| Home Safety (see also Baby Changing, Equipment for Babies and Toddlers, Fire Safety, Garden Safety, Medicines, Nannyboard, Pets, Poisoning, Toy Safety) Having babies or young children in the house for the first time, will undoubtedly mean that changes have to be made to keep the youngsters safe, and to preserve your home. The layout of rooms, the way items are stored or displayed, the equipment that is used should all be considered from the point of view of the age of the youngster. Go round the house on your hands and knees to see things through the eyes of a toddler to get a child’s view of things. Points to consider when creating a safe environment: • Check the width between railings, banisters and balconies and board them up if necessary. Small children can squeeze their bodies through a gap as small as 10cm (4in), but they may get their heads trapped. • Turn the thermostats down to 54degrees C (130 degrees F) to avoid a child scalding himself when he turns on the hot tap. • Low glass windows and doors should be fitted with safety glass or protected with safety film. • Put covers over electrical plug sockets. • Cupboard latches should be fitted on cupboards whose contents are unsuitable for children. • Window catches prevent a child opening a window and climbing out or getting his fingers trapped. • Fridge locks may be a useful addition to stop toddlers from opening the fridge door and making a mess. • Cabinet slide locks, corner protectors, slam stoppers to stop doors slamming, video guards, toilet lid locks may all be purchased. • Fit safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs. • Remove any furniture under a window that a child can climb up. (Remember that children can climb once they can crawl). Everyday Safety • When working at the cooker, use the rear hobs and keep pan handles turned away from the edge. Be aware that oven doors can be very hot. • Hot water can scald up to 30 minutes after it has boiled. Place hot drinks out of a child’s reach. • Put the iron well away to cool down as soon as it is finished with and never leave the flex dangling from the ironing board. Even a cold iron is heavy. • Remove table cloths. Babies and toddlers will pull these and possibly tip hot food or drink over themselves. • Keep small objects away from babies hands to avoid the risk of choking. Educate Children Children should be taught from an early age about the dangers that lie within the familiar surroundings of home and how to avoid them. For instance, they should be taught to carry things carefully and never to run with anything in their mouths or while carrying a glass, scissors, or other pointed objects. If a child falls he can stab himself with something as simple as a pencil. They should also be taught to do potentially dangerous things properly so they are not a liability, such as learning how to use a sharp knife safely. Always supervise children while they are learning and store kitchen knives out of reach. Take care if you put knives in the dishwasher - put them points down. In case of an emergency keep a Nannyboard prominently displayed in your home. This is a notice board type emergency organiser designed to alert mothers and carers of children to be better prepared in the case of an emergency in the home. It highlights all the information you might have forgotton or information that you might have considered so obvious that it was not worth noting down. This might be less obvious to a childminder or grandparent, but could save valuable time in the event of an emergency. For further information contact: www.childalert.co.uk does not take responsibility or liability for any loss damage costs claim or expense arising as a result of relying on information contained on this web site. The advice given is based on recommendations from independent experts. |