PARENTHOOD.IE

As a parent you need to regularly evaluate your children’s safety in your home. As they grow and develop, new safety issues will arise and it’s important to keep on top of it. We guide you through the first steps towards child proofing your home and what to keep considering.

As consumers we are made feel unreasonable guilt for not buying the latest safety gadget that will save our baby or toddler from all kinds of horrors. With all the safety products on offer it is easy to forget that children survived homes that would be considered death traps today, probably your own childhood home included

Know yourself and know your baby

All children are natural explorers, we all are. You probably know what any specific object in any room in your house tastes like. Although you might not have licked your tabletop lately you probably get a good mental image of what wood tastes like. At one time you did try to understand your world by tasting it.

We survived our un-proofed childhood homes not only by luck, but because our mothers found ways to protect us that suited them and us. Not all children will climb and investigate every nook of the house. Many children will actually listen and refrain from doing what we repeatedly warned them about. The question is how much time, energy and patience you have to really make them understand what is dangerous.

You need to understand the level of commitment your child has to exploring, he might be easily distracted away from dangers or fully focused on investigating them, again and again.  Don’t overestimate yourself or your child, but don’t go crazy buying every safety gadget in the market. The most important thing when child proofing your home is to feel ease of mind, trust yourself and your instincts.

Your child’s world

The first thing to do when reviewing the safety issues of your home is to move around at your child’s level. If your baby is crawling, crawl, if she is walking go down on your knees. See the world from their perspective and take note of the things that are a safety issue. This is something you will have to repeat as your child develops and grows.

Most accidents will happen at the most stressful moments of the day or when you are tired, busy or distracted. If your home life is stressful and very busy, you might want to install more safety features. At the best of times we will still slip or are just not aware of some safety risks. You might think your cup of tea is cool enough not to be a risk after 15 minutes, but it can still scald a child. Their skin is up to fifteen times thinner and a good cup can hold a drink hot for longer than you think.

It is important to continuously teach your child about the dangers in your home. Don’t just safeguard with gadgets, take the time and explain why some areas are dangerous.  Knifes are sharp, fire is hot. Hold your child’s hand towards the fire and let him understand the heat. Cut something with a knife and let him see what side makes it sharp. Let him feel the sharp tip against a finger. You can help your child explore in a safe way and thereby helping him understand why those things or places are off limit. A baby on the other hand cannot learn from experience and might investigate the same thing that hurt him the day before.

The kitchen and tv-room

It might be impossible to close off your kitchen with gates, and putting latches on every drawer might seem insane. A good idea would be to assign a drawer or cupboard with things your child can safely rummage through, put in a mix of pots, pans, wooden spoons and toys. But if your child is an adamant explorer, bite the bullet and proof as much as you can.

It’s a good idea to store your plastic bags properly by making a knot in the middle of them or tying them together. Children love putting their heads in them for a peek-a-boo game, thereby risking being suffocated. Be consequent and don’t let them play with plastic bags just because you are present to supervise, they should not be used as a toy at any time. Beware of electrical cords or strings of any kind longer than seven inches, which put your child at risk of strangulation.

When your baby starts crawling or walking the main hazards will be sharp corners and balance supports. Consider all your pieces of furniture and especially decorative items like vases and lamps, particularly if they are placed over a long tablecloth.

Where possible secure furniture like bookshelves to the wall with safety brackets, and be aware that furniture with drawers easily can be turned into staircases. Don’t forget your electronics, like television and stereo, which can be pulled down or openings investigated by small hands.

Stairs and plants

Stairs are generally a hazard and gates at the top and bottom are to be recommended. You can also teach your child how to use the stairs, particularly if there are other children in the house that might be inclined to leave the gates open. Your baby could learn to go down the stairs by sitting and sliding from one step to the next and to always go up the stairs by holding on to the next step. A baby can easily crawl up a flight of stairs.

A bit of earth from a house plant will hardly harm your child, but find out if the plant itself might be a danger if ingested. Don’t forget things like pet’s food bowls and air fresheners. Something that always should be well protected from children’s hands are cleaning products, alcohol, poisons and medication. These are not things you use regularly and it’s easy to forget you even have them. The best option is to keep them under key.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms can be a problem, hopefully by the time they are potty trained they will understand not to play with taps, baths or sample products like shampoo and soap. Before potty training you could keep the door locked or install a door latch.

Water always holds a fascinating attraction to children. A child can drown in two inches of water, measure it up between your thumb and index finger and you will realise the danger a bathtub can be.

There is some controversy regarding bath seats. The main dilemma is that they give parents a false sense of security and drowning accidents have happened when children have been left alone in the bath or in care of older children. Bath seats or rings are not safety devices. On the other hand, if used rightly, they are a good support for children and a relief for your back. They are also ideal for parents with multiples; you can bath children at the same time.

The safety gadgets

Don’t trust blindly in your safety gadgets, children can often figure out how they work. A socket guard can easily be flicked out with a pen that then is used to investigate the little holes. Even safety gates are no match for a creative toddler, but sometimes the visual barrier is enough to remind them that the area is off limits.

Any safety advice will include the impossible demand that you never let your child out of you sight or never leave a child alone in a room. It is an ideal advice for and ideal world, and as parents we have all ignored that particular advice, often. However, it is a question of time and timing. How long? And was your child entertained when you left him? No mater what safety list you find and follow, any parent can assure you that no matter how well prepared you are, your child will find something that is a danger to him. The important point is that you feel that your safety precautions facilitate your family life and parenting.