Having a baby comes with a whole new way of looking at the world. Suddenly, you see the dangers present in every day items like electrical sockets, unsecured cabinets and gas cookers. But if your mini-me is set on exploring your home, North Shore Mum Jessica Collins from BabySafe Products has advice about safety measures you can implement to protect them.
This week, we focus on some ways to childproof your hallway, study and backyard. Whilst these areas may not be the most used of the home, they are just as important to consider when making your home safer for your children.
Hallway
Hallways provide the gateway to unsafe areas, such as stairs, kitchens, or out-of-bounds rooms. Baby gates are the best option for closing off the hallway. You can find pressure-mounted (so no holes in walls) or hardware-mounted (screws into walls), and a range of metal, wood or mesh finishes.
- Furniture: Bookcases seem a fun toy to climb for toddlers, but are in danger of toppling over. Anchor them down with furniture anchors, and keep any cupboards closed with easy-to-install latches
- Electrical sources: Close off electrical power points from foreign objects using safety outlet plugs. They are cheap, easy to find and provide piece of mind. Night lights plugged into the hallway socket are also a handy way to light the path to the bathroom using a softer, energy efficient light, saving middle-of-the-night scares and injuries
- Windows: Prevent choking hazards from blind cords by tying them to blind cord wraps (easily found in shops and online). Window restrictors also keep fresh air coming in, but keep your toddler from climbing out
- Doors: Keep your child from running through the hallway, or slamming fingers in doors, with doorstoppers, stop slams, or baby gates
Study
The main areas of concern in study rooms are the electrical sources and hard, heavy furniture. Ensure all electrical sources are accounted for, including:
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Securing live pins and sockets found in extension cord connections, using cord clamps. They provide a hard casing that clips around the extension cord connection, preventing the appliance from being unplugged
- Use electrical cord shorteners to wind up unnecessary cord length – this will prevent trips and the temptation to pull on them!
- If you need a creative solution to protecting your equipment, you may find a DVD & Multimedia Shield helps
- This will help prevent little fingers and foreign objects from going into your expensive gear
Follow the hallway guidelines to secure your heavy furniture to the walls. You may also need:
- Locks and latches to keep young children out of your cupboards.
- Foam edge bumpers or corner cushions to make the edges of your furniture softer.
The easiest way is to keep the study out-of-bounds using door knob covers – they make it difficult for children to turn the door handle.
Backyard
Supervision is the best (and cheapest!) safety solution for the outdoors, but there are some precautions you can take to keep your child safer.
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Outdoor baby gates are available to close off stairs or keep dogs away from your playing child
- Ensure no buckets or pet water bowls are unnecessarily left with water in them, as they can be a drowning hazard for young babies
- Sliding door safety decals can prevent your child running into glass doors. They are easily removed, and placed higher on the glass door as your children grow
- You can also find sliding door locks to prevent your children from going outside when you aren’t ready for them to do so
- Ensure all tools and garden chemicals are stowed away saely, out of reach, and locked up
- Loose bricks in pavements can be a tripping hazard and can cause serious damage – especially knocking out precious milk teeth!
For more information on baby-proofing, go to www.babysafe.com.au or this Facebook page.
Have you ever come up with a creative solution to protect your baby or toddler in the home?
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