Getting yourself a new home is fantastic, it's a new start, and it's a great opportunity to make this home a much safer one, especially if you have a young family. A lot of modern parents have to rent properties a lot of the time, meaning they can only make superficial changes to the house. So if your last home was a bit cramped with lots of items piling up everywhere, what can you do to make it safe, and more importantly, livable for you and your toddlers? Toddlers are very keen to get themselves into dangerous situations of course, so here are a few little nuggets of information to take on board.
Removing Trip Hazards
There are wires everywhere now, from your television to your iPad, to your laptop, to everything. The one main thing to take away from this is not just to tuck the cables behind things because you know that your toddler can get into so many small spaces, but they will be grabbing those wires and chewing them before you can say Paw Patrol! Instead, cable ties are the way forward, they are cheap, and they will keep everything together. The other trip hazard is usually the toys that your children take out of the toy box and leave everywhere, so a solid solution to this is to create a playpen area where your children can make as much mess as possible. If you can try and limit it to their room, that would be great. The other main thing to be aware of is putting the expensive items out of reach. So this means making the most of the shelves, and putting up shelving where you can, during the first few years of any kids life, danger hazards are everywhere!
The Electrics
Children love to stick their fingers in sockets so you can purchase some socket covers that go over your plugs easily, which will give you peace of mind. It's also important to check the voltage, and usually, the sockets are low voltage nowadays, but if you have moved into an old house, there is no point in running the risk. Make sure you get the lowdown on the best electricians in your area, for them to do a check on the electrics in your home. The other thing to think about is making sure that large bulky electrical items are stable and secure, such as the television, especially as these high-definition televisions now are very thin and can be easily pushed over. It's important to develop boundaries with your child in this respect (if they will listen to you)!
Baby Gates
A lot of baby gates aren't built to last, so make sure you get strong ones. If you've got a strong toddler, they will be opening them soon enough. So if you can get good quality ones at the outset, this will give you a bit more peace of mind before they develop that superhuman strength! It is also important to be aware of them climbing over things when they are tall enough, so make sure the baby gates are at the bottom of the steps, not at the top.
The Bathroom
There are plenty of slippery surfaces in the bathroom, and this applies to every room when you clean your home, and if you've got laminate flooring or material that takes a long time to dry. In the bathroom, the slippery-ness of these surfaces will be a big factor in accidents, so make sure you put down rugs as well as bath mats in the bath.
The safety of your children is always something that will cross your mind, but do you have enough things in place to make sure that they are safe? Try a few of these if you don't have them already.
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