Child safety: What should I watch out for?

Furniture:

Once babies can crawl, they will soon want to climb higher. Shelves, cupboards and the rest of the furniture are often used to pull themselves up. Secure wobbly pieces of furniture so they don't tip over during the first attempts at walking and cause dangerous injuries.

Cables & sockets:

What are those interesting holes in the wall? Sockets should be off-limits! It's also better to secure them so your child cannot be injured by an electric shock. Cables are also interesting to toddlers, but not suitable for playing. Clear away the tangle of cables and secure wires in a cable duct or bundle them with cable ties. Read more information in our article on securing sockets.

Edges:

When babies start to walk, they still often fall. To prevent them from bumping into and injuring themselves on the sharp corners and edges of shelves or side tables, you should cover them with corner protectors.

Doors:

Open and shut, open and shut… Playing with doors is a lot of fun. But little fingers can get caught quickly. Therefore equip interior doors with door stoppers or finger guards.

Trip hazards:

Rugs, toys lying around, tiles or laminate. If little legs can't lift properly yet, a rug edge can quickly become an obstacle and make your child stumble. So make sure nothing is lying around when your child starts trying to walk. Tiles and slippery floors become safer with anti-slip socks.

Houseplants:

A few flowers create a pleasant living atmosphere, but can also pose dangers to your child: Not only the potting soil in low pots is interesting and is often tasted. Also make sure to keep poisonous plants out of your child's reach. These include, for example, amaryllis, daffodils or the poinsettia.

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Practice child safety together

Depending on their age, you can introduce your children to different hazards so they learn how to deal with them:

Climbing stairs:

If your apartment or house has stairs, you should secure them with a gate. As soon as your child can crawl, show them how to manage the steps on all fours. Coming down backwards also needs to be learned: place your child on the stair facing upward, stand behind them and show them how to crawl safely down backwards. This helps them develop confidence on the stairs.

Climbing onto chairs:

At some point your child will no longer want help when it's time to sit down to eat. Show them how to climb from the front onto their step high chair or an 'adult chair'. Stay with your child and make sure the chair doesn't wobble or tip over while they climb.

Dealing with fire:

Candlelight is beautiful and particularly interesting, but also dangerous. Light a candle together with your child and explain that fire is very hot. Matches and lighters should be kept out of reach. If your child is old enough, you can also explain how to behave if there is smoke. Smoke detectors have been required in living spaces for some time, so you'll quickly notice if smoke develops in a room. Because children like to hide when they're scared, you should teach your child to leave the room if there is smoke and tell an adult.

More tips for a child-safe home

• Ban tablecloths:Even though they look nice, tablecloths can be quickly pulled off the table along with all the dishes, including hot tea or coffee.

• Mats for the bathtub:This keeps the evening bath fun: rubber mats with suction cups make the bottom of the tub safe and prevent your child from slipping.

• Lock away medicines and cleaning products:Pills and cleaning products are poisonous and should be kept out of children's reach. Special medicine cabinets can be fitted with locks so you can lock them securely.

Image credits

Baby standing in the crib © Halfpoint - stock.adobe.com

Baby sitting in front of a power strip, plugging in a cable © Halfpoint - stock.adobe.com

Baby taking dishes out of the dishwasher © Halfpoint - stock.adobe.com

Baby climbing onto a Tripp-Trapp chair © Halfpoint - stock.adobe.com

Baby with leg over the crib bars © Halfpoint - stock.adobe.com