Turn your head for one moment and an injury can occur! Once on the move toddlers natural instinct to explore is a wonderful way for them to discover.
It's hard for parents to anticipate all the potential dangers or safety problems around children, however, vigilance, some careful planning and the ability to stay one step ahead of your young children will protect them and save you potential stress and heartache!
The first step in providing a safe environment for your child is to start in your home.
Toddler safety in the kitchen:
- Keep matches and lighters out of reach
- Remove small magnets from the fridge or keep them up very high
- Move all items in glass containers in the fridge to high shelves
- Use the back burners on the stove and turn pot handles towards the back
- Lock all cupboards and drawers with childproof locks which contain glass, knives, scissors, other small objects, cleaning products and medicines
- Keep electrical cords high
- Never hold or pass hot liquids over your child
- Dispose of any plastic shopping bags, these can cause suffocation
- Lock your kitchen door, or use a safety gate to avoid your child going in the kitchen especially if no one is around
- Do not place hot fluids or heavy objects on tablecloths in case the child pulls on the cloth
- Keep containers of hot drinks inside away from the edge of tables
Toddler safety in the bedroom:
- Use a safe cot with a snug fitting mattress that cannot get pulled away from the corners. You should not be able to fit more than two fingers between the edge of the mattress and the cot
- Make sure the cot has no areas with gaps more than 2 inches so the child's head cannot get stuck
- Remove all curtains and blind cords from around the cot
- Never lock a toddler in a room
- Preferably don’t place the cot near or under a window. If this is unavoidable make sure all windows are securely latched or use a window guard
- Where possible have cupboards can be opened from the inside so your toddler doesn't get locked in. Otherwise consider child safety latches
Toddler safety in the bathroom:
- Always check bath water temperature before putting a child in the bath
- NEVER leave your toddler in the bath alone, even for a short time. Toddlers can drown in just two inches of water
- Place a lock on all toilets
- Lock up cabinets containing perfumes, make-up, cleaners, creams and other similar items
- Don't keep large buckets or containers of liquid around the house, children can fall head first in to the container and not be able to get out
Toddler safety in other areas:
- Use furniture with rounded corners or cover sharp corners with homemade or store bought corner guards
- Use stair gates at both the top and bottom of stairs. Never use pressure gates at the top of the stairs.
- Keep all items in original containers to avoid mix-ups between food items and poisons
- Make sure all purses are out of reach, coins are the perfect choking size plus be espeically vigilant if there are pills around
- Install security stays or a window guard on upper story windows to keep them from opening too far
- Ensure your TV can't be pulled over
- Don't use open fans where a toddler can put their fingers through the grill
- Always be aware of small objects lying around
Other Points:
- Keep all sharp objects and tools out of reach
- Never let your child run with something in their mouth
- Never let your children run with something sharp in their hands
- Never let your children walk with glass objects in their hands
- Keep an eye out for sharp objects on walls, toys, cots, playpens, or strollers
- Use plastic instead of glass, whenever possible
- Always pick up toys, so no one slips and falls on them
For more useful advice visit our latest Nappies and Paws Feature.
