... but the solutions will be DIY.
I'm looking for tips for how to make my house safer for my 9 month old who has just learnt to crawl and pull himself up into a standing position.
There are plenty of things on my radar (too many to list here), but just thought I would throw the question wider in case there are things I might have not thought of or clever solutions to problems around the house.
Any ideas appreaciated & TIA
Alex.
I guess you're going to get a big list coming your way anytime now - but just something simple: don't leave anything lying around within reach, esp on the floor. If they can grab it they'll try to put it in their mouth! A bit later on they try poking things in electrical power sockets. A few years later they get fingers stuck in various object in which there are holes just a bit too small to get the finger out again. A bit later on they try acrobatics on the towel rail in the bathroom (either get a very strong rail of mount it way up high). Later on they'll worry you silly by staying out too late - but by now, sorry, you're on your own! I have deliberately left out many in-between "laters" for other to add, as reliving them is very painful :-) (In the nicest possible way)
If you have a staircase, you will want a safety gate at the top - but having one at the _bottom_ is just as important! Make sure that all cleaning supplies and medicines are well out of reach, and put child-proof safety latches on the kitchen cupboards. Keep all sharp tools out of reach - and remember that children will climb to get to things. There are flat knife blocks which mount to the underside of a kitchen cabinet, and swivel out for access. Make sure that the cords of all electrical things, like lamps, radios, TVs, etc, are neatly tucked away, where the child can't pull on them.
In article , AlexW writes
Don't get too carried away and try to make your house super safe, the best lessons hurt a bit... anyway toddlers are good at having spectacular accidents in ways you never thought of.
We just did: stair gate at the top, sharp objects up high. Youngest child is now 2 and is good at recognising hazards, which she probably wouldn't be if we'd taken all the dangers away.
You know those mains connectors that plug in to the back of radios and CD players and such like? The ones that if you look end-on it looks like a figure of eight shape.
I once watched one of my kids inquisitively pick up the cable and proceed (as they do) to stick the socket end in his mouth.
The dash for the kid was fast enough; the sigh as I found that the other end was not plugged in was grateful; the lesson was not to leave such cables around.
Mungo
[This was in the days of a non-RCD mains supply. Having lived with a new fuse box for a couple of years I only have praise for the RCD that I commissioned on the box.]
I know there are people who will sneer, but IKEA produce a quite respectable range of child safety products, from gates for stairwells to rounded bump-stops for coffee-table corners.
Mothercare is another port of call, try entering "safety" in their search engine.
In the end much will depend on the small person in question! Some will find danger *anywhere* no matter what you do. Others seem resonably content not getting into too much mischief. You can only nanny so far, and the more ingenious sprogs will find ways round most measures you put in place that stop them doing what they want! Alas there is no substitute for vigilance and education in many cases.
(ISTR, as a child the ususal "putting out of reach" gambit was played as a way of keeping "stuff" out of my hands. I just returned fire with the "your did not think to put the extending hoover pipes out of reach though did you? And with those anything under 7' up is mine!" circumvention).
Some stuff is easy - child proof catches on low cupboards etc. Keeping household chemicals out of access.
Baby gate at the top of the stairs, and one at the bottom perhaps (we never bothered, but did not give them free run of the hall either). They are also a mixed blessing since you need to negotiate the things while carrying stuff (and sprog!) without going base over apex down the stairs yourself).
As part of laying on electrical provision for my loft, I also upgraded all of the CUs etc and made sure that all the circuit protection and earthing was upto modern standards. So hopefully they won't go fiddling with sockets etc, but if they do, the danger is reduced a little. Personally I have not been convinced by those socket protector things. The flat low profile ones are a bu**ger to remove when you want to use the socket yourself. The sitcky-out "use the earth pin on a plug to pull em free type" seem to encourage them to take interest in the sockets in the first place! I would get shot of any round pin unshuttered sockets if you have them though. Same goes for any knackered face plates that do not have an effective shutter.
Not having the water temperature set to "volcano heat" can help.
Turning off the supply to rarely used gas fires may be worthwile.
Not sure - but I expect eBay would be a good source of all things child-related as most people only have a short use for such things
Cross-post this to uk.people.parents - I would, except that this infernal S/W won't let me.
Look out for high things that can be climbed, then fallen off, stairs, hot things that can be leant on (tape lagging to radiator pipes), things (tablecloths, etc.) that can be pulled, things that fingers/arms/legs can get stuck in, doors when they close so they don't pinch or crush fingers, those false "plugs" seem to encourage interest in pushing things into sockets IMO, etc., etc. The best thing you can do is to make sure you keep your eye on him all the time!
The limitation of these however is that it does not stop them inverting the whole table and using it to surf across the living room, before leaving it perched at an interesting angle covered in a blanket (because it made a good "den"), supported by nothing more than the edge of a mega block, just wating to land on your toe as you attempt to restore order to what used to be a living room before it was burried under a 6" layer of toys and your video collection!
DAMHIK ;-)
That sounds like the voice of experience. Don't forget to draw all over the lower parts of the walls (crayon and pencil), ram a sandwich into the video and hide the remote control. This will save the infant considerable time so that he can experiment with the mains switch for the freezer. Keep marbles and rollerskates under lock and key.
John Schmitt
In article , John Schmitt writes
Also take all your CDs and DVDs out of the cases and spread over the floor. For added effect, add jammy fingerprints on the pretty silver side.
However. Unless the kid happened to be standing on a metal floor, or hanging onto a radiator, it's very far from certain that the RCD would trip. OTOH, I don't think (if promptly unplugged) a 240V shock across the mouth would be immediately fatal, even to a baby, but it's not going to be healthy.
I have noticed that there is a variant of this, with a third lobe, for an earth pin, which would make an RCD work.
I suspect IEC connectors are probably the most baby-safe of common ones. (well, the 415V screw-on plugs would probably work too)
Thanks to all so far ... FYI he's already:
a) Had the coal out of the bucket. b) Learnt how to tug any electric cables in sight. Heads straight for 'em ... like a magnetic effect. c) Same with rad pipes and towel rad! d) Had videos and DVD's out of drawers. e) Nearly tugged a shelf unit over. f) Attempted to eat, well virtually all objects within the house that he can reach.
... to name but a few.
Alex.
Put blanking plates in the power sockets. Put protective film on low level glass panels. We never found a childproof lock on the fridge any good; they opened it immediately. Secure the video recorder/DVD player to stop unwanted insertions. On no account leave mains leads plugged in one end, with a flying IEC plug or figure of 8 plug (e.g. electric razor) at the other end. They'll put them in their mouth!
Lots of others of course...
One for the (not to distant) future after the stairgate is removed.
So many houses seem to have the hall radiator at the bottom of the stairs. I had mine moved (oops, should have said "I moved mine") soon after my nephew tumbled downstairs and split his head open on the corner of the radiator in my sister's house.
Overkill perhaps but I really didn't fancy the aggravation of cleaning all the blood off the carpet.
Good idea ... I have no radiator but easy to clean stone flags there. Already planning a (landing) mat for that location.
Alex.
Surely the landing mat would be at the top of the stairs :)
You can never assume that a toddler can't climb on stools, chairs, toy boxes etc. to get to what s/he wants.
There's no such thing as a100% child-safe house :-(
And it gets worse before it gets better!
You have been warned :-)
Mary
Yes.
And as many other unimaginable disasters ...
A very heavy ball and chain could work ...
Mary
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