Keeping your family safe at home
"Before Joe was born I never thought about where I left things. Nowadays, everything in the house seems dangerous so I never leave him unsupervised."
Action
Make a list of these potential dangers and remove them to safety or protect your child from them by using safety equipment, for example, a stair gate. Talk to the contacts listed if you are unsure about this.
What to say
With very young children the tone of your voice and facial expressions alongside explanations are extremely important. Children will begin to sense the warning tone in your voice over time.
Warning signs
Spend some time exploring your house as if you were a young child. This will show you the many potential dangers that, if not removed, could harm your child.
Prevention
Remove dangerous objects like drugs, medicines, sharp objects, knives, matches/lighters, alcohol, tiny items that could be swallowed and household chemicals out of the reach of children and lock them away safely. Do this before your child is exposed to any hazard.
The facts
- Babies and children learn by exploring their surroundings
- Babies and children do not automatically know what is dangerous
- Babies and children need supervision and guidance to keep safe at home
- Remove all potential dangers in your home
- Watch your child and remove him or her from danger
- Explain about safety to your child from an early age
Making your home safe
Babies and young children learn about their world by exploring it. This means that, as soon as they are able to, they will crawl, touch and grab at whatever is in their line of vision. They are curious by nature and need careful and gentle guidance from a young age about what danger is and what to stay away from. Shouting at or smacking children will not teach them about safety.
Most accidents happen in the home and this is why it is important to ensure that your home is safe for all your family especially for young children. There are many situations each year in which children have overdosed on their parents’ drugs and medicines.
Some dangers around the home:
- Make sure that all medicines and drugs are locked away well out of reach and your use of them is private to avoid your child copying you
- Certain rooms are necessarily full of danger, such as the kitchen, and should remain out of bounds or made safe by the use of safety devices
- Are your children contained within the house? Is the safety chain high enough on the front door even for a very active toddler?
- Crawling and exploring are an essential part of their development - keep an eye on your young children, especially near wires and sockets
- Small children should never be left alone with pets. Even trained and good natured animals can be tested when children are around
- Make sure that irons, kettles, saucepans and hot drinks are kept out of the reach of children. Scalding and burns are common and avoidable accidents
- Inhaling cigarette smoke is bad for children’s health. Children will be affected by passive smoking and your smoking may encourage them to smoke when they are older
- Check toys for safety marks. Ensure that your child does not play with toys that are not suitable for his or her age, especially if the pieces are small enough to choke on. Unsafe toys can be very dangerous
- Ensure babies and children are supervised at bath time and not left alone. Always run the cold water 1st and check the temperature, turn down the hot water tank thermostat
- Check car seats are fitted correctly and used for each journey
Contacts
- Talk to your health visitor or Midwife
- The Royal Society for the prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) 0121 248 2000 www.rospa.com
- Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) 020 7608 3828 www.capt.org.uk
