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17 May 2013

Child-proof Your Home: How to Make Your Space Safe

From the moment you brought baby home, you've had every gadget imaginable installed, every tiny space and easy to reach device locked and put away, and plugged up anything with a hole in it. You've spent many a night worrying about some minor safety detail while your child was an infant, however, now that they're a little older and you've been through the scares that accompany your child's exploration of the world you’re concern will change. Although you no longer have to fear for your children's safety like you did when they were babies, you must still be vigilant about keeping your ever-growing, ever-curious children safe at home.


Burns, slips and falls, and poisonings are only a few of the at-home risks your children face if you don’t properly child-proof your abode. According to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), every year more than 5,000 people in the UK die in accidents in the home and 2.7 million seek medical attention due to accidental injuries at home. Some safety hazards, such as a toy being left in the middle of the floor, are obvious, while others, like a loose railing on a stairway, aren't as easy to identify. Have home insurance from Aviva to help safe-guard your home against certain accidents, however, you must incorporate your own in-home safety routines and rules to ensure that your children are safe at home.

Burn Safety

500,000 under the age of 4 are injured in the home every year, and fire is the greatest cause of accidental death, with 46 percent of fatalities being the result of fire accidents. Younger children are most likely to sustain injuries from scald burns caused by hot liquids or steam, while older children are more commonly burned from flames caused by direct contact with fire.

  • Install and maintain smoke alarms in your home, on every floor, and near all rooms occupied by family members.
  • Remember to test your smoke alarms once a month to make sure they are working properly.
  • Devise a fire escape plan and practice this family fire escape route and specify a central meeting point for everyone.
  • Make sure there are at least two ways out of every room - don't block windows or doors.
  • Be cautious when you cook - never leave food on the stove unattended and supervise or restrict your children’s use of microwaves, stoves, and ovens.

Hazardous Chemicals Safety

While all parents know it isn't wise for your children to handle any hazardous chemicals and materials, children can still find a way to get their small hands on these dangerous products. Poisoning is the third leading cause of unintentional death throughout Europe, with 3,000 children 14 and under dying of acute poisoning each year. 

  • Keep all dangerous chemicals , medicines, and toxic products, such cleaning agents, out of the reach of children and in places where they can’t see them as their curiosity may get the best of them and prompt them to investigate the product.
  • Don’t keep hazardous products around that you no longer use or need.
  • Always safely dispose of unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs and medicines, vitamins, and supplements.
  • Remember to properly read the labels, particularly those regarding dosage, and follow directions when giving medicines to children.
 What tips do you have to keep your children safe at home?

*Guest Post*
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4 comments

  1. Jane Middleton17/05/2013, 20:41

    Thanks for this useful guide

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very good post. You'd think that as parents we consider these things but some times in the early days when baby comes home a few things slip. And if you rent some or just moved house you may not remember. When my son was 1 1/2 we moved house had the safe and the smoke alarm and the cupboard locks. Not once did we consider the bolt on the inside of the toilet that our tall toddler could reach. He managed to go into the bathroom and lock himself in. To get him out the firemen had the break the door down. I was wet from heat to toe sweat from fear.

    Lesson learnt the HARD WAY. Be sure that bolts are out of child's reach.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Protect yourself from the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. Find out why you should fit a carbonmonoxide dectector in your home.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Excellent article - childproofing isn't an easy task! Don't forget the general safety and security of your home too - I had a Birmingham locksmith come and check my home and the small fixes they suggested have made such a difference and made me feel a lot safer.

    ReplyDelete

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