![]() Mark sliding doors and other expanses of glass with colorful stickers so your child doesn't run into them.The Window Covering Safety Council has more information on window covering cord safety Opens a new window. If your blinds or shades have cords and you can't replace them, shorten or tie up cords to ensure they're well out of reach. Use cordless window coverings, because cords can pose a strangulation risk to young children.Keep windows locked when they're closed.The guards should fit snugly but not so securely that an older child or adult can't remove them in case of an emergency. Or, install window guards that have bars no more than 4 inches apart. ![]() To childproof your windows, install window stops to prevent them from opening more than 4 inches.Make sure your child can't reach or open any window more than 4 inches. Keep your child's crib or bed, and all other furniture, away from windows.Only by staying with and focusing on what your child is doing all of the time can your child ever really be safe – which is why parenting is such an enormously tiring job! Home safety products such as the Fred ones are a great second line of defence for when your attention slips, but your job will always be the most important one. Which of course leads naturally on to the most important bit of safety kit of all – you. What would you do if you were them? Some of the risks you can do something about immediately, others it is important to be aware of so you can keep a watchful eye. Get down on your knees so you can see what they see. Many plants are poisonous, and the way the leaves swish and move are fascinating to a child, so move them up and out the way for the time being, or lend larger ones to a friend for safekeeping. For example, hairdryers/ straighteners and electric fires are often left next to plugs on the floor and can do enormous damage if a child inadvertently turns it on. Ensure that sockets are always switched off when not in use, and electrical items are not left where a child may find it and plug it in. Review where you keep refuse before throwing it out so that your child can’t get to it (bins in the bathroom are often small and accessible to a child – and keep those new nappy sacks out of reach too). that may have fallen out of pockets un-noticed. Pull off the sofa cushions to find coins (always a bonus) etc. ![]() for small items that your child might find. Move household chemicals, medicines, and any other poisons out of lower cupboards and out of your child’s reach. Keep cups and any glass or china out of your child’s reach in the centre of a table, and don’t carry your baby and hot drink at the same time. Get in the habit of using the back burners of your stove and angling pan handles away from the edge. Move beds, chests of drawers, cabinets or anything else that a child can climb onto away from windows. ![]() Until you are able to install a safety gate, keep the door shut so your baby stays in the room with you – even the loo! We found ourselves scurrying around the house changing things around, there’s a lot you can do without spending a penny…. Like many parents in a rented home there was a limited amount we were allowed to do, and an even smaller budget, so we had to get imaginative. You know that your baby is going to start moving at about 9 months, so how does it still come as a surprise? I was certainly caught on the hop, my son suddenly moving around the house before I had a chance to get it baby safe.
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