Keeping your Children Safe
How you keep your toddler and young child safe can be influenced by a number of outside factors, such as what kind of housing you live in (eg. flat, house, bungalow, etc.) and where you live (eg. near a main road in a town, a quiet village cul-de-sac, etc.). Whilst these are things you may or may not be able to change, you must take all the necessary steps to change the things you can, in order to keep your child safe. This is especially important when they are in their home environment.
Although the following list is by no means extensive and complete, there are a number of things you can do to keep your toddler safe at home. These include:
Medicines
Those sometimes brightly coloured pills, tonics, liquids and gels can be so alluring to young curious eyes, so always keep any medication, prescribed or not, in a high, locked cupboard. In the same cupboard but in a box of their own, you should also keep children’s medication separate from that of adults. Discard out-of-date medication safely, and ensure you have a fully stocked first aid kit for those unavoidable bumps and scrapes, and burns.
Household cleaning and laundry products
Any such items should always be locked away in a high cupboard, and clearly labelled. Products should remain in their original packaging, and damage to those containers should be avoided in order to prevent spills and leakages.
Garden chemicals
Garden products should be kept out of harm’s way, in a garden shed or garage. But remember your young ones will want to play in the garden from time to time, so make sure access to these areas is locked and secure, in order to eliminate the risk of them being injured, poisoned or otherwise harmed in any way by anything you keep in there.
Fall hazards
As every parent knows, children love to climb so do not create climbable platforms, particularly below or next to anything such as high window sills, as this could potentially act as a ladder leading to danger.
Unsecured furniture
Always secure tall furniture to the wall using suitable safety straps, in order to prevent it from being tipped over.
Bath time
Never leave your child unaccompanied in the bath, even if it is only for a minute or two. In the bath, you should always use a suitably sized rubber bath mat to avoid slipping, and when it is time for your child to get out, you should use a bath mat to stop the floor from becoming wet and slippery.
Remember to keep all shampoos, shower gels, etc. out of reach, and all bathroom cleaning products should be kept in a high cupboard. Toilet brushes are particularly unhygienic (and a peculiar attraction to some children!) so I personally would not like to have one in the bathroom. If you feel you really need to have one to hand, consider storing a closed one, out of reach, in or on top of a cupboard.
Cooking and sharp kitchen utensils
Sharp knives should be kept out of reach at all times. My storage preference for them is in a sturdy knife block that is pushed all the way back to the wall, away from the reach of your child. When cooking, avoid leaving the kitchen unattended, and make sure saucepan handles are not hanging over the edge of the hob, as this acts as a curiosity to children who may want to reach up and grab it to see what’s inside! When you are cooking, you should also keep toddlers away from the cooker.
Stairgates
Use stairgates to prevent your young toddler going up or down the stairs unsupervised. You can also use it to prevent access to certain areas such as the kitchen when it is in use.
Socket covers
These are a definite must to prevent children sticking anything into a socket! They are very cheap to buy so make sure you use them in every empty socket.
Bed guards
As your child grows so too will their bed, so prevent falls by using a bed guard.
Bedtime safety
Ideally all windows should have locks on them but if this is not possible, do not put your child’s bed by the window as this will give them climbing access to the windows. Also do not allow them to go to bed with anything round their neck, such as a bib, as this poses a potential hazard. Their door should be open or ajar at all times so they can be monitored and if they wake up, they will not be fearful of being ‘shut away’.