5 Ways To Make Your Home Safer For Young Children Who Like To Touch Things
When you start having kids there’s going to be a lot of changes that need to be made at home. You’re not on your own anymore and children are not like little adults that can look after themselves. You need to make the home a lot safer than you would if it was just you and your partner, so that means no more leaving sharp things lying around. It’s also to protect your home, because we all know how children love to destroy stuff for the fun of it. Either you are thinking about having kids or you already have them, so here’s a few things you should take into consideration to make the home a safer environment for all.
Always Lock Your Doors
When we are inside by ourselves it’s not unusual to have your doors unlocked. It’s easy enough to lock them before you go to bed, but unless you live somewhere really rough it’s not like you need to bother during the day. That’s until a little explorer comes along and decides they must play around with everything, including opening the doors whenever they get the chance. Eventually kids will grow out of it, but you don’t want them exploring town when you’re making food in the kitchen. You can’t expect to keep an eye on them 24/7 until they are old enough to go out, so lock them in.
Have a Garden Fence
If you’re going to let your little one play in the garden it’s probably a good idea that you have a secure fence. This is to stop them from getting out, but it also helps to keep people from getting in. There’s a lot of nasty people in the world and you have to keep the kids as safe as possible. It’s not like you can keep them locked inside all the time, so having a secure fence around the garden just makes it that little bit safer and makes you sleep easier.
Use Guards for Dangerous Areas
One dangerous place is the fire. If you don’t have a guard protecting the fire they will touch it and get burned. They will touch it and get burned.
You know it’s going to happen eventually, so stop any accidents from happening. Stairs are another area that scream danger. At the top and the bottom. You want a guard at the top so they don’t fall down. There also needs to be one at the bottom, because they can still have a serious accident by climbing to the top and tumbling back down. Maybe get one that can be moved around.
Watch Your Head
A child’s head is soft and it’s not going to react well to something falling from the sky and crashing down on it. What kind of things could cause this to happen? Well drawers are an obvious one. It wouldn’t be the first time a child has opened a drawer and it’s came sliding out. Try putting catches on drawers that are easily accessible. What about things laying on the top of tables? If a child bangs into a table the object might fall off.
Keep Cables Hidden
You’re going to have a lot of different cables laying around. Most electronic equipment will have something coming out the back of it. The best thing you can do is make sure everything is tucked up neatly and not there to be pulled and twisted. And don’t let them play with the plug sockets around the cables because electricity isn’t safe, especially for someone that likes to put their fingers into holes. It’s just common sense, but it could easily save a life.
Helen Green is an interior designer and gives special emphasis on designing homes with children. She is an active member of the painter nashville group as well.
