Preventing accidents in your home should be one of your top priorities. Each week, more than 800 children are taken to the hospital due to a home-related accident. An accident or injury can happen in practically every part of your home. Some accidents waiting to happen are easy to see, such as a toy left on the stairs or an uncovered electrical socket. Other accidents are much harder to predict, like a stairway railing that is loose or a small magnet being swallowed by your child.

You can take proper steps toward preventing accidents in your home and saving your children from serious injuries, even death. Here are a few if the top accidents that you can prevent:

Magnets - Many toys have been recalled due to small little magnets inside that can be swallowed by children. Swallowing a single magnet will not pose a serious injury, but swallowing multiple magnets is fatal. If a child swallows multiple magnets, they can attract one another and attach through intestinal walls, causing serious damage to the intestines. If your child is playing with a toy that has small magnets, consider tossing the toy or removing the magnets. Most toys have been recalled that have had incidents directly related to swallowing magnets. Since 2005, 8 million toys have been recalled due to magnets.

Furniture Accidents - Many children climb on furniture and can be seriously injured or killed if it tips over. Some children have even pulled televisions and computers over, resulting in death. If you have large furniture items that are not balanced well, it can easily tip over and kill your child. Televisions need to be securely anchored to the wall so they cannot be pulled down by children. To prevent furniture accidents, consider purchasing a furniture wall strap. These straps are designed to attach the furniture piece to the wall, preventing children from pulling them over. Over 3,000 children are seriously injured due to furniture accidents.

Garbage Cans and Houseplants - Children are attracted to large objects, especially garbage cans. Garbage cans are filled with several hazards. Plastic bags, bones, sharp lid containers, and raw meat can all be deadly to children. If you have a garbage can, you need to keep it locked in a cabinet or place it in a higher area where children cannot reach it. Many garbage cans come with locking mechanisms so that children cannot get into them. If you have houseplants, place them in a higher-up area. Some house plants are deadly and children often will tear off the leaves and try to eat the plant. If the plant is placed on the floor, children can trip over them. Ceiling plant hangers are the safest way to prevent plant accidents in the home. If you have a child that likes to climb, you need to place strict rules about the hanging plants. Let your child know that the plants are not to be used as a swing or a place for your child to hang on.

Pet Supplies - Other common household accident pertains to pet products. Always move the water bowl to an area where infants and toddlers cannot get into it. Older children should understand the water bowl and understand the pet products. Many children trip over the water bowl and slip on the food bowl, try placing your pet bowls in the laundry room or in a separate room where your children do not frequently go. Always make sure your children stay away from the animal when they are eating. Place the cat litter box in a private area where children will not try to use it as a sand castle or taste the cat litter. If you have a fish tank, place it out of reach from children and lock up the fish food so they do not over-feed the fish. Make sure the fish tank is on a sturdy structure in case your child decides to climb up and look at them. Fish tanks should always be covered too, so that your child doesn't try to get in the fish tank too.

Appliances - One of the biggest household accidents is related to home appliances. Children often do not understand the dangers of the stove and other products in the home. Always wind up the cords to your appliances and keep them out of reach from your children. If possible, place the appliances in locked cabinets so that your children cannot get to them. Always unplug hair dryers, curling irons, and straightener's and place them in a drawer. Never keep small appliances plugged in when you are not using them, as children can easily be electrocuted. Teach your children about the oven and why they are not allowed to use it without your supervision. Always cook on the back burner and keep pot handles turned away from the front, where children can easily grab them. Stove guards are also wonderful as they keep liquids from splattering.

Windows - Children are naturally curious about windows and they love to play near them. If you have window coverings that have cords, make sure you wind up the cords so that children cannot play with them. The cords can easily get tangled around a child's neck and it can strangle them. Each year about 12 children die due to being strangled by the window cords. Children can easily fall from open windows. Make sure your windows are locked and that they have screen coverings on them to prevent children from falling. Your children should never be able to open the window more than 3 inches. You can install window guards that prevent children from opening windows. Move taller furniture away from the windows if your child tends to climb on furniture.

Drowning - Young children can drown in less than an inch of water. If you have a pool, you need to place a locked fence around it and make sure your children cannot climb the fence to get to the pool. Talk to your children about pool safety and make sure they all take swimming lessons and understand how to swim. If you have older children, enroll them in CPR courses so they know what to do if one of their friends or younger siblings is drowning. Bathtubs often cause drowning to occur, never leave your child alone in the bathtub. Once your child is in elementary school, they should be able to bathe themselves. Check on your child if they are in the bathroom alone for a few minutes; just knock on the door to make sure they are okay. Watch out for spa drains, as children's hair can get tangled in it. Always watch your children when they are swimming to make sure they are doing alright. Install drain covers in your spa or in your pool to prevent children from sticking their hands in there and to prevent the drains from catching their hair.

Stairs and falls - Many children love to climb. Children love to climb trees, stair banisters, furniture and just about anything in your home that looks like they can climb. Always teach your children about the dangers of climbing the stair banisters. If they climb trees, watch them and teach them how to properly climb trees. Furniture should not be climbed on, so you must teach your children the house rules. Take your children to the park often and let them climb the jungle gym there. Consider purchasing a swing set and play set for your backyard where your children will be able to climb. The best thing you can do is teach your child to be safe when they climb and keep an eye on them when they are outside climbing random things. If you have a deck, let your children know that it is not to be climbed on. Falls from tall decks can cause severe injuries, like broken bones.

Sharp-edges - Older homes often have sharp-edges on the walls and on built-in cabinets. It is easy for children to run around corners and smack right into them. If you can afford it; round the wall corners in your home. If you have furniture with sharp edges, you should purchase some padded guards or cushion strips, as this can protect younger children from smacking into them.

Tablecloths - Many children like to build forts and the table is a natural fort. If you have a tablecloth on your table, always remove things from it. Children like to yank them off and if you have dishes on it, they can fly right off and smack your child in the head. Glass can shatter and get all over the floor, causing several cuts and major injuries to your child. It is much easier to use place mats instead of tablecloths, especially if you have younger children.

After you have gone through your home and made it safe for your children, you still need to talk to them about certain dangers. Your child is going to explore, but if they know the rules of the house and the dangers of certain things, it will help them to stay safer and prevent accidents from happening.