how safe are cm's houses?

[mankymanger]

I was just wondering about safety in cm houses? My ds will be 11 mo when I go back to work and is currently booked into nursery but didn't know whether to try cm. He loves to pull on wires, go for anything dangerous etc. How do cm cope with this?

Hi I am a cm, my ds is three and I currently have a 12 and 14month old, one of who is very mischeivous and into everything.

My house has socket cover, fire blanket, four smoke alarms , cabinet locks (on cupboards with cleaning agents and small piece toys), video player cover, fire guard, first aid kit, no smoking signs, I could go on.

Aside from having these in place though I think the most important way of keeping mindees safe is to do a daily check where I crawl around the room! I look under ofas, check cables aren't out, etc. I'm always amazed what I find!

When my mischeivous mindee is pulling/bashing something I just pick him up and take him across the room to an extremely fun toy.

If you aren't sure why not visit another nursery and a few childminders to give you a borader idea?

as cm I use safety equipment appropriate for the children in my care, i.e. stair gates, cupboard locks etc. These are checked regularly.hid the wires behind the cupboards All plug sockets not in use have socket covers. All equipment will be checked and cleaned regularly,
i know what you mean ,as i have a very very clever son is 2 now , so i made my home very safety for him as well

Like the idea of kay crawling round the house!

my cm house is much safter than mine as they have so much more experience than me-ive got 3 children-theyre had loads at some point or another!
maybe arrange a visit with a cm you may use(or see a few!)and while there say about your worries and ask what precuations they take.

Early morning mindee is 10 and he finds it hilarious! It's very effective though!

Forget to says stairgates, have three!

Remove all but essential wires and conceal them where possible. Then in a strict voice say 'no' and remove said child from wires. Repeat until child gets message!! Worked for my dd and 2 other toddlers.
OFSTED inspect and make recommendations which have to be heeded. Socket covers, door jammers to stop trapped fingers, stair gates, cupboard locks, smoke alarms, electrical and gas checks.

I would say that a CM home is far safer than your average house.(I am a CM btw)

LOL KaySamuels! I have got 6 smoke alarms. And it's only a 2 bed semi. The fire brigade have upped their requirements compared to when I got my previous house inspected.

I also have everything arranged so that even if a child did get past a child lock, the things they could reach are safe eg cleaning stuff moved up high and the cupboard under the sink has only got some pans and tatties in it.

Thanks, that's really reassuring. Have also realised my own house is actually a death trap...

I have a fireguard, smoke alarms, stairgates and socket covers, most wires are under the floor except for one which is the telephone charger, the rest are behind the sofa out of the way.

Generally cms are safe, we have to be as we have our own children in the house. I also crawl around like Kay to check.

For babies I would have a travel cot or one of those playpen things. I wish we could still buy one of those lobster pot playpens that used to be around when I was little. Babies should never be left either, even if you want the toilet.

I usued to have cupboard locks until my own son worked out how to open them! Good job all my bleaches were out the way!