Keeping your child safe is arguably the most important thing in the world when you are a parent, making sure that little Danny doesn’t fall down and skin his knees, or that Sarah doesn’t touch the dog next door are some of the things that people focus on when they have children. However, even with all of the elbow pads, knee pads and helmets in the world, children are never safe until you focus first on making your home a safe place for them.
Parents often overlook the most obvious place of danger in a child’s life, their own home. Often these places are seen as safe and secure for your child to wander around, if you’re in the next room nothing bad can happen to them, right? However, with all of the every day objects that can be pulled apart or chewed on, it takes a little bit of effort to keep your child safe and healthy in their own homes.
Safety in the home is not difficult to manage as long as a few important steps are looked over and maintained as your child grows from a wiggling crawling baby to an explorative and curious toddler who’s just itching to grab a hold of something and examine it.
Lock Up and Hide Anything Digestible.
Most cleaning products and bathing products contain sweet and savoury smells to make them more appealing to use. Unfortunately, not only does it appeal to you, but it appeals to your child as well. Young children like to constantly taste test what they think might taste good, and a good indication of what tastes good to them is how it smells.
If you take the extra time to put a few locks on the doors to the cabinet that are used to store those chemical cleaners you may use on your floors or furnishings, a poisonous drink of bleach followed by a trip to the ER can be prevented. Children won’t be able to get into your cabinets or at least it will take them a lot longer to even try, giving you time to discover what they’re doing and put a stop to it.
Get Rid of Tiny Pieces of Things.
Take a look at your floor, are there marbles rolling around or other small toys that could be choked on? Same with anything on your coffee tables and stands, if the surface is at a level a child could reach with ease, it is safer to clean it up. Get rid of anything that has tiny parts that can be easily pulled off and put into a small child’s mouth. If it’s something that can’t be gotten rid of easily, then place it somewhere where your child cannot reach it. Either in a locked cupboard or on a surface too high for them to reach the top of will do.
Secure Items that can be Easily Tipped Over.
Nothing is more terrifying than the possibility of your child reaching to grab something off of a table and knocking the whole thing over on top of them. Items that have even the slightest chance of toppling over with any amount of force that could be provided by a toddler should be bolted to the ground or secured in such a way that there is no chance of the child knocking something that they shouldn’t on top of them.
Not only avoid having furniture around that is prone to toppling, don’t leave things that can be pulled down within reach of small children. Things like tablecloths shouldn’t be left hanging over the edges of tables, especially when dishes or lamps are left on top of them as it can be easy for children to pull them down.
Watch out for Sharp Corners/Tight Squeezes.
This should go without saying but managing to tape up or pad any sharp corners on tables, chairs and any furniture can mean the difference between stumbling around on new baby legs, falling and ending up with a little bump on your head or ending up with a huge cut on your head. Sharp corners can be dangerous on little toes, fingers and heads so you will want to make sure that those stay covered and that cabinet doors that don’t hold chemicals are slow closing so that little fingers don’t get pinched in between the hinges.
Keep an Eye Out for Trouble.
One of the easiest ways to secure your children’s safety in your home is just by simply keeping a careful watch on them. Just because your child is at home with you doesn’t mean they are safe in another room. Keeping a close eye on them when they are playing can mean more than any baby-proofing can. How much trouble can someone get too if their parent has a constant surveillance on where they wander and what they pick up or touch.
It’s also a good idea to keep an ear out too, listen to what your child is saying if they can speak or listen to what they are touching if it makes a sound. If you hear anything going on that shouldn’t be than it’s a good idea to keep a personal eye on them so that they don’t get into mischief.
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