Home Safety

W
e are all guilty of taking the safety of our homes for granted but in fact our homes are extremely dangerous places, especially if you happen to be under five years of age. Luckily there are many gadgets that help us keep things just that little bit safer but mumns won’t buy them unless they know about them!

Cupboards can be locked with a variety of catches. These stick into place with very powerful adhesive tape which when the lock is no longer needed, can be removed without damage. Some cupboard locks are a simple catch which allows the cupboard to open slightly. You then slide your fingers in and release it. In theory, a child’s fingers are not long enough to release it. If there is something really horrible in the cupboard - bleach, cleaning fluids etc, or they have a particularly agile child, then there are more expensive catches but this may mean damaging the cupboard. Fridges and freezers have their own sort of locks which stick on the outside of the appliance. Drawers can be protected by cupboard catches too.

Some children are fascinated by the toilet and insist on pushing things down into it and flushing. Not only can some valuable items be lost this way but th loo can be blocked. A toilet lock is easy enough for anyone to use - except small children! Video machines are another favourite toy. They see mum putting in the video and decide to copy her with a toy brick that gets stuck.

Throughout the house, there are a number of things which may have rather sharp corners. At about the time a child is beginning to walk, many of these are around head height and a moment’s stumble can bring the head into contact resulting in some spectacular bruising. This can be avoided with the use of corner cushions. These simply stick into place and give a softer impact.

The other dangerous thing that children find fascinating are the electric sockets. Kids copy and try to put things in the holes. Generally, our sockets are quite safe. Sticking a knitting needle in one hole won’t do her any harm as something needs to be in both the live pin hole and the earth pin hole for electricity to flow. However, there is always the possibility she will succeed. More dangerous is the fact that she might plug in the hairdryer or iron while mum’s back is turned and both of these appliances can cause fires and severe burns. Or it might be a sandwich or a sticky toffee or something else that jams it up completely.

Some doors are more prone to slamming than others and heavy doors can inflict a lot of damage. There are two ways of protecting vulnerable fingers. The simplest and cheapest is a door slam protector. This curved piece of foam sits on the door and prevents it from closing completely. Simple and cheap. However, the hinge side of some doors can also cause a problem. A permanent guard can be placed along the hinge which allows the door to be used in the normal way but when the door opens the gap is protected.

See also Stairgates
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