistant outlets harder to use?
Plugs can feel a little stiffer at first because both prongs need to push in evenly. Most people stop noticing after a few days.
Do I need to replace every outlet in the house?
Start with the ones children can reach: living areas, bedrooms and hallways. Many families do the whole house in one visit since the work goes quickly.
Are night lights safe?
Modern LED night lights run cool and are a good choice. Avoid old hot-bulb types in children's rooms and replace any night light that is cracked or loose in the outlet.
Codes and permit rules change and every building is different. For work on your system, talk to a licensed electrician and your local permit authority.