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Baby-proof your home
Rebekah Kendal
Posted Fri, 04 Jan 2008
Your home is pretty safe — right? You don't have a gun or an ancient sword collection, you have panic buttons in most rooms and you even have a fire-extinguisher fastened securely to your kitchen wall.
But do you have a baby or toddler? Because kids bring with them a whole new set of super safety requirements. Accidents lurk behind bookshelves, an open plug socket is electrocution waiting to happen, the cleaning cupboard harbours all sorts of poisons and between the bathroom and the swimming pool, death by drowning is almost inevitable.
Okay, okay, so perhaps I'm being a little facetious, but you can't take your child's safety too seriously. So — without becoming boy-in-a-bubble paranoid — here are a few tips to get you on your way to ensuring that your home provides a safe environment in which your child can begin to discover the world.
A good place to start is, quite literally, at your child's level. Get down on your hands and knees and view the world from your child's perspective. This will help you notice potential dangers which you would otherwise have overlooked.
Sweat the small stuff
Babies and toddlers explore the world through their mouths. Anything and everything will find its way into your child's mouth. And some of these objects will be dangerous.
Sure, the most obvious of these are sharp objects such as knives or scissors, but small objects also present a very real threat as your child can easily choke on them.
On the whole, a baby-proof home also means a tidy home — make sure that you don't have any small objects (coins, marbles, balloons, nuts, grapes, buttons, pen caps, pet food, matches) lying around your home. You should also check your child's toys to make sure that any small parts — eyes, wheels and buttons — are securely attached.
Household poisons
Toddlers are like roving receptacles for poisonous substances. They won't discriminate between Oros and Handy Andy, which is why storing your detergents under the kitchen sink is perhaps not such a good idea.
All potentially poisonous substances should be stored in a locked cupboard or one which is out of the infant's reach. Poisonous substances include all household detergents and washing agents, medicines, alcohol, bug sprays, lighter fluid, turpentine, paint and garden sprays.
Keep all potentially dangerous substances in their original containers with labels containing safety information and post the number for your local poisons centre next to your phone. The number for the national South African Poisons Centre is 0800 333 444.
Some household plants may also be poisonous. Place all household plants out of your child's reach and make sure that you know which plants you have and whether or not they are poisonous.
Shocking discoveries
Some discoveries are good, some are bad. Plug sockets fall into the latter category. Fit all of your plug sockets with child-resistant plastic covers. Make sure that all electrical cords are out of your child's reach, tied up or taped to the wall/floor. If you use electronic devices (hairdryers, razors, straightening irons), make sure that you unplug them when you are finished and place them out of your child's reach.
To avoid nasty burns, put a screen in front of the fireplace or any electric/gas heaters. These items can be particularly confusing to children as they are unpredictable (cold when off).
The kitchen is a potentially hazardous place for children. Aside from poisonous substances and sharp utensils (which should be kept in a drawer out of the child's reach), there is also the danger of boiling water, hot ovens and stoves.
Preferably get a wireless kettle and make sure that your child can't reach up and grab any of the pots on the stove. If your child can reach the oven handle, it may be necessary to get a screen for your oven too.
Water woes
Along with burns, drowning is one of the most likely causes of accidental infant and child death. The seemingly innocuous bathroom is a potentially dangerous place for a crawling baby or toddler.
It goes without saying that an infant should never be left unsupervised in the bath. However, there are other concerns in the bathroom. Fit the bathtub with a non-slip mat and make sure that the toilet lid is down at all times. You can even install a child proof lid-lock. This will help to ensure that the lid does not fall on your child's fingers or head.
The hot water tap poses a scalding threat. As soon as your child is strong enough to turn the tap, you may want to consider lowering the temperature of your thermostat to 50° Celsius.
Pools should be fitted with safety nets and enclosed with a self-closing/locking safety gate. It is also a good idea to fit your door leading to the garden/pool area with an exit alarm so that you are alerted when the door is opened.
Hazardous furniture
As babies learn to walk, they pull themselves up and support themselves by holding onto furniture. It is important, therefore, to make sure that all of your furniture (bookshelves, TV cabinets, etc) is firmly attached to the wall or floor and is not in danger of falling onto your child. Drawers should have stops so that your child can't pull the drawer out on top of him/herself.
Make sure that all your carpets are properly tacked down and, if you have rugs consider getting some non-skid backing. Staircases come with the built-in threat of injury and should be fitted with child-safety gates. Hanging cords (such as those from curtains or lamps) are also potentially hazardous (accidental strangulation) and should be wound up out of the child's reach or taped to the wall.
Consider the positioning of your furniture — if your child climbs onto the furniture, what are the dangers? Can they reach a window or items which were previously beyond their reach? Sharp edges on furniture such as coffee tables can also injure a tottering toddler, so soften them with sponge or padding.
Obviously, your entire house need not be baby-proof. If you would like to retain some 'adult rooms', just make sure that they are locked at all times and that your child doesn't have access to them.
Although baby-proofing your house may seem a little tiresome, it will save you worry and nagging ('don't touch/hold/eat that') in the future and might even save your child's life.
And because you can't possibly have everything covered all the time, it is a good idea to have a list of emergency numbers posted on your fridge or next the phone... just in case.
