Child Tamper-Resistant Cabinet Locks

Ninety-seven children ages 1 through 4 in the United States died from accidental poisonings from 1999 through 2001, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC).

From 2001 through 2002, the NCIPC estimated more than 160,000 1- to 4-year-old children in the United States were injured due to accidental poisoning.

The best way to protect your child from accidental poisoning is to make sure all medicines, cleaning supplies, and other chemicals are kept out of reach in a locked cabinet. But for household items that adults need convenient access to, child tamper-resistant cabinet locks can provide some protection.

However, there is no product on the market that is foolproof or will replace constant supervision of a young child.

Cabinet lock choices

Add-on plastic catches can be attached to a cabinet door or drawer to restrict openings to a few inches or less. To release the door or drawer, an adult must press the plastic catch. At some point, however, many toddlers figure out how to press the catch and get into the cabinet or drawer. To help delay this awareness stage, never let your child see how you open a child resistant lock.

The cabinet locks installed in the Disaster Survival House are another alternative to the plastic add-ons. This latch requires a magnetic key to open it. The magnetic key can be kept out of children's reach and the latch can be disengaged so it opens without the use of the key. The effectiveness of these latches is unknown as there are no test results currently available.

Where locks are needed

Make sure you haven't overlooked the following places where potentially dangerous items might be stored:

• Garage
• Laundry room
• Kitchen
• Bathrooms

As an added precaution, make sure any drawers directly behind a bathroom door have cabinet latches as well even if there isn't anything dangerous in the drawers. Young children can crawl into a bathroom, shut the door, and open the drawers behind the door. This may block your ability to get the door open so you can get the child out of the room.

What to do if your child is accidentally poisoned

If your child is exhibiting life-threatening symptoms (he/she collapses, stops breathing or is having seizures), call 9-1-1 immediately.If yoususpect your child has possibly ingested, touched or breathed a poisonous substance,but is not exhibiting life-threatening symptoms,immediately contact a Poison Control Centerat 1-800-222-1222. This 800 number will put you in touch with one of several regional Poison Control Centers located across the United States. A medical professional will provide direction as to what you should do.

State Farm® believes the information contained in the Disaster Survival House is reliable and accurate. We cannot, however, guarantee the performance of all items demonstrated or described in all situations. Always consult an experienced contractor or other expert to determine the best application of these ideas or products in your home.