Once your baby starts to crawl, she will be everywhere!! Look at the list below and determine how safe your home is for your little one and how you can add to the safety features yourself.
Kitchen
- Use the rear hot plates for cooking
- Turn handles of saucepans away from the front of the cooker
- Use socket covers
- Keep a fire extinguisher handy
- Invest in a smoke alarm
- Invest in a hob guard
- Keep the cord of all electrical appliances small and out of the baby's reach
- Store all polythene bags, plastic wraps and sharp objects away from your baby's reach
- Ensure that she can't reach your waste bin or the cupboard where you keep bleaches and other household chemicals
- Don't let her touch the oven door when it is in use and is hot
- Wipe any spills from the floor (if uncarpeted) immediately to prevent the danger of slipping
- Place hot drinks and food at the back of the kitchen surface
Room
- Ensure that the windows in the room cannot be opened to their maximum. Fix catches on the windows, if necessary
- All furniture (especially that in the baby's room) should have round edges. For furniture that doesn't have round edges, use corner cushions (available in stores)
- Always change nappies on the floor
- Cover hot radiators with toys
- Always use a fireguard if you have a fireplace
- Cover glass doors with stickers to make sure they are visible
- Use safety film for glass furniture
- Use video guard to prevent your baby from poking fingers into it
- Use socket covers
- Anti-slam doorstops may prevent little hands and feet from getting stuck in between doors
- Use a soft night light
Bathroom
- Never leave a child unattended in the bath, even if it to answer the phone. Young children can even drown in very little water
- Always use a non-slip bath mat
- Before placing your child in the bath, ensure that the temperature is right for your baby (you can test with your elbow)
- Always run cold water first and then run hot water as required
- Put all cosmetics, razors, medicines and bathroom cleaning stuff away from your child's reach
- Cover hot radiators with towels
Stairs
- Fix safety gates at the top and the bottom of the stairs
- Ensure that the rails are not too wide for the baby to slip through or not to narrow to get his head stuck
Cot
- Use flame resistant bedding
- Set the cot mattress to its lowest position before your child can stand himself up
- Cut the strings on the cot bumper (if using one) short. It is not advisable to use cot bumpers for babies under one year
- The gap between the mattress and the cot should not be more than 4 cms
- Place the cot away from windows and radiators
- Don't use pillows for children under one year
- Only put small toys in the cot. Larger ones could be (mis)used for climbing out!
- Ensure that the cot you buy conforms to the legal safety standard
