Although becoming a parent is a joyous moment, it also changes the way you see the world. Suddenly, it is full of potential dangers and hazards.
There are going to be many heart-stopping moments along the way of growing them from small bundles of joy, to toddlers, children, teenagers, and eventually, adults.
Keeping your child safe is obviously your number-one concern, and as a new parent, the task can be daunting.
So, we’ve put together a short list of safety tips for new parents to help keep your little one out of danger.
Fit Anti-Tip Straps
Whether it’s a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, or even the large plasma TV in the front room, anti-tip straps can be lifesavers.
As your children begin to crawl, pull themselves up, and eventually walk, they’ll be able to reach almost anything. And sometimes it doesn’t take much to tip something over.
The back of your TV is likely to have fixing holes to which you can secure a strap. The other end should fit either to the wall or onto the back of the unit it is sitting on. This will stop the TV from getting pulled forward.
The same goes with furniture, fixing a sturdy nylon strap between the wall and the top of the unit.
Deaths and severe injury have occurred as a result of furniture getting pulled down, and this is a simple step which can help to prevent that.
Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Alarms
With alarms fitted in the baby’s room, as well as elsewhere in your home, you will ensure you’re warned as early as possible of a potential emergency.
Carbon monoxide alarms will alert you to the presence of the ‘silent killer’, so-called because it is tasteless, odourless and colourless. That means that without an alarm, it’s almost impossible to know it’s present until you’re already suffering from the effects.
In bedrooms, fit these to the wall at the height at which people sleep.
Elsewhere, place them in rooms with gas boilers, appliances, and wood-burning stoves and fireplaces, ideally on the other side of the room at standing head height.
Also, fit an optical smoke alarm on the ceiling of your child’s room to alert you should a fire break out. You’ll also need smoke alarms in living rooms, hallways, and other bedrooms, and a heat alarm in the kitchen.
Interconnected wireless alarms will sound every alarm when one of them detects something to warn the whole household.
Most importantly, with the alarms installed, remember to test them weekly to ensure they’re still working.
Have a First Aid Kit
Having a first aid kit in your home means you’re ready to make their ‘owies’ better, as sometimes kissing it better just isn’t enough. You may also want to add a few other medical products to it which are specifically for their age.
Only ‘one in five parents feel confident that somebody in their household knows first aid’, according to St John Ambulance. So it will also pay to familiarise yourself with the basics.
Not only are there plenty of books available to help you, but there are also groups where they’ll show you what to do.
Medical supplies in your home must be out of reach of children. This could be either in a locked container or cupboard, or located in a high-up place they cannot reach.
Door and Window Security
They may have such tiny, cute fingers, but they’re capable of getting themselves into trouble. And you need to keep a close eye on them because, by being so small, they can be badly hurt if caught in a door or cupboard.
Not only does childproofing the kitchen cupboards prevent babies from getting to what’s inside, but it prevents small hands from opening doors to trap their fingers in too. And on the standard doors in your home, you may also want hinge guards and door stops as well.
With a window restrictor, you can allow a gentle breeze into the home whilst preventing the window from opening wide. As a result, you stop opportunist burglars from getting in, and would-be escapists getting out.
However, with a key, they can open wider when needed, such as a possible escape route in a fire.
Know What to Do In an Emergency
Should a fire ever break out in your home, you need to know you can get everyone out as quickly as possible. It also helps to perform a fire drill to familiarise everyone with it and to work out any kinks as early as possible.
With working smoke alarms, you should receive plenty of warning to ensure you get to safety in plenty of time without too much panic.
But you may also need a backup plan should your primary route from the house become blocked. And if you find yourself trapped upstairs, then a fire escape ladder will provide you with a safe route down to the ground.
Try this out too before you need it so you know what you’re doing. And there are also harnesses available to safely hold a child to your body, leaving you with both of your hands free to get you both to safety.
Of course, we hope you never need to discover the benefits of these tips and products for yourself. But they have all saved lives and prevented injuries in the past, and will continue to do so in the future.
Taking these steps now means you’ll have fewer things to worry about, knowing they’re in place should they’re needed. That way, you can focus your efforts better on enjoying your little ones.
As your children grow, it is important to help them to understand what they should do in an emergency, as well as helping them to understand basic fire safety advice. For help in knowing what to say, we’ve put together some more tips to help you out.