Share your tips for childproofing your home with Fairy Non Bio

[JustineBMumsnet]

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Babies and toddlers are often curious about everything they can get their hands on, making the process of childproofing a rite of passage for most parents. Fairy Non Bio would like to hear your tips for childproofing your home.

Here’s what Fairy Non Bio has to say: “Cleaning products are easily found by little explorers and it is our passion to keep all children safe. We have designed new child lock pack systems for our 3in1 PODs to make it difficult for them to get into, but we still want to spread the word to click close the lid and store up high. We want to know what else could help keep kids safe!”

Do you find it best to have stair gates in the doorway to every room? Do you have an alternative for once your child works out how to use your cupboard locks? Perhaps you know a way to get corner guards to stay on your tables even though your child attempts to pull them off? Whatever your childproofing tips, we’d love to hear them.

All who share their tips for childproofing 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

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Only childproofing I have is a stair gate at the top of the stairs. I make sure her bedroom is completely toddler safe but that's all. Rest of house is kept as usual and toddler kept under supervision!

Only child proofing we have is a gate to the kitchen door because our youngest always wants to be in the kitchen and he gets in the way.

We also bought door stoppers because he sees doors as the greatest toy in the world and we worry about his fingers getting caught.

Parental controls on the internet router!

On sprays I turn the nozzle off. My friend's daughter squirted herself in the eye with mould remover a few years ago. It was strong stuff and she was lucky.
We found child locks on cupboards very effective - I had trouble getting into them myself at times!

My daughter never really tried to get into cupboards (apart from the one with biscuits in!) so we never baby proofed ours. We did use plug socket covers though which worked well and a stair gate was absolutely essential for us too.

Childproofing my home was hard as some walls aren't straight so stair gates was bloody hard work but I did it, I now have a top wall cupboard I keep all cleaning stuff in so no chance of accidents. I need a shelf for my bathroom though as they do tip my shower gel down the plug hole if I forget to put it up high making potions!

gosh we are well out of this stage now, but found many childlocks weren't really up to much, our little distructive toddlers got round them quickly! dangerous stuff like cleaning products just went in higher cupboards, it's really just habit to have those under the sink or lower cupboards.

Baby gates on the kitchen, stairs and babies bedroom, everything moved up higher, then higher again for approximately 3 years. Pipe lagging on the plinth in front of the fire. Etc, etc etc.
We had two climbers within 18 months. It was the only way for them and us to survive!

I am very mindful of boiling kettles and hot pans on the stove as my Mum pulled a hot pan of water over herself as a child and her leg is scarred

I'm quite paranoid about chemicals because I've read they can seriously injure a child so I try to use natural versions where possible. Any chemicals I do have are kept either in a cupboard with a childproof lock or up high out of reach.

Just to remind Mners that plug socket covers are not recommended in the UK as follows ;

Sockets in the UK are designed to keep people safe. Our UK design has been better than the majority of other countries, for many years. Socket covers are an absolute con and totally unnecessary.” 

 IMPORTANT: This information applies to BS 1363 sockets only

NHS warns: “Socket inserts should not be used in health or social care premises, nor supplied for use in a home or residence. Any socket inserts currently in use should be withdrawn from use and responsibly disposed of.”

BEAMA (British Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers Association) has published a statement saying:
“BEAMA strongly advises against the use of socket-outlet ‘protective’ covers.”
Children cannot poke things into British sockets - they have built in automatic shutters for protection.

Pool noodles are very useful when it comes to baby proofing difficult hazards.

Child locks on the cupboards and stair gates on top and bottoms of the stairs
And of course the eyes in the back of my head...

I am paranoid about windows so I have safety locks fitted. When they were tiny I had baby gates at most doors.
I also was told to make sure plastic bags are out the way and to always twist/tie any in half even when putting them into the bin when you are finished with them.
I also read them medicine is bad for children - even a couple iron tablets can be VERY dangerous.

We had a stairgate once DC started crawling. Other than that I didn't do anything specific child proofing - just supervision. Cleaning products were already inaccessible by DC.

I've only ever needed to use stair gates as both my boys have been fairly easy to watch and haven't really got into any mischief! We did have 4 at one point! I highly recommend one on the kitchen- that's my haven, they can't get in and I don't have to worry about them hurting themselves of making a mess!

Constant supervision !

Have a secure playpen so once they are mobile if you need to quickly go to the toilet or kitchen you can pop them in it and know they will be unable to wader off and will be safe.

We have a lot of doors that are on half barrel hinges (is that the right phrase?) so we've taken all the doors off and put them in storage.

It doesn't eliminate all risk but I broke my finger trapping in a door as a child and it still doesn't bend properly so I'm overly cautious about doors.

Luckily we didn’t need a stair gate as my daughter rarely tried to go up and downstairs herself when she was very young. We just moved a lot of things out of reach until she was older and kept a close eye on her. I only have one child but I guess having two or more very young children would be trickier.

Where possible I prefer to move the dangers up and just let the baby get on with it. Both of mine have spent much more time amused by emptying out a cupboard as a toddler than playing with toys.

Stair gates are on the doors I don't want the baby going in as well as stairs.

Stair gates top and bottom.
Window locks.
I turn the water temperature down to avoid scalding (if I want a hot bath I just turn it up and then back down when I've had a bath). Radiators also turned down.
Nothing in cots.
Plastic bags/nappy sacks kept out of reach.
Older kids toys with small parts have to be kept in their bedrooms which the baby doesn't have access to.
We have a thing that fits over the top of the living room door to avoid jamming fingers.
Cleaning products and medicines kept in a high cupboard. If I'm leaving something to cook on the stove I always use the back rings.
Kettle is kept far back on the worktop.
Halving grapes, cutting cherry tomatoes, no popcorn or lollipops for young children.
I wouldn't consider myself to be super safety conscious but that sounds like a lot!

We childproofed using stair gates, and a playpen to create barriers in kitchen and around fireplaces. Cupboards containing cleaning products/ knives had cupboard locks. Corner protectors for coffee tables were also useful as were foam things that went round doors to prevent them from being closed on tiny fingers. Certain ornaments/ vases had to be moved out of reach.

We have cupboard locks as he takes every out! I fear he’s about to learn how to open them though! A stair gate didn’t work for our staircase so we just had to watch him, but other than cupboard clips it’s generally just been moving little things out of site and repeating not to go near sharp edges things! Seems to have worked!

Cupboard locks for cleaning products are essential if they are in low cupboards.
Also, always putting hot drinks well out of reach.