**Essential tips for keeping young children safe
**Parents can have mixed feelings when their baby starts to crawl and eventually walk. on the one hand, they are glad to see them making such a huge step in their development and applaud every movement they make. But, on the other hand, a newly mobile baby can cause complete havoc in a matter of minutes!
oaking sure your house is childproof becomes an essential job the minute your baby starts moving around. Everything they find goes straight in their mouth and they are still prone to the wobbles, resulting in some spectacular tumbles. So, in the interests of protecting your fine china or favourite books – as well as ensuring your baby remains safe at all times – follow these tips:
- Get down to your baby’s level and cruise around the house looking for any cupboards that open easily, dangerous sharp corners or poisonous liquids – and then remove them.
- Invest in corner protectors for coffee tables or other low pieces of furniture that babies could fall against. Mr simply get some bubble wrap and tape it on.
- Are there any power sockets within reach of your child? Buy some power- socket protectors and put them in. These are designed so that even the most determined and nimble-fingered babies can’t get them off so you won’t have to worry that they might stick something into the plug-holes.
- Check that there aren’t any electric cords hanging down from benches and tables. A common one is the cord from the electric jug, which, if pulled, would splatter a child with boiling water.
- Are there any table runners or cloths hanging down which your child could grab and then pull everything on top of them?
- Put all your cleaning products and alcohol up high. And anything that you wouldn’t want broken into and spread all over the floor, such as sugar or salt. Dishwasher detergent is especially harmful to young children so always keep this out of reach.
- Do put safety latches on your cupboard doors but only as a way of stopping them from getting in and pulling stuff out. It’s not a protection against swallowing poisons or alcohol; some clever tots have been known to master the art of undoing kiddie locks so you should still keep all poisons and harmful liquids up high.
- The bathroom should be considered a no-go area for your baby because of the obvious hazards of water and drowning. Never let a child in the bathroom unless you are with them and also keep harmful products such as shampoos and shaving cream up high.
- Pot plants need to be removed – not only because a toddler can spend a happy few minutes digging out the soil and rubbing it into the carpet, but also because some pot plants are hazardous if their flowers or foliage are swallowed.
- Check that any heavy items of furniture such as bookshelves can’t be pulled over on top of your child. Secure all shelving at the top.
- Don’t leave window-blind cords hanging loose at floor level as a baby could easily be strangled. Coil them up and hang up high on a hook.
- Toddlers can be astonishingly fast at getting outside and wandering off so install a safety gate to prevent them getting out open doors or onto steps which they can tumble down.
- I’ve never heard of a toddler spending much time with their head down the toilet but apparently they can get stuck. Get a toilet lock that keeps the lid down.
- Don’t leave uncovered buckets of water on the floor. A baby can drown in a few centimetres of water in just a few minutes so if you have a nappy bucket, keep it in your laundry sink and when you are washing your floors, keep the bucket up on a table. Also, check that your pet’s water bowl isn’t too deep and perhaps consider buying a covered water dish from a pet store.
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