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At every stage of your child’s development, from a small baby that you have to carry everywhere, through to crawling ball of mischief, tottering toddler and hyperactive child running around in random directions as if fuelled by a life’s goal to be as crazily energetic as possible – there are dangers of differing kinds in the home.

Keeping your child as safe as you possibly can is no mean feat, so hopefully this article will help you put some simple measures in place to make your home a haven for your child.

Here are some points on how to keep your child safe at home:

1. Furniture

If your child can bump his or her head on a piece of furniture, then you can bet your bottom dollar that they will. Constant supervision will go a long way to being able to prevent this; however the inevitable bumps and falls will happen, so make your furniture as child friendly as possible.

  • Avoid furniture with sharp edges and keep all glass covered furniture in a child free zone until your child is old enough to understand the dangers of glass
  • Make sure that your furniture is heavy enough that your child cannot move it or have it fall on them – ensure that any lighter items of furniture are kept out of reach of children as much as possible and that they do not climb or play around it too much

2. Windows and Blinds

Windows can represent a major hazard in the home. To safeguard your child, make sure:

  • Children play away from windows and, if possible, only open windows from the top
  • Windows are kept locked and keys kept out of reach of your child. This is especially important for windows located anywhere above the ground floor in your home
  • Pull-ropes are kept tied up and well out of reach of children. Blinds and the string which operates them could be a hanging hazard

3. Kitchen

Kids love to see what you are up to when you are in the kitchen and involving children when cooking can be great for their development and to stimulate them. It is however not always safe to have little ones running around in the kitchen.

  • Make sure that all pan handles are turned towards the back of the stove, so that little hands can’t reach up and inadvertently pull pans and pots down
  • Keep all sharp utensils out of reach of children
  • Consider getting child safe locks and latches for your draws and cupboards. The kitchen can look like a fun playground for your baby, toddler or child, but it’s important to teach them about the dangers of the kitchen

4. General

  • Turn your hot water thermostat down to 50 degrees centigrade, so that if an accident should occur, the water temperature is not boiling
  • Get power point guards to stop children from putting their fingers or other objects in the sockets
  • If you have a swimming pool or balcony, make sure that your child is supervised at all times. It’s also a good idea to install pool and balcony guards to prevent access to these areas without your supervision
  • For fires and heaters, make sure that all controls are kept out of reach and that you install a fireguard to prevent access
  • Install smoke detectors throughout your property
  • If you have stairs, make sure that you have a guard in place at the top and bottom of the stairs to prevent falls
  • For any garden or work areas, make sure that all tools are kept out of reach and that your child is supervised at all times.
  • In terms of glass in your house, it is a good idea to install safety glass or retro-fit some clear plastic film to your windows (especially those at head height for your child) so that glass doesn’t shatter should they break

This is by no means an exhaustive list; however with the correct supervision and care, it should go a long way towards ensuring your home is a safe, fun and stimulating environment for your child.

Do you have any other tips for safeguarding the home for children?

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  • This really is an endless list. Even when you think you’ve done all you can, bub hurts herself :(

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  • The water temperature thing is very important! Especially now most houses have mixer taps that can be pushed from side to side so easily.

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  • Great safety tips, sometime we need reminders.

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  • i had baby proofed everything in my home and it cost a fortune but my baby still fell and cut his chin on the skirting board which terrified me to see the blood.

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  • Fantastic sensible advice, have printed a few copies of this and handed around to mums. Thank you for sharing.

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  • Can never be too careful, I know when I visit somewhere new I’m scanning to look for potential hazards.

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  • I’d better do a safety check now that the new little man in the family is 6 months old. If he’s like big sister and big brother he’ll be up and around in no time.

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  • One thing that i think is important especially if you DONT have stairs in your house is to teach your children how to go up and down stairs. My kids all grew up with stairs but I noticed that kids who came here from homes without stairs were always so dangerous on the stairs and their parents had never taught them the rules of having to hold the railings and not running.

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  • Great tips. With 6 years between my boys I will need to revisit this very soon!

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  • Great article. I made plastic covers for my power points out of clear book contact.
    They worked really well. I also used sticky velcro my the metre to keep the fridge/freezer
    doors shut. Used it on the the laundry tub underneath door too.

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  • Checking and rechecking everything often. And make sure everyone in the house is on the same page in regards to safety measures.

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  • you can never be to safe and its always best to check fix and double check :) thanks for the tips

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  • I have always had a fear of the sharp edges of cupboards and never rest until the kids are out of the falling stage

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  • time to do a double check

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  • it constantly changes too – from bubs to toddlers it is a whole new ball game

    Reply

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