1 / 12

How to Baby-Proof your Home

How to Baby-Proof your Home. Why Baby-Proof?. Safety is an important consideration for all parents and sadly large numbers of children are injured in the home every single year.

noma
Download Presentation

How to Baby-Proof your Home

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. How to Baby-Proof your Home

  2. Why Baby-Proof? Safety is an important consideration for all parents and sadly large numbers of children are injured in the home every single year. The good news is that there are measures you can take to help to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries and this process should start when your baby becomes mobile. Here are some tips for you to follow:

  3. Baby-proof the Stairs Stairs are an attractive proposition for a crawling baby and it seems few can resist the challenge of climbing up them. Whilst this is all part of learning, stairs represent a real danger to an unaccompanied crawling baby or toddler and you should seek to fit safety gates as soon as your baby becomes mobile. Look to install safety gates at both the top and bottom of your stairs; Lindam recommend fitting screw fix gates at the top of the stairs because they offer additional strength and safety, whilst also not having a bottom support rail which can present a trip hazard.

  4. Baby-proof the Doorways Whilst you will want to offer your baby the freedom to crawl and explore there are certain rooms that should be off-limits including the kitchen and bathroom. To keep your baby out of these rooms you should again consider fitting safety gates. Pressure fit safety gates are a popular choice for doorways as they require no drilling (therefore leaving no marks in or on the doorframe). Teach your baby from a young age that doors can trap fingers – do not allow them to slam doors or play in close proximity to them. Where possible fit door stoppers so that the door cannot slam shut.

  5. Baby-proof the Kitchen There are lots of hazards in the kitchen; many which are obvious and some which are less so. Keep your baby / toddler away from the oven and teach them that this area is hot. When possible always use the back rings of the hob and never allow your pan handles to point out over the floor- they are really attractive to children who may try to reach up and grab them.

  6. Baby-proof the Kitchen Cupboards containing hazardous products such as bleach and other cleaning fluids should have a cupboard safety latch installed on them so that little fingers cannot gain easy access. Always remember to close cupboard doors behind you and where possible store these hazardous materials in high cupboards and ensure you lock the caps in the closed position.

  7. Baby-proof the Kitchen Do not allow your baby / toddler to be unsupervised in the kitchen. To help prevent them straying into the kitchen without your knowledge install safety gates and keep them locked in the closed position. To keep your baby safe whilst you are in the kitchen you may want to consider using a play pen. Your baby can then play safely and in your full line of sight whilst you are cooking.

  8. Baby-proof the Bathroom Did you know that children can drown in as little as 1 inch of water? With this in mind never leave your baby/toddler unsupervised in the bathroom when you are running a bath. Much like the kitchen, the typical bathroom is home to many poisonous materials and liquids (again, think bleach, cleaning fluids, shampoo etc) so keep everything in a locked cupboard (install cupboard latches if your cupboard does not have a lock) and ideally high up and out of reach.

  9. Baby-proof the Bathroom The toilet is another great attraction to a child and many parents will admit to having found toys, valuables, pencils etc in the toilet at some point in their child’s life. You can prevent the risk of this happening in your home by fitting a toilet lid lock. Always check the temperature of the bath before placing your baby / toddler into the water using a thermometer. A baby can scald in just 3 seconds when placed in water with a temperature of 60 degrees C. Run the cold water first, then top the bath up with hot water.

  10. Baby-proof the Living Room Whilst your living room may be the hub of your home it can also be a room with lots of hidden dangers. Have a look at your coffee table? Does it have sharp corner edges that are at the perfect height to hurt your child’s eyes, face or body if he were to fall? One option would be to remove the table from the room altogether, but if this is not possible you should consider fitting corner cushions to each corner. Bookcases and display cabinets are another potential problem area, as toddlers love to explore what’s on their shelves. Is your bookshelf or cabinet secure, or could it be pulled over by your child, posing a topple risk?

  11. Baby-proof the Living Room The fireplace is an obvious danger area, so much like with the oven do not allow your child to get close to the fire. Teach them that this area is hot and install a Fire Guard as soon as your baby starts to move around (or before). Wires and plug sockets are another big hazard in the living room. Make sure all wires are neat and tidy (avoiding the risk of trips and falls) and use socket covers on all empty plug sockets so your child cannot push anything inside.

  12. Find Out More... To find out more about Lindam and our range of home safety accessories please visit our website today, by clicking on our logo.

More Related