Posted on June 26th, 2020
Your home, as it is, may not be ready for children. Even though it’s safe for adults, many things at home can pose potential threats to children. However, figuring out the potential risks is not difficult at all and this allows you to either prevent your children from falling into the trap or remove these risks altogether.
It’s worth noting that even if you do eliminate all possible risks from your home and make it childproof, children will still have falls, they will stumble, and they will get into trouble. Supervision is one of the best ways to keep your child safe, but making your home safe as well is also necessary for your peace of mind.
As your child gets older and grows, they will acquire new skills; they will learn how to walk, run, climb, open things, access spaces, and more. This is why it’s so important to be aware of the possible hazards in every room in your home. Today we will look at the most common hazards and what you can do to take care of them so your home is a perfectly safe space for your children!
How to Prevent Falls
Falls are the most common causes of injury for any age group, but especially for children since they can be so curious and restless. As a parent, you must be aware of your child’s skills as they learn and grow, so you can adjust your home accordingly at every stage of development.
For example, when your child is at a rollover stage, you don’t want to leave them unattended on sofas, beds, changing tables, or other surfaces. When they’re in the crawling stage, you will want to install safety guards on all stairs and balconies. Also, make sure to supervise your child as they crawl through the home. When they start climbing, you want to keep your windows locked and make sure they can’t unlock them, especially upper-level windows.
If your children are old enough to go to the bathroom by themselves in the middle of the night, it’s a good idea to leave the hall light on or install sensor lights so they don’t trip as they walk sleepily to the bathroom. Sometimes falls can be a result of clutter building up and basic housekeeping can help to avoid children tripping.
How to Prevent Burns and Scalds
Children must always be kept away from hot surfaces and fires, so make sure you keep an eye on them around working stoves, ovens, heaters, microwaves, fireplaces, and other appliances. It’s also important that you’re careful with hot drinks when you’re around the kids. One area where these accidents can happen is in the kitchen so it’s important that kids stick to kitchen tasks suitable for their age.
And when it’s time for a bath, make sure the water is not too hot and don’t allow them to fiddle or play with the hot water tap while they’re in there. As a precaution, we recommend you find an illustrated guide for burns and scalds so you can use it as a reference in case of an emergency, and acquire basic knowledge about first aid for this type of injury.
How to Prevent Poisoning
This one may seem a bit far-fetched, but when you consider that poisoning is one of the most common causes of injury in children under 5 years old, you realize it’s important to understand this risk and prepare for it.
Common medicines and household chemicals are one of the most common reasons for poisoning among children. So, make your home safer by removing all potential poisons from your child’s reach, storing chemicals and medicines under lock and key and in high cupboards, and consider installing child-safety latches on the cupboards as well.
How to Prevent Suffocation and Strangulation
If you look around your home, you’ll notice many common items that could cause a child to suffocate or strangle themselves accidentally, including cords, ropes, bags, bedding, blinds, and more.
To keep your children safe, tie knots in plastic bags and keep all your plastic bags out of reach. Keep all cushions, stuffed toys, and piles of clothing out of prams and cots, and wrap your blind cords in cleats, which can be attached to your wall at least 1.5 meters above the ground. Also, make sure to keep all your cords arranged and safely out of the way so your children can’t access them.
How to Practice Water Safety at Home
When it comes to children, water safety comes down 100% to adult supervision. Every time your child is in or around water, stay vigilant and be with them at all times.
If you have a pool at home, it’s a great idea to have a fence around the pool or at least make sure your children don’t have easy access to it. And when it comes to bath time, don’t leave your children alone in there and don’t make other children supervise, no matter how old they are.
How to Practice Electrical Safety at Home
If you’re preparing your home for kids, it’s important that you call an electrician over and have them do a few things. For example, you should install safety switches that allow you to cut the power off completely in case of an emergency.
You also need to take care of any electrical repairs your home may require. Use covers for all power points so children can’t stick their fingers in them, replace all worn cables, and make sure the cables are always out of the way.
As you can see, there are a few things to worry about when you’re making your home safe for children. However, it’s not difficult to identify the things that may be an issue and it’s easy to reduce risks or eliminate them in most instances. Simply take your time and do your research so you can cover all bases.
Our intention today is not to make you paranoid about your children’s safety, but to help you enhance that safety. Not just for your peace of mind as a parent, but also for the well-being of your children!