Baby & Child Safety In Your Home

Overview:

Many trips to the emergency are the result of household accidents & most are totally preventable. Below is a checklist of potential dangers to your child.

Kitchen:

• The kitchen has a great many possible dangers to children & as a result, there is an article just for this room alone. For more information on child proofing a kitchen, read here

Lounge/dining room:

• Secure all heavy furniture & appliances to the wall so they can not be pulled onto a child.
• Choose houseplants carefully, there are many that are toxic to humans.
• Keep breakables out of reach of children.
• Coffee tables & other furniture with sharp corners should have corner protectors put on them.

Bathrooms:

Toilets:

• Small children have been known to drown in toilets. There are safety latches to lock the toilet seat down.

Cleaning products:

• Bathrooms are another place that often contain a range of cleaning products. Make sure they are stored in a lockable cupboard.

Medicines:

• Keep medicines well out of reach of children, in a lockable medicine cabinet.
• Sharp objects such as nail scissors, razor blades should be stored in either a lockable cabinet or up high & out of reach of small hands.

Hot water:

• Hot tap water can cause serious burns to a child. Ask your plumber to reduce the heat on your hot water. You can also purchase tap covers to prevent children turning the taps on.

Cosmetics:

• Keep shampoos, mouthwash, hair products etc., out of the reach of young children.

Baths:

• Never leave children unattended in the bath. Not even for a second to answer the phone.
• Empty bath as soon as it is finished.
• Baths should have a non slip mat in the bottom.

Electrical:

• Unplug hairdryers etc., when not in use. Better still, use electrical appliances in another room.
• Install safety covers on all electrical outlets/plug sockets.

Laundry:

Laundry buckets:

• When in use, keep a child proof lid on them. It is quite possible for a child to drown in even a small amount of water such as a bucket.

Laundry products:

• Keep all laundry products in a lockable cupboard.
• Tumble dryer & washing machine: If you can't block access to this room with a child safety gate, Keep doors closed when not in use
• Iron: Never leave an iron unattended.

Bedrooms:

Change table:

• Never leave your child unattended when on the change table.

Cot:

• Keep cot away from cord blinds.
• Always follow SIDS guidelines with regards to cots, don't use cot bumpers, pillows or soft toys in the cot with baby. Read here for further information on SIDS guidelines.

Stairs:

• Install safety gates to prevent accidents.
• Never allow a young child access to the stairs without adult supervision.
• Ensure stairs & stair carpet is in good condition without wearing, loose carpet or objects on them.

Doors & Windows:

 Cords:

• Blinds with cords can be a choking hazard. Tie them up high enough so they aren't able to be reached by your cats. 

Windows:

• Locking windows: Keep windows locked.
• Never leave furniture that can be easily climbed close to windows.

Doors:

• Use doorknob covers to prevent access to certain rooms of the house that may be hazardous such as the bathroom, laundry & external doors.
• Ensure that external doors can't easily be opened by young children who may wander off.

Garden:

Swimming pool/spa:

• Ensure you have a pool fence around all pools & spas.
• Regularly check the pool fence lock for wear & tear. Don't ever leave the pool fence unlocked. Even if you don't have children, or have older ones, it is not unheard of for a child to wander into a garden.
• Don't leave furniture around that a child could possibly use to either climb the fence or reach the fence lock to gain access to the pool. Better still, install a pool fence alarm.
• For extra security get a pool safety alarm. There are a multitude of them available.
• Pool safety covers are another great idea for pool owners. These cover the pool when not in use reducing the chances of a small child getting into the pool.
• Learn CPR.

 Outdoor shed/garage:

• Ensure outdoor sheds & garages are kept locked unless an adult is around to supervise.
• Keep all tools & poisons either up high or in lockable cupboards.
• Properly secure heavy gardening equipment & tools you may have stored in your garage. 

Poisons:

• Don't leave poisons such as weed killers lying around.

Lawnmowers:

• Children should be kept a safe distance from lawnmowers  when lawns are being mowed.
• Young children should not be allowed to operate a lawnmower.
• Keep lawnmowers in a lockable shed or garage when not in use.

Pets:

• Pets are a wonderful addition to any family but pets & children should always be supervised.

• Don't allow cats to sleep in the same room as young children.

General safety:

 Emergency numbers:

• Keep a list of emergency numbers handy. These include; poisons information, local police, local fire, doctor, dentist, hospital.

Safety gates:

• These are a fantastic way to keep your child out of dangerous areas such as kitchen, laundry & stairs.

Fire hazards:

• Make sure cigarettes, matches & lighters are kept well out of reach. Passive smoking is known to be harmful, if you smoke, do so outside & away from children.
• Candles & oil burners can easily be knocked over by a kitten & be a potential fire hazard & severely scald/burn your child. Keep well out of your child's reach.
• Ensure that heaters have a guard around them, if this is not possible, install a playpen around the heater.

Electrical outlets:

• Install safety covers on all electrical outlets/plug sockets.

Table corners etc:

• Use corner & edge bumpers around tables & other sharp household furniture. 

Smoke alarms/fire equipment:

• Approved smoke alarms along with fire extinguishers & blankets should be present in all dwellings.

Large furniture/bookcases:

• Secure book cases to the wall to prevent them falling on a child who may try to climb one.

Plastic bags:

• Plastic bags can cause suffocation. Keep them out of reach.

Poisons/medications:

• As has already been covered with individual rooms, keep all poisons & medicines well out of reach in lockable cupboards or cabinets.

Water:

• Don't even leave small amounts of water lying around. A child can drown in as little as 2 inches of water.