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A Latchkey Checklist: Getting Your Home Ready

by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.
reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.
Use this checklist to help prepare your home for a positive self-care experience for your child. For a printer-friendly version in Adobe Acrobat, click here.
  • Working smoke detectors and a working fire extinguisher.


  • Your child knows how to use the fire extinguisher.


  • Doors to your home have good locks (a deadbolt is best).


  • If there is a security system, it is in working order and your child knows how to turn it on and off.


  • List of emergency telephone numbers posted by the phone: 911; parents' work and cell phone numbers; other relatives or friends either at home or work; a reliable neighbor who is at home; your own phone number, address, and cross street.


  • Basic first-aid kit is in an obvious place.


  • First-aid kit is well stocked (check monthly).


  • Neighbor who is at home, and who has copy of your house key.


  • Any guns and ammunition locked up in separate places.


  • Furnace and the water heater in good working order.


  • Kitchen appliances in good working order.


  • Working flashlight in designated place on each floor. Check batteries regularly.


  • Timers to turn on some lights before your child arrives.

  • Cleaning supplies and other poisons stored in clearly marked containers with appropriate lids.
For a printer-friendly version in Adobe Acrobat, click here.

 RELATED INFORMATION
*  Making a Latchkey Arrangement Work: Preparing Your Home
*  Tips on Talking about Drugs
*  Latchkey Arrangements


Created February 11, 2001
Reviewed August 26, 2004
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