Toddler proofing your home

Now we are officially in lockdown there couldn’t be a better time to toddler proof your house.  Accidents in the home are the biggest risk to under 5s. A good place to start would be to look at the house from the toddlers perspective.  It is a huge toddler playground with loads to climb on and pull down, eat and explore.

The kitchen

The bathroom

The lounge or playrooms

The stairs

Small  objects

In the kitchen there are several things that can put your child at risk.

Burns: Firstly we have the risk of burns from hot water, pans, the hob.  When we are cooking we need to turn the pan handles inwards so they can’t be reached.  Keep kettles out of reach, toddlers are excellent at problem solving and can push things against cupboards to reach things they can’t.

Cuts: Keep sharp knives in drawers.

Chemicals: Toddlers like to put things in their mouth and don’t discriminate even if it tastes disgusting.

Lock all chemicals away, especially liqui-tabs, bleach, drain cleaners.

Poisons - Once again there are usually all sorts of cleaning products and medicines in your bathroom cupboard. Make sure these are locked away or out of reach of little hands.  Child proof lids are not usually a challenge for toddlers so keep bottles and tablets out of sight.

Drowning - Bath time can be an especially dangerous time for children and toddlers if they are left unsupervised in the bath.  It might be tempting to walk out of the room and do some chores but leaving your toddler unsupervised in the bath is asking for trouble.  They can drown in as little as an inch of water.

Make sure you secure your stair gate and anything they could climb on such as shelving units or cupboards.  Some toddlers are like little monkeys and will climb anything so make sure it is all safe and secure and where possible you supervise them at all times.

Toys Childrens’ toys can have lots of little bits to them which might find their way into mouths.

They also cause trip hazards if you walk into a room and trip on a toy.

Get them involved in the clean up game.

Button Batteries - these are present in lots of small toys, remote controls and other things.  Make sure you buy toys that are kitemarked and that any battery compartments are securely fastened.  If you think your child has swallowed a button battery get them to Hospital as soon as possible.

It is very easy to empty our pockets onto work surfaces of coins but try to put them in a cup instead where they are out of reach.

little toys like marbles, Lego, beads, lol dolls are things that can easily make their way into a little mouth so try to keep an eye on the little things lying around.

Life with a toddler is a lot of fun, and life happens, but there are definitely things we can do to make our home that little bit safer.  Life at the moment in the height of the lockdown is going to be tough for us all, enjoy this time to connect with your little ones.  Get out in the garden and enjoy the sun.