subject: Building a Family Home – 10 Tips to Child-Proofing your Home [print this page] Remember being a child, when the whole world was a playground? Curiosity is a virtue in a young child, and it something you'll probably want to nurture as a healthy part of growing. But having your toddler discover the bottles under the sink is definitely not healthy. As adults, we often take for granted that certain things are not to be touched, pulled on or climbed up, but to a curious little one there is no sense of danger, only adventure. As soon as you move into your house, even before the removalists arrive with your belongings, you need to ensure your home is going to be safe. When it comes to childproofing your home you should leave no stone unturned, you children certainly won't. Here are 10 tips to get you started, and remember, every house is different so this is by no means a definitive list:
Safety latches and locks. Attach these to every drawer, cabinet and cupboard within reach of your child. This will keep dangerous items like chemicals and utensils out of little hands.
Safety gates. Keeping you child confined to one area should not mean looking him or her in their own little prison. Safety gates are easily installed to the frames of doorways and the tops of stairs. They can be stepped over or opened by adults, but will keep junior locked in.
Anti-scald devices. Water taps are difficult to police. but hot water can burn just as badly as a hot iron. Your hot water system may already have an anti-scald device installed, but if not talk to a plumber about your options. Anti-scald devices place an upper limit on the temperature of water from your hot-water system and can be regulated by you.
Window guards. If you've got low windows there's a chance that your child will open it to go exploring. This is especially a danger if you live any higher than ground level. Window guards are easily installed and will let the breeze through without letting baby fall out.
Corner-bumpers. Toddlers are remarkable at finding sharp corners with their heads, often at great speed. Corner bumpers are easily attached to coffee tables and shelves. The bump will still hurt, but the damage done will be far less.
Outlet covers. Power sockets are fascinating things to children and worthy of investigation. Protecting your child from electrocution, Outlet covers are small plastic devices easily inserted and removed from wall sockets.
Anchoring furniture. Part of exploring is climbing things, including bookshelves, televisions and tables. Screw or bolt your furniture to the wall or floor to avoid heavy objects tumbling over.
Place your furniture away from high windows. Tables, desks and even couches are all just ladders to a child. If it's unavoidable to have furniture under a window, install window guards.
Stove safety. Using the back burners on the stove and turning pot handles away from the edge will prevent little hands from pulling hot liquid down. Children should know that the stove is a hot place.
Keep utensils out of reach. The kitchen is a dangerous place. Regardless of how many locks and latches you have on drawers and cupboards, knives, forks and utensils that are sitting on the bench or in the dishes rack are are danger. Keep them well away from the edge, or put dishes away as soon as possible.
The world is simply a playground to a child; danger does not exist until it is experienced the hard way, and even then it might not fully sink in. You don't want to imprison a child in a bubble, and you certainly don't want to have to keep a constant eye on baby when you're busy. A child should be safe in his or her own home, and free to explore the world around them. A house need not go through a whole renovation to be suitable for children, but there are several little alterations all non-invasive and quite temporary that you will need to make to keep your child out of harm's way until they know for themselves what is a danger.
Building a Family Home 10 Tips to Child-Proofing your Home
