What necessary but inconvenient things do you do to make your home safe for your children? Share with Fairy Non Bio - £300 voucher to be won

[JustineBMumsnet]

Unassuming things in the home can be a danger to small children, whether it’s food you’d eat yourself without concern, a small step from one room to another or a box of laundry detergent in the cupboard. Fairy Non Bio would like to hear about the necessary but inconvenient things you do to keep your home safe for your children.

Here’s what Fairy Non Bio has to say: “Keeping your home safe from your little explorers can be time consuming, but because of all the chemicals in laundry detergent we want to ensure only mums & dads can access them. With our new Pods Child-Lock pack this can give you extra peace of mind, close with a ‘Click' and store up high behind a closed cupboard.”

Do you have stair gates in every doorway that you curse every time you simply want to carry a cup of tea AND a snack to the sofa? Perhaps you use foam padding on your table corners that your child pulls off thinking it’s a game or have cupboard locks that take ages to undo?

All who post the necessary inconvenient things they do to keep their home safe for their children below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight Terms and Conditions apply

Stair gates ... inconvenient because they ruin the paint but absolutely necessary

I have completely surrounded our coffee table with storage boxes of toys to try to stop our 15 month old climbing on the table. He is quick as a flash to drag them out of the way and climb up and then very proud of himself as he walks on the table!

Definitely as a pp has said, attaching chest of drawers to wall. After seeing the video circulating, there was no way we could risk them toppling.

Stairgates definitely, really tricky to open with a baby in one arm and holding onto a toddler with another. We have removed ours now but there is still a mess on the wall where they were fitted. We had the socket covers too, they were an absolute pain to remove when you needed to actually use the socket!

Safety gates - mainly as childproof catches regularly stump me too!

Also a house with minimal storage means having to keep all medicines/cleaning products in some strange places, as I don't really trust cupboard locks.

All insignificant if it keeps them safe though, obviously!

I make sure the area from the beds to the landing is free of any obstacles just in case of a fire in the night. (This is getting harder to do the older they get as I’m often in bed early!)

Do lots of the usual eg stairgates, all medicines/ cleaners out of reach , safe blind cords etc. Worst visually are the various bits and pieces of padding which dh has taped to the dado rail (our landing turns a bit so sharp corners stick out at dc head height). They are also always falling off. Most inconvenient is having to keep my razor out of reach on top of the bathroom cabinet, and then i always forget until I'm in the shower...

Watch them and teach them how to be safe were the most important things for me.

I did have a stair gate but as soon as my two started crawling I taught them how to come down the stairs backwards on their tummies. Barely used the stairgate, it was more a peace of mind thing for me, so I knew that they couldn't escape, rather than a danger thing.

Endlessly repeated that sockets were no touching because you'd get an 'owie' and touching things that were 'hothot' would give you an owie too.

Moved the cleaning cupboard from under the sink to the cupboard above the sink, so didn't have to worry about that. None of the cupboards had child locks on them. Sharp knives and scissors were also stored up high too.

Remembered to turn pan handles to the side, so they couldn't be grabbed and ensured the kettle was at the back of the counter.

Didn't have any glass or metal coffee tables, so again that wasn't a worry.

I didn't want my house to be the only 'safe' place, I wanted my DC to be safe in everyone's house and watching and teaching is the only way to do that.

Not sure if my approach was right or I was lucky but they both made it safely to adulthood!

I have very young children so the house is totally baby proof. Catches on the cupboards which are difficult for adults to undo. Stair gates and no sharp edges anywhere. Also hovering daily as little one is at the stage where she likes to eat anything she finds on the floor.

Stair gates. they're inconvenient but practical. Also putting higher shelves up. again a pain for us but means small oned cant reach potentially dangerous things.

Childlock the washing machine.
Cleaning things way out of reach —of me— in the top cupboard.
Think that’s it!

We didn't do anything at all. DD didn't crawl until she was 2 and a half by which time she was old enough to have been taught not to touch.

We haven't got stairs but we have got gates on our kitchen and in the archway between the two living areas. Not used so much now that DS is a bit older but useful when he was crawling - especially as we could separate him and the dog - although dog is as soft as butter it was best so he didn't get jumped on or pulled about. I've always been frightened by hot oil/water etc - gates are great as can still see and speak to everyone.

Stair gates and cutting up grapes! Oh, and making the kids sit down when they’re eating lollies / hard sweets - despite their protests!

We have a playpen across the entire width of our living room. Highly inconvenient when you have to step over it 200 times a day. Worth it for their safety though.

Foam horseshoes over the tops of doors 🙈

now that my 11 yo DS is basically as tall as me, all the out of reach things are suddenly in reach, hello snack cupboard!

I put detergents high up and have to climb to reach them. Inconvenient but very necessary

Turning saucepan handles in so they don't protrude out over cooker.
Cushions around the fireplace.
Firescreen protector around the tv stand.
Glass coffee table is still in the garden shed - better leave it, they're 6 and 8.
Foam football.

Stair gates and cupboard locks!

I got rid of a lovely coffee table after DS cracked his head open on it. Its still in the loft, so might bring it back out when he is older.

I try to keep DC out of the kitchen if I'm cooking something complicated or with hot oil. I like them to learn to cook and help, but I'd rather not have them near hot things when I'm distracted by other things.

Not very fashionable but we kept a playpen in the living room for DS's early years, so handy for keeping him safe when necessary. He loved it in there, when he learnt to talk he used to ask if he 'could go in my cage please Mummy'.

We have no coffee tables or side tables the toddler can bump into. A pain for guests as they have nowhere to put their drinks!

Not really an inconvienece but we have stairgates installed. A bigger inconvenience (or tragedy) would be having to take our little one to the A&E because of a preventable fall.

We put up gate between kitchen and dining area so that our toddler wouldn't keep trying to take a paddle in our cats water fountain or trying to sample their food!