Home safety for crawlers and toddlers

Once your baby starts to crawl, nothing is safe from those curious little fingers. Wobbly shelves, hard surfaces, plugs, fireplaces and kitchen cupboards - all are suddenly potential hazards for your inquisitive little one. You can easily babyproof your home with one of the safety kits sold in most nursery stores, which usually feature plug covers, wedges to keep doors open, cupboard locks and even soft corners for tables. Extra safety items include fridge locks and toilet locks. Fireguards for open fires are a necessity and remember never to leave a toddler alone in a room with an open fire blazing – even with a fireguard in place.

If you have rickety shelves and can’t replace them, the best thing to do is never leave your child unattended in that room, transfer the furniture to another room or lock it. Crawlers like nothing best than emptying shelves, cruisers use furniture to pull themselves up (mind that TV!) and toddlers like to climb. When furniture is not secure, it can easily tumble down. This is also true of a highchair, so ensure it is stable and the harness is adequate and secure as older babies may try climbing its back and the chair might topple over.

One of the most common accidents is a baby swallowing or choking on something they find on the floor, so do vacuum regularly as staples, paper clips and coins are all choking hazards. Don’t worry too much if your child eats a piece of fluff, but ensure they don’t prowl around your plant pots as eating compost is not advisable, nor is chewing on the leaves of plants as some may be dangerous. Also make sure you give your child age-appropriate toys and avoid small parts that can be swallowed.

If you have stairs, you will need to install a gate and it’s a good idea to invest in a playpen so you can go to the toilet or out to the washing line knowing that the baby is safe until you return.

If you are buying a new piece of furniture for storage, consider locked cabinets. Place medicines, detergents and cleaning fluids well out of reach. Cruisers pull themselves up using furniture, so bear in mind they can reach up higher than you think! Hide electrical cords behind furniture as young children will be tempted to have a tug and even a chew! You might need to relocate some appliances if this is not possible.

If you have a pet, bear in mind that even the friendliest pooch has its bad days and they might bite, scratch or show their teeth. Toddlers enjoy pulling animals’ tails, putting fingers in their mouth, and sometimes hitting them in a playful way, which your pet won’t appreciate. So it’s best never to leave a child alone with a pet.

Last but not least, bear in mind that although toddlers understand the meaning of the word ‘NO’, they won’t understand about obeying until they are around three years old. They are also bound to forget warnings and are not able to hold things as gently as you do, so lock away your precious items or put things on a higher shelf out of reach.