Child safety – at home

Home is a special place when you are growing up. It is somewhere to explore, to have adventures and to play. It is also the most common place for young children to be injured. Try to make your home as safe as possible before your baby arrives, and again before your child starts crawling.

Make sure the inside of your home is safe, and also think about hazards in outdoor areas, particularly the driveway, front and rear gardens, pool and barbecue areas, garden sheds, play areas and cubby houses.

Driveway safety#

Driveway run-overs are a serious risk for young children, and most happen in the driveway of the child’s own home or that of a relative or friend. In most cases the driver is unaware that a child is near the vehicle.

Young children, especially those under 6 years of age, are particularly at risk because:

• they can be impossible to see from inside a car, especially if they are immediately behind it
• they can move quickly and are unpredictable
• many cars have a large rear and side blind spot that can easily hide a child, in some cars more than 15 metres
• even with parking sensors or a reversing camera, a child may not be noticed until it is too late to stop

Disruptions to the usual family routine, such as visitors coming to your home or school holidays, can increase the chance of a driveway run-over. The basic message, especially for parents of children under 6, is to always make sure you know where your children are before you reverse out of a driveway.

Make physical changes around the home#

One of the best ways to reduce the risk of injury is to make some physical changes around the house. Most childhood injuries are predictable and preventable.

Look at your home and think about the obvious risks and hazards. Where possible, remove the hazard or add a safety product to reduce the chance of injury. For example, if you have a low table with sharp corners, you can attach corner covers, or simply move and store the table elsewhere for a while.

Before deciding what safety products you need, remember you can always change the layout of a room to make it safer. If you are building or renovating, you can include safety features in the design from the start, which is usually much cheaper than changing things later. The best time to start making these changes is well before your baby begins to crawl.

Choosing safety products#

A wide range of safety products is available. Be selective and choose products that:

• are affordable
• suit your particular situation
• are appropriate to your child’s age

Some products are essential, such as a first aid kit. Others are required by law, such as smoke alarms and a pool fence.

Door and stove barriers#

A door barrier or safety gate can keep a young child out of the kitchen, particularly at busy times such as when dinner is being prepared. It lets children play safely in an adjacent room while you keep an eye on them, and is also an important safety feature at both the top and bottom of stairs. You can buy barriers to fit doorways or open spaces of various sizes.

The kitchen is one of the most dangerous parts of the house, and injuries involving the stove and oven can be very serious. A stove guard fitted around the hot plates can protect children from scald or burn injuries caused when pots and pans are pulled down on top of them. Stove knob covers make it harder for a child to turn a stove or oven on, or you may be able to remove the knobs altogether.

Locks and safety catches#

Many dangerous chemicals and cleaning products are kept in the kitchen, laundry and medicine cabinet. Put these away immediately after use and store them in a locked or out-of-reach cupboard, ideally at a height greater than 1.5 metres.

Various locks, catches and latches can be fitted to cupboards and drawers. A plastic catch may be enough for a cupboard or drawer holding crockery, but it is not adequate for dangerous items. A magnetic lock or “elbow catch” offers greater protection. Alternatively, you can buy a small lockable cabinet for medications and a larger lockable cabinet for cleaning products.

Button batteries#

Button batteries are found in many common household items, including remote controls, calculators, bathroom scales, car keys, toys, watches, talking books and cards, and flameless candles. These coin-sized batteries can cause severe, life-threatening injuries if a child swallows them.

To protect children from button batteries:

• identify the items that contain them
• secure the battery compartment of those items
• store and dispose of spare batteries out of reach

If you think your child has swallowed or inserted a button battery, seek emergency medical help straight away.

Other safety products#

There are many other safety products available, including:

• safety tap caps to stop children turning on a hot tap, which can cause hot water burns, and which can usually be fitted without a plumber
• finger protection strips that prevent children trapping their fingers between a door and its hinge
• power point covers that stop objects being poked into open sockets, reducing the risk of electrocution
• doorknob covers, blind cord windups and foam door stoppers

Key points#

• Home is the most common place for young children to be injured.
• One of the best ways to reduce the risk of injury is to make physical changes around the house.
• Look at your home and think about what the obvious risks and hazards are.
• Remove the risk or hazard if possible, or add a safety product to reduce the chance of injury.
• Door barriers are an important safety feature at both the top and bottom of stairs.

Where to get help#