Childproof your home: prevent serious injury to your baby/toddler (and protect your property)

The distress caused when a child is seriously injured at home is immense. The safe haven that is home is full of hidden dangers - childproofing your home provides protection to both your children and your property. Childproofing can save minor injury, and often permanent disability or in some cases lives - that’s why it is regarded as ‘the greatest achievement in child safety since the child car seat’. It has become a billion dollar industry in the United States and Canada where there are over 20,000 qualified professionals.

So what is childproofing? It is taking practical measures to prevent injury and ensuring that parents understand the potential dangers in their home. Childalert is helping to empower parents with practical advice to protect their children, and also offer a unique childproofing service to give you absolute peace of mind.

Curious children left unattended, even for a moment, will wonder into rooms that hold potential dangers. All parents wish to provide the very best possible environment for their young children to grow up in and any unnecessary bumps, tumbles, burns, fractures, and even more serious injuries can easily be avoided with a little understanding and common sense of the dangers and how best to avoid them.

Childproofing is no substitute for responsible parenting; the slightest distraction like the telephone ringing or another child requiring attention can cause the one you’ve been looking out for to be off courting trouble. Make sure your environment is safe.

Just how safe is your home

Get down on your hands and knees and see the world from a toddlers eye view - you'll see what they can see and reach for

Stairs to tumble down, sharp corners to fall on to, plug sockets to poke inquisitive fingers into and all manner of interesting machines crying out to be investigated. Your safe, safe home can suddenly seem a dangerous place when you have a baby

If you have young children, you frequently wish you had eyes in the back of your head

Turn around for a second and an inquisitive toddler will decide to explore something dangerous

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accident, more than 600,000 children aged four or under needed hospital treatment following accidents in the home

A lot of parents have no idea how dangerous the home can be

The Department of Trade and Industry say most accidents happen in the lounge and dining room, closely followed by the kitchen, bathroom and stairs

Lots of parents don’t have the time to fit safety gadgets and they haven’t a clue what to buy’ ‘They should be thinking about making their home safe long before their baby starts to crawl. By six months a rumbustious baby will want to touch, feel and taste everything within 4 ft of the floor

I was having my house built while I was pregnant and didn't think about what having a baby would mean. I put in a spiral staircase which, in hindsight, I realised was impractical , but I discovered there are products which do look good, keep your baby safe and don't cost a fortune

We bought the house just before Daisy was born and rushed to get it renovated in time for her birth. She arrived one week early and the house was still unfinished. We worked day and night to complete it

If we’d had more time we would have done things differently. We would have hidden more of the wiring under the floorboards and thought more carefully about how we installed the bookshelves and cabinets. They are not fastened to the wall and could easily topple down onto Daisy

Most accidents occur during the day, in particular between the hours of 6pm and 7pm, when people are often beginning to get tired and clumsy

Another common time is during stressful periods, or when there is a distraction, for example when you are trying to cook

Untidy homes cause more accidents than tidy ones

So the answer is - BE PREPARED – have an expert visit your home and recommend the best solutions to make your surroundings as safe as possible.

REMEMBER – Childproofing your home has been described as the single most important child safety measure since the invention of the child car seat.

childproofing service Find out how to book an appointment for a unique childproofing survey of your house Find out what a survey entails here..... 'the greatest child safety measure since the car seat'

information provided for babyworld by Childalert