Home Safety Tips for Your Kids
by Andrew Kelliher | 3 min read May 31st, 2019
Your home is a great place for you to sit back and relax with your children. You should be able to feel confident in the knowledge that your children are safe in your home. As your children grow and learn, becoming more adventurous, accidents can happen. It can be helpful to put some preventative measures in place that can help your child to stay safe in the home, and to be aware of the risks that exist.
Water
Whether you’re bathing your new-born, letting your toddler splash around in the bath, or playing in the paddling pool in the back garden, water is great fun for children. However, it does present a number of dangers to be aware of in order to help prevent accidents from happening. It is important to provide supervision for your child at all times – no matter their age. Drowning can occur in even the smallest depths of water. Draining the bath immediately after use, emptying any buckets or basins and turning them upside down so they don’t collect rain water, and deflating paddling pools at the end of the day are all ways that can help you keep your children safe.
Wires and Sockets
We live in a technological age where there are electrical appliances in most homes. This means young children are susceptible to coming into potentially dangerous contact with electrical wires and plug sockets in the home, which can cause serious injuries. Making sure that wiring is properly insulated and that any loose wires are tucked away neatly out of reach for children can help to prevent against these accidents. Children may try to put their fingers or smaller objects into sockets so it is important to try cover up any plug sockets that aren’t in use with a plastic covering. Also, a simple introduction to the dangers and power of electricity can help to make your children more aware of its dangers and how to behave around it.
Small Objects
As your children develop and grow, they will become more curious in their surroundings – particularly with objects that they can pick up and grasp, or even put in their mouths, nose or ears! Incidents can happen where children cannot breathe due to small objects causing them to choke. To avoid this happening, try to keep small household items out of reach of kids. According to a study of hospitals surveyed where injuries related to consumer products, coins were the most commonly ingested at 62%.1 Whether it’s coins, keys, cosmetics, batteries, or jewellery, small items can pose a serious danger to your child if handled incorrectly. This goes for toys as well. Always check the label when purchasing a toy to see if it is suitable for children under a certain age.
Pets
The risk posed to small children by family pets is not always considered. Pets can be loving companions and owning one can have great psychological benefits for you children, in a behavioural, educational and social sense.2 However, there can be a downside to this relationship; Every pet has the potential to bite, especially when it comes to younger children who can be energetic and aren’t yet familiar with soft contact and general caution. As a pet owner and parent, it is important to acknowledge your pet’s need for space. This can be done by teaching your children not to interrupt the dog while it is having food, not attempting to take a toy from its mouth and speaking to your children about the general warning signs like baring teeth and growling. If a dog or cat feels threatened or scared they could pose a serious threat to your child so it is crucial to never leave your child alone with a pet and to warn your child to stay away from a pet that is acting abnormally.
Unwanted close contact from children can cause this, as small children don’t yet understand the pet’s behaviour and body language. This shows the increased need for awareness of your pet’s behaviour, especially around smaller children, who might make them feel stressed or threatened, resulting in them showing a certain level of aggression. So despite the benefits that having a pet can provide for your children, be sure to always look out for them when you have a pet in your home!
By taking note of these potential dangers and handy tips, you can not only help yourself, but also help your children live in a safer environment.
This guidance is for general information purposes only. Allianz accepts no responsibility or liability for any losses that may arise from any reliance upon the information contained in this guidance.
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This guidance is for general information purposes only. Information correct as of date of publishing. This blog will not be updated or edited so the information may become outdated
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