A child’s development has different stages. Since they have different interests per stage, the danger they will be exposed to also vary. Your home must therefore be outfitted differently to make sure it’s safe for a child.
At two to three years old, children would like to explore their surroundings. They are naturally curious and would use all their senses as much as possible in understanding the things they pick up from anywhere.
Install temporary railings
Once your child could walk, make sure you could keep your child out from potentially dangerous rooms. Install metal railings at the entrance of the kitchen. Put up barricades at places when you’re cleaning and the floor might be slippery. Stairs should also have guards that adults could swing in or out, but would keep the toddlers from falling.
It’s not to say that your child should be kept away forever. They could, for example, go into the kitchen and even learn with you how to bake. But make sure they are supervised when they do, not left wandering around.
Install security cameras inside the house especially where your child usually is
There’s too much controversy with the use of ‘nanny cams,’ but having a security camera is not against any law. It just has to be visible. Security cameras are a big help especially when you want to keep watch over your kids while you are busy with other household tasks. There are already several sophisticated cameras that could be monitored using your tablet or phone, and even those that alert you if they detect something wrong.
Place them strategically where your child would usually wander around. If he or she has a designated play area, it would be better because you will only need to monitor this when your child is at play. But still, to be safe, have cameras installed in all places of your house especially those that are potentially dangerous to your kid.
Keep your home tidy
Those small toys scattered around the floor are not just a danger to your child, but to anyone who might step on them and lose their balance. Always put away everything once your child is done playing. Better yet, teach your child to put away his or her toys.
It’s not just the small scattered objects that could pose a threat, but also electric wires, and anything dangling that could attract your child’s attention. Keep them out of reach and even out of sight.
Large objects could also be dangerous if they are prone to toppling over when accidentally hit. Those sculptures might have been nice in the middle of your hallway before. But now that you have a kid running around, they might not last long intact plus they could seriously harm your child.
In line with keeping tidy, make sure that poisonous substances are out of reach. Hide your cleaning solutions, butane, gasoline, and even medicines. Keep them all away from your child who might be too curious how they taste like.
Never leave the child alone when taking a bath
It might sound absurd but drowning is one of the main reasons for children’s death around the world. Children aged one to four are most prone to this. Although most of the deaths occur in places with bodies of water, drowning also occurs at home, when children are left in baths unsupervised.
If you think that your child is safe because you just have a shower at home, think again. A young child doesn’t have the same motor skills as you and could easily slip on the tiles in your shower room.
Put covers on your electric sockets
You might think that it’s very absurd for a child to stick in his or her finger in these sockets and get electrocuted. But it’s not absurd for a child holding a metal rod to stick it into the holes in a wall, socket included. Accidents happen because they were unexpected. This precaution is just insurance that your child will not have that kind of accident.
Putting up security measures to keep your child safe does not mean you are keeping your child from exploring. It’s the opposite of restriction. You are allowing your child to explore freely but safely. Restrictions could affect your child’s outlook on the world. During these formative ages, he or she should feel free to do what children would normally do to satisfy their curiosities. Let them feel your support and guidance, but at the same time make sure that they are not harmed.
