Child safety in the home
You may not be aware of it, but home can be a hazardous place for young children. According to the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia, private homes top the list of places where children are likely to experience injuries. In fact, for children under the age of 5, home injuries account for half of unintentional deaths and 3 out of 4 non-fatal injuries. Drownings in backyard swimming pools and house fires account for half of these deaths, but other common causes include falls, electrocution, choking and being run over in the driveway.
These may be grim statistics, but many injuries in the home can be prevented or avoided. To make your home as safe as possible for your children, it makes sense to do a check on every room in your house to look for possible hazards. A good time to do this is when they start crawling, or even before. Try getting down on your knees and looking at each room from a child’s viewpoint. Don’t forget the garden, play areas, and shed.
Safety in the home: some tips
General
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Install smoke alarms, particularly in the kitchen and children’s bedrooms.
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Cover all unused power points with child safety covers.
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Unplug electrical appliances when you’ve finished using them.
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If possible, install an earth leakage circuit breaker in your fuse box which will cut the electricity supply off if there happens to be an electrical fault.
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Doors that are likely to slam can trap young fingers. Fit door closers to these doors.
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Fit safety glass to all glass doors and low windows.
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If your house has more than one storey, ensure that upstairs windows are fixed so children can’t get out of them.
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Install vertical barriers on balconies. Horizontal ones can be climbed easily.
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If you have deadlocked doors in your house, make sure you keep keys in them so you can get out easily in case of emergency.
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Have emergency telephone numbers (doctor, police, ambulance) available by the phone at all times.
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Keep a first aid box in the house, and do a first aid course so you will know what to do in an emergency.
In the kitchen
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Don’t use dangling electrical appliance cords that can hang down and pose a hazard to small children. Use short cords or cordless appliances instead.
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Use a stove guard over the stove.
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Keep all hot drinks, plates, dishes etc. out of children’s reach.
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Turn saucepan handles inwards when cooking.
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Be extra careful using deep fat fryers around your children. The oil from these can cause instant, severe burns.
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Store children’s food away from the stove area so no-one has to reach across a hot cooktop.
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Establish a ‘no go’ area in the kitchen near the stove if possible.
In the bathroom
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Don’t leave any electrical appliances (hair dryers, heaters etc) lying around in the bathroom.
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When running the bath or basin for your child, put the cold water in first and add hot water as necessary.
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Never ever leave a small child alone in the bath even for a minute. If you need to leave the room, take him or her with you.
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Don’t allow your child to play in the bathroom unsupervised.
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Consider installing a safety shut-off device to hot taps to limit the temperature of the water.
In the garden
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Gates and fences should be in a good state of repair and serve as an adequate barrier. They should have vertical rails rather than horizontal ones so your child can’t climb over them.
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Lock all tools, particularly power tools, and gardening chemicals away in a secure shed.
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When planning children’s play spaces in your garden, ensure they are as far away from the driveway as possible.
If your children spend frequent time with relatives, for example grandparents, check those houses for hazards as well.
As your children get older, teach them about safety in the home.
Last Reviewed: 13 June 2001
