Protect Your Infant: 10 Ways to Promote Child Safety at Home

It is important to keep your home safe for you and your children to prevent accidents. Homes are unique, and for this reason, you should look for safety measures that are going to work for you and your family. It is the responsibility of the parents to introduce the little ones to safety precautions from an early age. 

Here are our top 10 ways to promote child safety at home.

Baby Proofing and Child Proofing

1. Plug Protectors
   While plug socket covers may seem like a simple solution to keep young children away from electrical outlets, they can actually be dangerous. Using covers could actually increase the risk of an electric shock. The live terminal is still live even if the earth pin is not inserted. Socket covers can damage the socket and defeat the safety design of the plug socket.
2. Keep all rooms free from choking hazards
   Babies and toddlers are known for constantly putting things in their mouths, so it’s important for parents to recognise the choking hazards in their home. Things such as nuts, small toys, hard sweets, coins, etc., should be kept out of the way of young children.
3. Don’t put a heavy lid on a toy box
   Every child is in and out of their toy box multiple times a day, so you don’t want a big heavy lid that they will be trying to pick up and lift repeatedly, as there’s a risk of trapping fingers or the lid falling on them. It might be an idea to store toys on an (anchored) open shelf or a soft basket.
4. Heavy furniture attached with wall straps
   Heavy furniture, such as bookcases, dressing tables, TVs, drawers and wardrobes, come with a risk of falling. If this furniture falls near your child, it could lead to bruising, fractures, sprains, breaks and other injuries. Use L-brackets or safety straps to secure your furniture.
5. Secure all kitchen cupboards shut
   Babies and toddlers are naturally curious and love to explore their surroundings. These surroundings include cabinets, drawers, and other storage areas. These areas can contain dangerous items, such as sharp objects and cleaning chemicals that can cause injury or illness if ingested. Installing child proof locks to your cupboards will stop your child from opening them.

Creating Positive Rules

1. Keeping certain doors locked/closed
   Closing and locking the door after yourself should be your number one safety measure to introduce at your home. This will not only ensure that intruders cannot access your house but also ensure the younger kids cannot find their way out. Keeping the door closed will give you the confidence that your children are well protected inside. Also, teaching your children to close the doors and keep them locked from an early age will mean it will become second nature to them throughout their lives.
2. No jumping on furniture
   Jumping on the bed and sofa can be a fun and exciting activity for children, but it is also hazardous. Furniture is not designed to be jumped on, and the structural failure can lead to your child falling, hurting themselves or bumping their head. Teaching your children not to jump and mess around on the furniture will prevent needless accidents from happening.
3. Emergency contact information
   It’s important to teach your children who to contact in case of an emergency. This isn’t only beneficial to your child but to the entire family. Sometimes, as a parent, there will be times when an emergency occurs, and you cannot call for help. So, teaching your child how to use a phone and ring the emergency services, along with any basic information they may need to relay, is really beneficial.
4. No playing near the road
   You may be tempted to think that roads in your neighbourhood are safe, but they’re not. There is always a motorist who is in a rush and may not even consider that children might be playing near the roads. Trust your instincts always teach your children not to play on roads, and ensure they learn to play in their garden.
5. Teaching children to stay away from hazardous projects
   This is a safety measure that you need to enforce and follows on from securing different cupboards in your home. When your children are old enough to distinguish what is dangerous and not, teach them the products they are not expected to handle by themselves. (E.G. Cleaning products and medicines)

Your child’s safety needs will change as they grow up. As a rule, babies need protection from safety hazards, toddlers and pre-schoolers need supervision, and school-aged kids need help learning how to stay safe. Use every opportunity to promote child safety at home.