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Safety in the home - where do I start?

12 replies

chocbutton · 01/08/2007 16:45

DS is seven months and starting to crawl about now so we need to get some safety bits and bobs - what do people recommend, as in what items and where to get them from. We definitely need squashy edges for sharp fireplace and a stair gate, not sure of what others dangers are lurking though. Any tips??

OP posts:
wheelsonthebus · 01/08/2007 16:47

child locks for cupboards yr child can get into.that and stair gates were all we ever got.

Gizmo · 01/08/2007 16:48

Yeah: don't ask me

DS2 fell off kitchen worktop for the third time last week. Obviously I need to invest in a crash mat.

southeastastra · 01/08/2007 16:49

crawl around at his height so you can see dangers more clearly. (and how dirty the underside of cupboards are!)

CrookshanksinJimmyChoos · 01/08/2007 16:49

Best thing I did was get down on my hands and knees and crawl around...you get a childs perspective of things that way and can spot any potential hazards.

We have stair gates at bottom of stairs and one in his room for when he starts climbing out of cot - would rather be prepared in advance for that! You can buy kits from Tescos or Mothercare that have lots of handy things like corner cushions, plug socket covers etc....one thing I will say though is that no matter how much you baby proof, they always manage to find something

Gizmo · 01/08/2007 16:52

But more seriously, folks.

Don't try to do everything, because a) it will drive you to distraction and b) actually it is more useful for them to learn some natural caution in dealing with (non-serious) risks.

So you need to think about which areas you think are genuinely dangerous vs those that might result in a painful but minor injury. So, in our house, dangerous chemicals are in a totally inaccessible cupboard behind a lock but we have no catches on drawers or finger protectors on hinges. Even babies learn quite fast that trapped fingers can be avoided.

chocbutton · 01/08/2007 16:58

what fab quick responses! thanks for these. I agree that we don't want to go too mad, so he will have to learn as well, but just can't face looking at the fireplace and stairs - they look so sharp/steep etc!
We already have dangerous cleany things in a separate room in a high up cupboard, so am off to crawl around and see what else I can spy - probably lots of dust as SEA said!

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chocbutton · 01/08/2007 17:00

Just realised last post makes it sound like our house is like Fort Knox when it comes to cleaning products! They are only in the utility room!

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chopster · 01/08/2007 17:05

TBH most of it is a waste of time. The best thing to do is get a big play pen. Then you can throw them in there when you can't watch them and the rest of the time, you can see them.

Unfortunately mine broke the play pen before they were 18 mnths. So we have childproofing but most of the time all they do is slow them down. In our house, stairgates get climbed over or yanked right off the walls. Cupboard locks get snapped right off, the video lock got pulled off and the video filled with toys until it shorted out. For some reason it is so much easier for a baby to yank off a video lock than it is for an adult to remove it.

I have cabin locks on all the main doors, but they stack things up then climb up and open them anyway - dt2 drank from a bottle of perfume when he got in my room.

Def get window locks though, dt2 opened a closed window and jumped out of the first floor window. Now, the window is always locked shut when they are in there, the child lock is in case I forget.

Don't bet on childproof caps working neither, dt2 managed to open a sealed tin of paint and throw that over the patio.

Corner protectors get yanked off, a room partition thing was snapped, a seat belt security thing was ripped to shreds. Socket covers jsut make the sockets seem even more interesting, and then dt2 wondered wt else cud be poked into it. Locked garden storage boxes were solved by demolishing the entire thing instead.

The front door stays locked and the keys in my pocket, dt2 once let himself out of the locked door, opened the car, and got himself into ds1's car seat and sat there looking pleased as punch. I thank god that he didn't decide he wanted to drive the car!

Get rid of what you can, and don't let toddlers out of your sight!

chopster · 01/08/2007 17:06

by the way, all of this was before his second birthday! I often wonder how the hell he made it to 2.

berolina · 01/08/2007 17:12

Socket protectors! We have an oversupply and take them with us when we are going anywhere we'll be for more than a couple of hours. I am obsessed with sockets - partly because German sockets don't actually have on/off switches We don't really have much else, tbh. Will need to think about window locks soon as ds might be able to start reaching the windows in the not too distant future. All dangerous substances are put out of reach, of course. But we never really had cupboard or drawer locks. We have always lived in flats and been able to see when ds approached drawers or cupboards. Depending on the set-up of your kitchen, I would also consider a cooker guard.

chocbutton · 01/08/2007 22:32

LOL at Chopsters car seat story (can just imagine a pleased little face looking through the window!!)Am off shopping tomorrow so will decide what to buy - thanks again for all these replies

OP posts:
ChorusLine · 01/08/2007 22:36

Or be like Jordan (in todays issue of OK) and get safetots to do it for you!

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