DIY to Make a Child Safe Home

By Lindsey Watson
If you've recently started a family or have visiting little ones, you'll soon come to notice that your home is full of hazards that you hadn't previously noticed. There are many precautions you can take and a few little DIY tasks you can perform to make your home a safer place for young children.

When you have children around you need to see the potential danger or accident in everything. For example, as I am sat here writing this I am looking at the items within reach of a toddler on a low table to my side. There is a foreign coin which is an obvious choking hazard. Near the curtains there is both a pair of scissors and a cigarette lighter that has been left out from lighting some incense. Both of these could spell disaster - especially right next to the curtains. The other item is a bottle of moisturiser. This could be dangerous if swallowed, but also a mess if spilt and a waste of expensive moisturiser! That's a whole load of potential accidents from one small table!
The trick is to hide everything away or move it upwards out of the reach of little fingers. Putting up high shelves is a great option, easy for putting things on quickly out of the way. Putting things away in cupboards and drawers is great but remember to fit good childproof locks on them. Child locks for cupboards and drawers can be picked up very cheaply and they're very easy to fit. They're also easy to remove later when the child is older. Most just attach with a small screw and have a hook that you reach over and unlatch when you need to use the cupboard.
Hard flooring can be troublesome for toddlers who are getting to grips with walking. Laminate and porcelain floor tiles can be slippery but putting down rugs can help and it will give them a softer landing when they fall. Do though fix the rugs to the floor as the rug itself could slip on the shiny surface causing a tripping hazard for both children and adults alike. Similarly, you need to fix any broken floor tiles because they can be a trip hazard and sharp edges can injure tiny toes.
Plug socket covers are a must. Electrical outlets are dangerous and are just at the right level to be of interest to curious toddlers. Plug socket covers simply slot into the socket when not in use and keep it safe. The edges of tables can be a nightmare when they are just at head height. You can buy foam bumpers to attach, or make your own. It won't look pretty, but a perfect home is probably not your highest priority when you have young children anyway!
Be extra careful when you're cooking, turn the handles on your pans inwards so they can't be grabbed and pulled over. Sadly this is quite a common cause of burns in young children. Stoppers that make sure a door doesn't close fully will stop little fingers getting trapped. I remember doing this a lot as a child and it does hurt!
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