Toddler Safety

Here are some tips and advises on how to childproof your home for toddler safety and some helpful tips on safety outdoors. Keeping our toddler safe is a big part of our job as parents. But it can be tricky to balance a young child's desire to explore everywhere and everything with a parent's need to keep the child safe. As parents, we know that toddlers often forget the rules about safety. And scolding them can make the forbidden item or place seem even more attractive. We want to enjoy our children, but if we spend most of our time watching out for their safety, then no one is having fun. Although childproofing is not a substitute for parental supervision, it substantially reduces the likelihood of injury.

Here you will find some useful tips on toddler safety both indoor and outdoor:

TODDLER SAFETY AT HOME

Children can injure themselves in the blink of an eye. You could turn your head away for a moment and the child could pull down a boiling pot of food, or swallow something he could choke on. It's hard for parents to anticipate all the potential dangers or safety problems around children. The trick to keeping a safe environment for your children is to stay one step ahead of them at all times. By spotting dangers before an injury happens, you can protect your children from harm and protect yourself from stress and heartache.

The first step in providing a safe environment for your child is to prepare your home properly.

Ensuring toddler safety in the KITCHEN

Keep matches and lighters out of reach
Place safety latches on all doors and cabinets, especially where cleaning products and medicines are located
Remove all small magnets from the refrigerator; small items can easily be lodged in a toddler’s throat
Move all glassed items in the refrigerator to the higher shelves
Use the back burners on the stove and turn all pot handles towards the back of the stove
Lock all cabinets and drawers containing glass, knives, scissors, and other small objects
Keep electrical cords that are connected to cooking appliances out of reach
Keep containers that have hot drinks inside away from the edge of tables
Do not place hot fluids on tablecloths in case the child pulls on the tablecloth
Never hold or pass hot liquids over your child
Dispose of any plastic grocery bags and dry cleaning bags immediately, these can cause suffocation
Lock the kitchen door, or use a safety gate to prevent children going into the kitchen especially when no one is around

Ensuring toddler safety in the BEDROOM

Use a safe crib 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 crib
Make sure the crib has no areas with gaps more than 2 inches so the child's head cannot get stuck
If possible, don’t place the crib near or under a window. If the crib is placed near the window, ensure that all windows are securely latched or use a window guard. A toddler can climb out of the crib, and through the window
Remove the draperies and blind cords from around the crib. These can lead to strangulation deaths
Never lock a toddler into a room
Make sure closets can be opened from the inside, so that your toddler doesn't get locked in

Ensuring your toddler safety in the BATHROOM

Always check bath water temperature before putting a child in the tub
Never leave your toddler in the bathtub alone, even for a short time. Toddlers can drown in as little as two inches of water
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
Place a lock on all the toilets
Lock up cabinets containing perfumes, make-up, and other similar bathroom items

Toddler safety in OTHER AREAS :

Use baby furniture set with rounded corners. Else, cover sharp corners with home made or store bought corner guards
Use a straight-slatted, screw-mounted gate at the top and the bottom of a stairway. Never use pressure gates at the top of the stairs. CLICK HERE for guidelines and features to look out for when choosing child safety gates.
Install vent locks or a window guard on upper story windows to keep them from opening more than three and a half inches
Do not use table cloth when toddlers are around
Everything should be kept in its original container to avoid mix-ups between food items and poisons
Make sure all purses are placed out of reach, especially ones with any pills inside
If your TV stand isn't sturdy, buy one with a wide base and keep the TV away from the edge. Secure the stand to the wall
Never run fans on the floor with an infant or toddler around, their fingers are small and can enter the grill area of the fan
Keep floors clean and vacuumed. Toddlers have an amazing sense for small objects that end up in their mouth and could cause choking
Install glow-in-the-dark stair nosing to make your staircase as visible as possible, ensuring your toddler does not wander towards it and risk serious injury in the event of a sudden power outage or something similar
When in public with your child and family, take note of the location of emergency signage, such as photoluminescent exit signs, in order to know where the closest escape routes are. This will help you get out fast in case of an emergency

Other Points to note on toddler safety