As a parent, nothing is, -or should be- more important than the safety and health of your children, be they a newborn infant, teenager or married and with children of their own. The safety of young children, particularly in the home, remains to be one of the most important and necessary parts of the life of both child and parents, and all precautions must be taken, in order to ensure the wellbeing of the child. Children are often unpredictable and can find potentially hazardous items in the most unsuspecting places. Whilst most parents do perform a thorough sweep of the home, making it as childproof as possible, there is much room for error and forgetfulness, and such a mistake should never result in the harming of your child.

Around the house

Whilst it may appear obvious, parents often forget small details around the household that can affect the safety of their children. It is often the smaller items left around tables, such as knives, poisonous cleaning products, glasses or hot drinks that can cause serious injury to your child, hence the importance of keeping all such items in locked drawers and cupboards. No dangerous implements should ever be left lying about, and it is best to replace your items such as table cloths with placemats and plastic coverings, to avoid your child pulling any objects down. Make sure that no hot drinks or food ever placed within a child’s reach, and that all heaters or fireplaces have protective guards.

Children have small and curious fingers, which tend to end up in places they shouldn’t be, such as in between drawers and cupboard doors. All cabinets, TV’s and chests of drawers should be securely attached to walls, locked and cannot be pulled onto a child, and all sharp furniture corners should be covered with foam door stops and corner cushions, to avoid injury.

It is important to also make sure that all doors and windows are securely locked to avoid harm, as well as security, and place stickers on any glass doors so that it may be seen without trouble. Children crawl around the house and their fingers often find objects to stick into so many places, including into electric sockets. Make sure that safety switches have been installed, and block all power points with outlet covers. Smoke alarms and fire blankets should always be present, and should be checked regularly, to make sure they are always in perfect working condition.

Whilst animals are a great addition to any family, and are wonderful to have around, they can nevertheless be hazardous for children, no matter how well trained they are. You should never leave children alone with animals, as they tend to find ways of irritating animals that are quick to retaliate, by pulling their hair, making noise, kicking etc. Always make sure that you are present if your child is playing with animals, in order to keep them in a safe, clean environment at all times.

In the bathroom

The bathroom is an obvious place for injury to occur. With so many adults hurting themselves on any number of items in a bathroom, it only follows naturally that a child is far more susceptible to harm and further protection needs to be arranged. There is never a substitute for adult supervision, to assure that your child will be safe in the bathroom and laundry. This includes the supervision of older siblings, as it is likely that they wouldn’t know what to do, were a situation to arise. It would be nothing short of irresponsible, bad parenting, to leave a child alone in the bath, or in the bathroom at all fatal accidents are more common than most of us like to believe, and all measures should be taken to avoid problems.

As unfortunate as it is, fatal accidents can occur in the bathroom, and there are countless ways in which this can happen. Make sure that you have removed and locked away all unsafe items, such as cleaning chemicals (poisons), razors, medicine, hairdryers etc into secure cabinets and other out of reach places. Hair straighteners can cause serious burns as well, and all electrical items should be kept far away from water. When running a bath, never make it hotter than 50 degrees Celsius, to avoid burns or other injury. Children are always curious about the contents of objects around them, so make sure to always place a lock on your toilet, and ensure that you have a properly fitting lid on your nappy bucket, and store it out of reach.

In the Bedroom & Nursery

The nursery needs the most attention, as it is the only place in which your child will remain unsupervised for a longer period of time. Whilst baby monitors help you to hear your child, you cannot see them, and must therefore be very careful in preparing the room. To avoid suffocation and strangulation, situate the cot away from windows, and arrange blankets carefully and move all long, dangling cords from mobiles, lamps etc. The change table must have sturdy sides to avoid chance of your child falling, and again ensure that your nappy bucket has a properly fitting lid, and is away from the inquisitive hands of your young ones.

Also take note that it is not just your children’s bedroom that must be secured, but your own. Small items like medicine, tablets, handbags, briefcases, jewellery and more can all cause serious harm to your child, and should all be moved into unreachable areas. Make sure that you never leave small or sharp objects on the floor or around the bed, and keep such items locked away.

Garden

Children often love exploring gardens, and it is often here that they find not only new and interesting things about the world, but cuts, bruises and other nasty surprises. Never leave your child unattended in the garden. It is essential if you have a pool, garage, or shed, that they are surrounded by gates and fences with secure locks, and that all furniture or low branches on trees that could be used for climbing are removed.

Make sure that no poisonous plants are in your garden, which can cause infection or irritation to not only yourself or your children, but other families and children. No matter how pretty a plant may be, the sap or flowers can be highly poisonous. and that all chemicals and tools used for cleaning either garden or pool are locked away to avoid any injury. Make sure that any external power outlets have been installed and earth by a registered electrician, and that they have been manufactured specifically for outside use.