Although any house cannot be 100% child safe there are some simple precautions parents can take to reduce the risk of accident or injury of your children within the home. Here we look at some of the key dangers present within the kitchen and stairs areas of your home and what steps you can take to minimise the risks.
Stairs
One of the most common accidents in the home is young children falling downstairs. You can actively take steps to ensure that there are no loose floor coverings or trailing wires at the top of your stairs from which your child may trip and fall. If your staircase has stair spindles make sure that the gap between each spindle is no more than four inches. Childrens head can easily become stuck within gaps any bigger than this, therefore, if your spindles are wider than 4 inches take steps to protect these hazardous openings.
Make sure you have sufficient lighting over your stairs to prevent tripping on small objects which will remain unseen if there is insufficient light to illuminate your path. If your stairs lead to your front door ensure that it is secure and your child cannot reach the lock. If you have a low-lying lock mechanism which a child can reach, make sure it is locked with the key removed whilst at the same time ensuring the key is close by the door (yet out of reach) in case of any emergencies.
Kitchen
Without doubt one of the most potentially hazardous areas in the house to young children is the kitchen. Scalds, Burns and poisoning from cleaning products are the most common accidents to occur within our kitchens. To prevent unannounced access by your child into the kitchen area ensure you have a safety gate fitted to prevent your child entering without your knowledge. Ensure that knives and any other sharp objects are not within a child's reach and fit child safety catches to all floor level cupboards, drawers and fridges. To avoid burns and scalds, wherever possible cook on the rear burners of your oven or hob also ensuring that the panhandles are facing away from reach. Make sure that any household cleaning agents are secure in a cupboard where your child or toddler cannot reach and also ensure that tops of bottles are all correctly screwed on.
Taking just these few simple steps can help secure your home from danger thereby protecting the safety of you and your children from harm.
