Think about your home and how it is set up. How safe is it for a toddler? If you have small children, you probably think about this sort of thing all the time. What can be a potential danger? Is there anything that could be tripped over or cause injury if your child fell on it? What is accessible from their crawling height? A toddler is an inquisitive and adventurous creature, who wants to explore everything around them. They are also pretty clumsy and accident-prone. So, as you can imagine, keeping them safe at home with these characteristics is no easy feat. Many potential hazards come with having a toddler in your house; the risk of them burning themselves on the heater or smashing their fingers in the door is just two of those risks. There is also the chance they could get locked in a room without adult supervision or access dangerous items like cleaning products or sharp objects. Here are some tips to make your home safer for a toddler:

Keep toddler-accessible areas clean and clutter-free

As your child gets older, they will become more independent and curious. They will start to explore the world around them, and put almost everything they can get their hands on into their mouth. They will also experiment with how things work, which can lead to accidents. Keeping your home clean and free of clutter will help prevent accidents. There are several areas of your home that you will want to keep extra tidy if you have a toddler. Keeping these areas clean and tidy will reduce the risk of your child coming into contact with something dangerous, or finding something they shouldn’t have. Areas to focus on are the floor, the kitchen, the bathroom and the bedroom. We will go into more detail about specific recommendations on what to keep in these areas below.

Don’t leave sharp objects around

Keeping sharp objects out of your toddler’s reach is a pretty easy way to prevent serious injury or cuts. You will probably want to keep scissors out of the home completely, but you will also want to keep knives, pencils and other household items that could cause harm out of sight. Working out a way to keep things like scissors, crafting scissors and knives out of reach is a must if you have a toddler. There are many options for locking items away, but also many creative ways to keep them out of sight. Keeping the sharper items out of sight will prevent your child from accidentally hurting themselves with them. If you have children who are old enough to use knives or scissors, be sure to show them the correct way to use these items to avoid accidents.

Check all electrical equipment is child-proofed

If you have electrical equipment in your home, such as a heater, vacuum or coffee machine, you need to make sure your child can’t reach it. Toddlers are drawn to shiny things, so any electrical equipment in their reach should either be kept out of sight or be made as safe as possible. This includes electrical outlets many of which your child will be able to reach. To keep them safe, you can buy a cover or plug that blocks the outlet and make sure the wall socket is mounted correctly. You can also use a plug with a built-in cover that protects the outlet. You can also use a plug with a built-in cover that protects the outlet. These are especially great for keeping curious toddler fingers away.

Lock away dangerous items and medication

It is important to keep dangerous items out of your child’s reach. These items can cause serious injury and even death if consumed by your child. Some of the most common household items that are toxic to children are cleaning products, tinctures, cosmetics and medicines. Although these items may not seem dangerous, they can cause serious side effects when consumed. It is not only important to keep these items out of reach of your child, but also out of site. It is also a good idea to keep your medication out of reach to avoid your child getting into it and overdosing. There are many ways you can do this. You can put them in a locked cupboard, or use a locking box. You can also consider storing these items in a refrigerator or freezer to keep them out of reach. Alternatively, you can put them in a safety deposit box at your bank.

Let there be light during the day and darkness at night

Keeping your home well-lit during the day will help your child stay safe. If you have stairs in your home, they will likely have not yet mastered the art of using a stair gate. As such, you will want to keep these high-traffic areas well-lit so your child doesn’t fall down the steps. You may even want to consider installing a light above the stairs so there is a light on both sides. Some parents may choose to make their home a little darker at night to help their child fall asleep. This is a good choice for parents who feel their child is too tired to sleep but too wired to fall asleep. Darkening the home may make your child feel more relaxed and tired enough to fall asleep.

Conclusion

There are many ways on how to make your home safer for your toddler. Making sure everything is out of reach, keeping the home well-lit, keeping the floors clean and tidy, and keeping dangerous items out of sight will all make life easier for your child and you. Remember that as your child gets older, they will become more independent and curious. They will start to explore the world around them, and put almost everything they can get their hands on into their mouth. Keeping your home clean and free of clutter will help prevent accidents.