Now, all of that is still part of being considered safe for foster children, but there are lots more things that I would never even thought of...Here is a list of a few.
- Fill in all holes and divots in yard
- Padding on all corners, mantles, tables, furniture
- Locks on every drawer and cabinet (regardless of child's age)
- all medications (OTC and Rx), vitamins, cleaning chemicals, general hygiene products (deodorant, shampoo, hair spray, lotions, shaving cream, toothpaste, etc), and any other bottle that says "Keep out of reach of children" MUST be LOCKED (either with a combo lock or key lock) away. Say what?!!
- All knives, scissors, and otherwise sharp objects must also be LOCKED up
- All alcohol must be LOCKED up (now, for a teenager, okay, but an infant? really?!)
- All tools must be LOCKED up
- All paint, bug sprays, weed killers, and other garage chemicals must be LOCKED up
- All cleaning chemicals, detergents, and laundry supplies must be LOCKED up
- All breakable objects (vases, bowls, etc) must be out of reach of children. At least for this one I can put them up high or a child safety lock....
- All opened food bags must be sealed with a clip (not just placed in the box with the lid shut) or in a sealed container.
- Absolutely NO clutter on the floors or counters
- All windows must be openable (this makes sense) and have screens (ummm why?)
- Every room in a house must have a smoke detector. This one I can kinda see, but in a house our size, it seems overkill...
- All guns must be unloaded and locked in a safe (totally makes sense), all ammo must also be locked up in a container separate from the guns. Umm, okay, they do realize locking it in the safe without a human in there, basically makes it impossible to fire, right?!
No wonder there are not enough foster family homes for these kids. We are committed and know in the end it will all be worth it to have a child as part of our family, but man, talk about discouraging potential families. I agree these children should be provided a safe environment, but much of this is just ridiculous. And if they need that safe an environment in foster care, how can their "permanent" home with their biological families require anything less?
Anyway, I'll stop ranting now. I know this is all for a purpose and it will make our home safer and cleaner and will make for a better home for our future child, but right now, I feel like we are being put through the ringer for someone's entertainment!
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