The holidays are a fun time for both children and adults, with gift giving, time off from school, and spending quality time together. With the holiday season in full swing, it is a great time to bring family and friends together to celebrate. A house full of people and children running around everywhere can be an easy target for an accident involving children around the home.

Holiday parties, decorations, and visiting homes that might not be childproofed, can potentially put our children in harms way. It is important to be aware of of our child's safety during one of the happiest times of the year! James Hirtenstein from Baby Safe America has put together a list of six tips to keep your home safe for you and your family this holiday season.

1. Keep candles and matches away from low tables and decorations. Make sure they are all blown out prior to going to sleep.

2. Keep all alcohol off of coffee and end tables while children are awake.

3. Keep all nuts, candies and any chokable food off out of arm's reach from children.

4. If you have a live Christmas tree in your home, make sure you are are maintaing the tree. Prune the bottom of tree from all sharp protruding branches. You should be watering your tree daily to keep it hydrated and to keep it from getting dry and brittle. Remove all small ornaments from the tree if you anticipate small children in your home. It's best not to rely on placing them all at the top of the tree as that will make the tree top heavy and give it a better chance to fall over. Instead of overloading your outlets with lights, use a high quality powerstrip with a built in surge protector and make sure lights are unplugged before going to bed.

5. Be proactive! Send a "heads up" email to all invited guests about these dangers and ask for their help in ensuring a safe and happy party. Alert all guests as you greet them at the front door that there are small children in the house and to be aware of potential hazards. Placing small but noticable post-it notes around the areas of potential danger will also act as a constant reminder and ensure that accidents will less likely happen. People are drinking at these parties and once alcohol is consumed the rules you discussed earlier in the night will be forgotten by a few people for sure so these constant reminders could be the difference between a jolly good time and a preventable catastrophy. 

6. Make sure that you are mindful of these "danger zones" throughout the night. Put someone in charge of checking the areas at times throughout the day to make sure that they are up to the correct safety standards for having children around.

Keeping these safety tips in mind will help ensure that you, your children, and family have a safe and happy holiday season!