Safety First: 5 Tips For Childproofing Your Home

Your children are the most important part of your life, and keeping them as safe as possible is a constant in any parents’ day-to-day routine. Your house is the place thought to be the safest for your precious bundles, but in fact, homes can be filled with more potential hazards than the outdoors. And a big part of this is due to people often letting their guard down in their own environment. Below are five solutions to consider when childproofing your home.

Be Materialistic

The material selection of a piece of furniture is important, but is probably not the first thing you think of when childproofing your home. Try to incorporate furniture and wooden toys made from a durable material, such as the rubberwood cots and change tables. Durability should be standard when it comes to kids, so don’t forget this when furniture hunting. Check out sites like Super A-Mart for ideas on the types of fabrics available.

Security Test for Falls

Kids love to tug, test and grab at anything they can get their hands on. Drawers are a big one, so make sure to secure the ones in reach with childproof locking mechanisms. Doing this to your fridge is not a bad idea either. Also make sure all large and bulky furniture is secure. A bookcase may look sturdy, but in reality it may only need a few nudges to send it toppling.

Guard the Hazards

All corners are hazards to the walking/crawling/rolling child. It’s a pretty big feat to cover them all, so stick with the most likely obstacles such as coffee tables, chairs and lounges. Install features such as a fireguard for heaters and bright stickers on glass doors to avoid run-ins. Cover all electrical sockets not in use, tuck away cords and even think about an anti-scald mechanism on your taps to control the hot water temperature.

Avoid Substance Abuse

Homes are notorious for chemicals and substances that can be dangerous for kids. Cleaning products should not only be properly secured in cupboards or drawers, but should ideally not be at ground level. Move them out from under the sink, even if this means adding some temporary shelving to walls above benches while your children are young.

Deter the Great Escape

Also make sure spaces in the house with multiple dangers and escape routes are closed off. All windows and doors should have working locks on them, and if one is open, have a secure screen on it that the child can’t push out, and a stranger can’t push in. Strategically positioning furniture away from these areas is also a great idea, as your tiny humans may be small, but will often have big ideas when it comes to climbing.

It is near impossible to have every inch of your home protected for possible dangers to your children, and even if you do, new hazards can sprout up daily. The best approach you can take? Drop down to their level. Get on your hands, knees and tummy and get moving! Look at everything from your child’s perspective and you may come across points of interest you never would have picked up on before.

What’s the best childproofing technique you’ve employed in your home? Share your ideas below.