Childproofing your home.

Childproofing your home can be a big task, so we've provided these easy-to-read home safety tips. We've listed necessary information for helping safeguard against hidden hazards in different rooms. Our room-by-room reference guide helps you to keep what's most important to you safe - your children.

Kitchen
There are more things to harm kids in the kitchen than anywhere else in the house. These include poisonous materials, choking hazards, sharp utensils and hot objects. Avoid making the kitchen a play space and minimise the time your child spends in the kitchen by making it uninteresting to them.

• Cupboards and drawers contain many dangers such as chemicals, plastic bags and breakable and sharp objects. Be sure to lock all cabinets and drawers and move all cleaning supplies to a locked cupboard that is up high and out of your child's reach.
• Simple things such as spices and seasonings can be dangerous, including salt for its iodine, as well as vanilla and cooking wine for their alcohol and herbal preparations. Be sure to keep those items in a locked place.
• Knives are dangerous for obvious reasons so always keep them in a locked place
• Ovens and stoves can burn your child. Using the back burners of your stove is a good tip and remember to turn pot and pan handles in, and away from reaching hands. Teach your toddler that the oven is hot and he or she should not touch it. Keep your countertop appliances unplugged when not in use and keep your oven and stove knobs locked.
• Keep drinks and dishes away from the edges of tables and counters.
• Keep appliances such as your refrigerator, dishwasher and garbage disposal locked to prevent your child from accessing sharp or breakable objects as well as choking hazards.

Bathroom
The bathroom is fun during bath time, but there are things to look out for.

• Drowning can occur in less than 5cm (2") of water. NEVER leave a child unattended in a bathtub or in the care of an older sibling.
• Keep all toilets locked.
• Set your hot water heater to 50 degrees Celsius. Always check water temperature before placing your child in the tub and swirl water around to eliminate any hot spots.
• Use a spout cover to protect little heads from bumps.
• Lock all cupboards to prevent children from accessing toothpaste, perfumes, soaps, lotions, deodorant, mouthwash, etc. Store razors and razor blades in a locked cupboard. In the tub, keep soaps and shampoos out of reach.
• Keep all medicines, including vitamins, in a locked cupboard or up high and out of reach.
• Place slip-resistant mats in the tub and a slip-resistant pad under bath mats.

Lounge Room
When your home is childproofed, your curious child can explore and discover new things in safe surroundings which will make you feel more at ease.

• The hard, sharp corners and edges of tables and furniture can pose a hazard to crawling babies and walking toddlers. Be sure to pad corners and edges to avoid injury. 
• Always keep your child away from the heater or fireplace and use an appropriate guard. 
• Cover all powerpoints to prevent electrical shocks. 
• Wrap up excess blind cords to remove a strangulation hazard. 
• Keep windows locked and keep children away from open windows to avoid falls. 
• Use a cord shortener to keep electrical cords out of reach of children and run them behind furniture when possible. 
• Secure furniture to the wall to prevent it falling or being pulled onto children. 
• Lock your VCR/DVD to prevent little fingers from getting stuck, and possibly cut. 
• Always look for choking hazards such as buttons, coins etc and remove them from reach.

Children's Bedroom
Make the area safer for sleeping and playtime by following these safety tips:

• Only use a cot that meets Australian safety standards.
• Follow SIDS guidelines for child sleep
• Avoid hanging pictures etc above a cot as they could fall onto your baby.
• Cover all powerpoints to prevent an electrical shock.
• Do not position the cot or bassinette near a window to keep blind cords out of reach and wrap up excess blind cords to keep them out of reach.
• Keep windows locked and keep children away from open windows to avoid falls.
• Use a cord shortener to keep electrical cords out of reach of children and run them behind furniture when possible. 
• Secure furniture to the wall to prevent tipping if children use them as climbing frames.  Opening drawers on a chest of drawers and climbing up is common.
• Use a bed rail when moving babies into child beds

Stairs and Hallways
Falls from stairs are especially dangerous, so be sure to install gates before or as soon as your child starts crawling. Toddlers are often fascinated with stairs so you'll need to ensure yours are gated.

• Install a gate at the top and bottom of stairs to keep children off them and prevent falls.
• Teach your child how to climb the stairs but only when you are with them every step of the way.
• Cover all powerpoints in the hallway to prevent an electrical shock.
• Lock any cupboards that may contain dangerous items.
• If there is a balcony on the second floor of your home, be sure to keep the door closed and only allow access with supervision. For added safety, use a rail net to secure your balcony or stair landing.

Other Rooms
• Laundry - be sure to keep the door to the laundry room locked and any cupboards inside.  Laundries generally have a variety of dangerous chemicals inside.
• Home offices - It is best to keep your child away from the home office area and avoid making it a play area. If your child must be in the home office, be sure to use powerpoint covers, secure furniture to the wall, lock filing cabinets and keep all choking hazards such as pen caps, push pins etc in a locked drawer.
• Patios/decks - be sure to install a gate at the top and bottom of any stairs and make sure your child can't squeeze between the rails.  For added safety, use a rail net.
• Watch out for splinters on wooden decks and furniture. Keep your child away from BBQs.
• Install a smoke alarm on every level of your home and outside each sleeping area. Change the batteries when you change your clocks for daylight savings time and test them once a month.
• Pools - Australian law dictates that all pools and spas need a fence and gates that meet the relevant standards.  Drain all kiddy pools when not in use.

This article has been supplied thanks to Safety 1st.