The home becomes a place of adventure as babies start to crawl, with different areas for them to explore. Although we might think of our home as a fairly safe place, for young children there are dangers at every corner be it sharp edges, hot surfaces or toxic chemicals. Cuts, grazes, burns and poisoning are the most common illnesses children visit hospital with each year, approximately one million per annum. To prevent accidents from happening; parents are charged with making their homes safe for children. Follow the tips below to create a safe haven for your toddler to crawl, waddle and walk around.
Babies and toddlers are keen explorers and they like to discover every part of their home by crawling through the different rooms. This means that young children use doorways several times a day. Door edge protectors will not only protect the door from everyday damage, but will also eliminate the possibility for your child to be grazed or cut by splinters and sharp corners. You can also fix a door stop onto the doors so that little fingers and toes can’t get trapped in them.
As mentioned above; burns are a common injury that many children experience. The bedroom and kitchen are the most common places that burns occur. The oven is a burner, so keep your child away from the oven door and only use the back rings on the hob so that they cannot reach them. Hair straightening appliances should be kept out of the reach of children until they have cooled down completely. Remember also to keep naked flames out of children’s reach and use a fire guard.
The mouth is what children use most to explore new things. This is a problem in the home as there are things left lying about that a child may put in their mouth, what they find under the sofa or in bottles. Bottles, medicines and small objects should be kept out of reach and stored away in cupboards with child proof locks. Poisoning can be fatal to children, with even small amounts of relatively mild substances affecting them more than you might think.
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