Childproofing Your Home: What You Need to Know

I am lucky enough to have guest blogger Danielle Birch with me today. She gives some great tips on how to childproof your home.

 ...

As a parent, every day you face worries about your child. From the moment they wake up to the moment they go to sleep, you run around after them whilst juggling a million other tasks. This is why it is obviously important to childproof your home. Once you take these preventative actions, it’s one less thing to tick off an ever-growing list of things to do to make sure your child is safe. A great way to make sure you cover all areas is to get down to the level of your child and see what they can see. It will help you spot less obvious areas; keep in mind that children are curious creatures!

Electrical appliances

One of the first areas parents usually look at is plug sockets. This is a given, as children can usually reach these even when they are just crawling so it’s best to get them covered as soon as possible. But there are other electrical appliances that need attention. The wires to your television and any other accessories you have, such as games consoles, need to be hidden away. You’d be amazed at how little it takes for a big television to be pulled down. It’s not just the danger of the objects falling down; the wires themselves pose a hazard. It wouldn’t take long for a curious child to get tangled in the wires, all it takes is a couple of seconds when your back is turned and they could be in serious danger – so all wires must be hidden away.

Doors

We all know that safety gates are extremely important, especially when it comes to stair ways. However, as an extra measure, it’s also a good idea to modify your door hinges. As your child starts to toddle around, they love to copy what other people are doing. So when your rushing through doorways, there’s a good chance your little one will follow. Without modifications, there’s every chance the door will slam on your child’s fingers if they can’t keep up. You can get special hinges which make sure the doors close slowly, making it almost impossible for your child to injure their fingers and toes!

Blinds

When it comes to window blinds, you should check every room in your house to make sure they are safe for children. Blind cords are very hazardous to children, and should be avoided at all costs. Not only are they a choking hazard, but it’s too easy for a child to get caught in those loops. Although you can get hooks to go on your wall to loop the cords round, there are better and safer blinds out there which are a lot less dangerous for your children. Roller blinds are a great option, they don’t have the long loops like vertical blinds do and are great at keeping the light out – essential when we have light evenings and the children can’t get to sleep!

Of course the list could go on when it comes to childproofing, these are just a few of the areas you need to cover. But it’s important not to let it stress you out and not to worry over the slightest scrape your child might get into – accidents will happen. As long as the biggest hazards are sorted, you can relax and know that your whole family can enjoy your home.