Guards

Heat and power sources represent a particular hazard for children. To protect them you can buy:

• Fire guards - if you have any type of fire in your home a guard is essential. It should be fixed to the fire itself, or to the wall on either side of a fireplace. Sizes and styles vary to suit both open log fires, electric and gas units
• Cooker and hob guards - an extendible guard fits across the front of the hob and prevents your child reaching up and pulling saucepans down
• Socket guards - these may either be plastic mock plugs which fit into the socket and prevent children from poking things in, or guards which cover the entire socket unit and plugs. Some socket guards double as a night light which may be useful in your child’s room
• Electrical lead guards - these can be used to secure trailing leads to the wall or to bundle trailing cords neatly together into an enclosed tube
• Temperature warning stickers - these change colour to warn an older child when a variable heat appliance has become too hot to touch

If you have pets you may need a:

• Pet guard - a mesh pet net will discourage cats from jumping into a pram or cot. A smaller mesh net is also available to protect babies from insects - this can be useful when the pram is outdoors in summer.