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! Complete pain but totally necessary

Stair gates have their uses of course but boy are they annoying if you're carrying something. The "open one handed" gates are really tricky so much so i usually have to use 2 hands.

stair gates and plug covers are a bit of a hassle but it's worth the hassle for safety

Stair gates - I constantly hit my thighs on them but it's worth it to prevent any accidents.

Also keeping hot drinks out of reach of little hands!

On the one hand, common sense is needed with respect to knives and other dangers within the house (naked lights are a no-go area). Just think all the time when you have young children around. The only safety features we apple id were stair gates (which the children were very pleased to show us they could open as soon as they were able to!), electrical socket covers, and nightlights.

Stair gates, catches and locks on all lower cupboards, packing away more precious items, moving other items higher and out of reach.

Locking away kitchen knives and scissors, bit of an inconvenience but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Safety Gates just a mild inconvenience.

Internal door locks
Plug covers
I also make sure my cupboard with cleaning products is locked 🔒

Definitely adding stair gates! They are a hassle but prevent some very bad injuries

Stair gates are annoying, but a necessity. Also those little plastic covers to go on corners of furniture which look rubbish and still hurt when you walk in to them.

Been a while now - but stairgates was really the only thing we put in. Kids and babies will always get bumps - that's how they learn!

When my boys were toddlers we had cupboard locks under the sink where the bleach etc was kept and stairgates at the top and bottom of the stairs. Both have gone now that they are older but we still have certain things in place, like the scissors and sharp knives out of reach for instance.

I have used plug protectors, safety gates, all drinks coasters are high up, use the back hobs, all kitchen electrical well back on counter tops and flexes out of reach, locks on medicines/cleaning/washing stuff, shavers in cabinet etc and also plant non poisonous plants

I don't mind the inconvenience as long as it keeps the children safe, that's all that matters to us.

The plug sockets guards are essential, but soooo difficult to pull out when you need to use the socket!

Any cleaning products go in the higher cupboards as although cupboards have child locks on they have learned how to open them! Safety gates are a must, I have the stoppers which fit over the top of internal doors to stop them closing fully to prevent little fingers being trapped. I tend to only use the back two rings on the hob so unreachable to little ones when in use. We removed blinds and replaced with curtains. Nothing is too much trouble to keep the most precious little people in your life safe!

Stair gates were such a pain I was forever banging into them and bruising myself. I was super protective with my first making sure that I had locks on all the cupboards and corner guards and plug guards but I was a little bit more relaxed by the time I had my second.

The stairgate is a nightmare as I’m forever walking into it, but at least it keeps DS safe. I think the most ‘inconvenient’ thing is keeping all washing powders and tabs in the garage rather than next the washing machine. A bit of a pain when I want to put a quick load in.

Stair gates, plug covers and cupboard locks are a necessity for me to keep little hands safe. To me, they are the most important. But kids will always find a way to ty and put themselves in an unsafe position, no matter how hard you try!!!! xx

CHILD SAFETY CUPBOARD LATCHES!!! I hate them and always forget they are there. Nearly adult proof to be honest , but needs must

I keep the doors locked, only because of my autistic boy as he will escape! Apart from that since they are a bit older 5 & 6 i don’t try and make the house safe, i let them use scissors and make their own toast. It is all supervised but i feel safer knowing that because they are allowed to do these things and have experience with them that if they did try and do them on their own they wouldn’t hurt themselves.

Very little really apart from being vigilant. We did fit stair gates but my son had an accident the garden!

just keeping dangerous items out of reach, so cutlery, bleaches etc are stored in high places instead of the normal logical draws and cupboards

Keep all dangerous liquids well out of reach, knives and sharp objects in higher drawers.