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Baby-proofing your home

It’s not until the age of four or five that children start to understand the concept of danger and to remember the warnings you give them. This makes the toddling stage especially hazardous.

During this time your baby is starting to become increasingly independent, and to actively discover more and more about the world. So it’s important to have a home and garden where your baby can be as safe as possible while she’s busy making new discoveries. You want to be able to give her the freedom she needs, while at the same time, putting your mind at rest.

Safety measures to take inside the home

Heights

Window gates will need to be installed across your windows to prevent falls. You will also need to put safety gates across the top and bottom of any stairs in your home. This includes steps down to a cellar, even if the entrance is protected by a door. If you use any temporary steps, such as a step-ladder or attic ladder make sure you don’t leave them where your baby could reach them.

Electricity

Cover every electrical outlet in your home with a plastic cap. Make sure that all electrical cords for lamps and appliances are kept well out of the way of little hands, otherwise your baby could reach up and pull them over.

Be especially cautious with anything you use only occasionally like a drill or a blender, as babies are always attracted to explore new things in their environment.

Furniture and storage

Test all your furniture for stability. If you find anything very shaky either repair it or remove it. Otherwise if your baby pulls down on it, it could fall on her. Large toy boxes with heavy lids can be dangerous, so instead use shelves where you can place things out of reach, or small storage bins.

Kitchen and dining room

Cleaning supplies and laundry products are often fatally toxic and should be kept on a high shelf or locked in a cabinet. Any saucepans on the hob should have their handles turned towards the wall so they can’t be pulled down. Sharp knives and other implements must also be kept well out of reach.

Any food straight out of the oven or microwave poses a scalding risk. Make sure it’s left out of ‘pull-down’ reach. Tablecloths are a real hazard; picture a baby sitting underneath a table laden with Sunday lunch and pulling downwards! Perhaps consider using a smaller cloth that doesn’t hang down.

Alcohol

Only a very small amount of alcohol is toxic to a baby, so keep it well out of reach. Treat it as a toxic substance and keep it on a high shelf or in a locked cupboard.

Bathroom and toliet

Never leave your baby alone in or near water, even for a minute. Turn your water heater down to 120°F or 49°C to ensure that if your baby does turn on the tap, the hot water will not scald her. You could also consider installing tap covers that will prevent your baby from turning on the water at all.

Keep all your medicines locked in a high cabinet well out of reach. Ask your pharmacist for extra childproof caps for any medicines you may buy that don’t already have them. Don’t keep bleach or other cleaning products next to the toilet or sink. They are fatally toxic and should be kept on a high shelf or locked in a cupboard.

Put the number for your GP in a prominent place. If your child does accidentally swallow some medication, call them for advice first before treating yourself. If you know your child has swallowed a poisonous substance, take her straight to the Accident and Emergency Department of your nearest hospital.

Dangerous objects

Needles, pins and small objects should always be kept away from your baby. If they’re swallowed they could be fatal. Smokers should be aware that their cigarette butts can be fatally toxic if swallowed. Matches and ashtrays should be kept well out of reach, and smoking should be done outside for the sake of you baby’s health.

Plastic bags and popped balloons present significant choking and suffocation hazards, so keep them off the floor and out of reach. Stereo and TV knobs can be very small and easily pulled off by an inquisitive baby, so buy larger child-proof versions to replace them.

Valuable and precious items

If you’ve got any ornaments that have a high financial or sentimental value make sure they’re kept out of reach where your baby can’t get to them. Do the same with any jewellery. Small objects such as earrings and their butterfly backs or rings pose a choking hazard to an inquisitive baby drawn to investigate a sparkly new object.

Glass doors

If you have glass panels or windows in your doors at home that aren’t currently fitted with safety glass, you would be advised to change them. Both babies and adults are at risk from doors of this type.

Glass panels on any low level display cupboards can be protected with adhesive plastic coverings to make them safer. Make your patio doors more obvious to your baby by applying some plastic stickers. They’ll help your baby to understand that there’s an obstacle to negotiate.

Plants inside and outside the home

Many houseplants are poisonous, so if you want to keep them make sure they’re hung or placed well out of reach. In the garden: rue, privet, laurel berries, yew berries and laburnum seeds are all poisonous. Check the plants in your garden, and consider removing any really toxic plants. You’ll generally have to keep a really close eye on your baby outside to make sure he’s not chewing or swallowing any berries, leaves, twigs or gravel.

Outside the home

Water

Water is extremely dangerous for young children, and they have a fascination for it which can be lethal. Small children can drown in a very small amount of water, and it can happen very quickly. Drowning incidents have occurred in less than a 30cm depth of water.

So any garden containers holding rainwater should be emptied or sealed. Paddling pools should always be emptied and turned upside down after use, and garden ponds should be temporarily filled in with sand.

If you still wish to retain a pond then you must be extremely careful to ensure that it’s safe for your baby. Fencing off the pond is only a partial solution, and can often-lead parents into a false sense of security. Gates, to provide access for maintenance, can accidentally be left open and fences can be climbed by the child when it gets older.

You must put in place a rigid mesh or a grille that can support the weight of a child and which remains above the water’s surface at all times.

Driveway and street

Make sure that all the fences around your front and back gardens are secure enough to keep a curious baby out of the street. Keep him well away from the driveway. Cars can enter at very high speeds without warning.

Outside steps

Any outdoor steps will need to be as well protected as the stairs inside your home – so use safety gates where necessary.

Garage

The garage is clearly an extremely hazardous place for a baby. Keep as many dangerous tools or chemicals up high and out of reach, and remember to keep the doors locked at all times.

Visiting friends and relatives

Your friends and relatives are unlikely to have baby-proofed homes, so be extra careful when you make any visits. You need to try and strike a balance between giving your baby the freedom to explore and discover, whilst making sure she’s safe.

Check rooms for any problems and warn your hosts in advance about some of the things they might want to remove or put out of reach. Don’t let your baby run around unsupervised in an unfamiliar garden.

Sources of baby proof products

Products to help you baby-proof your home are available from a variety of different sources, from the internet to any of the baby specific stores around the country.

Need further information?

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) website carries information in its resources area with more advice about child safety in the home.