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Babyproof your Home

Babies and young children bring joy into any home, but their safety is also paramount.  If you have a baby or a young child in your home, there are some measures that you will need to take to ensure their safety.  We’ve put together our best tips on how to completely babyproof your home.

Babyproofing Tip #1 – Lock Dangerous Substances Away

Children are notorious for their curiosity.  For this reason, it is important that any potentially dangerous substances such as cleaning products, medications, alcohol, paint, fuels, fertilisers, and pesticides are kept in a high cupboard that is out of reach of children.

Babyproofing Tip #2 – Move Houseplants

Houseplants may look innocent but some can cause nasty reactions in small children or babies.  Ensure that your child cannot reach your indoor plants, and be sure that you know what they are in the case of your child ever accidentally ingesting one.

Babyproofing Tip #3 – Electrical Safety

Electrical safety is paramount in any home.  Ensure that every power point in your home is covered with a child-resistant outlet cover.  It is also an excellent idea to have safety switches installed so that the power is switched off in the case of a power surge or an appliance getting wet.  Speaking of appliances, ensure that the cords are kept as short as possible, so that children cannot pull on the appliances, possibly causing themselves injury.  The same applies to audio-visual equipment.

Babyproofing Tip #4 – Hot Water Safety

Small children are easily burnt so it is vital to ensure that the hot water is set to a safe level.  The hot water system should be set to no hotter than 50 degrees Celsius.  It is also prudent to fit your tapware with anti-scald devices.

Babyproofing Tip #5 – Heater Safety

In winter, it is very likely that you will have a heater of some sort operating.  No matter what type of heater it is, place a screened barrier around it so that your child or baby is not able to get close enough to it to harm themselves.

Babyproofing Tip #6 – Water Safety

Pool fencing is a legal requirement in every Australian home with an outdoor pool or spa.  Ensure that the latch on the gate is not able to be reached by a young child and consider fitting the entry and exit areas with an alarm of some sort so that you can hear when someone is entering or leaving the pool area.  Children should also be continually supervised in the bathtub and around any container of liquid, as it only takes the smallest depth to create the possibility of drowning.

Babyproofing Tip #7 – Staircase Safety

Even the smallest staircase can be enough to cause injury to a small child if they were to fall down them, so all staircases with two steps or more should be fitted with a safety gate at both the bottom and the top of the staircase.  Ensure that the gates are mounted to some structural part of the home as a pressure-mounted gate may not always be strong enough.

Babyproofing Tip #8 – Furniture Safety

Babies and small children are clumsy, especially when learning to crawl or walk.  For this reason, sharp edges of furniture need to be padded to avoid cuts or bruises.  Also be sure to check the stability of large pieces of furniture such as entertainment units and bookcases.  Children should not be able to pull these over on themselves if they are hanging onto or climbing up them.  If there is any doubt as to the stability of these furniture items, secure them to the wall.

Babyproofing Tip #9 – Safety Latches and Locks

Using safety latches and locks in areas such as the kitchen and the bathroom can ensure that children will not be open cupboards or drawers that you do not wish them to.  The best latches and locks are those that adults are able to use easily but are difficult for children to understand, and also strong enough to withstand children pulling on them.

Babyproofing Tip #10 – Door Stops and Door Holders

Small children will often try to use the edge of a door to pull themselves up and this can often result in the door shutting on the child’s fingers or hands.  Using door stops or door holders can help to prevent this.

Babyproofing Tip #11 – Window Safety

Window guards can be a good way to ensure that a child cannot accidentally fall out of a window.  However, if you are using guards, ensure that the spacing between the bars is no more than four inches in order to prevent small heads getting stuck.  It is also a good idea to cut any cords to window coverings and use safety tassels or inner cord stops.  This will stop the chance of children strangling themselves in cord loops.  Make sure that the cords are under tension and are not flapping loosely.

Babyproofing Tip #12 – Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

These should be installed in every home, near the kitchen and the bedrooms to alert you in the case of fire, or dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide.  These detectors should be checked monthly to ensure that they are working correctly.

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