Safety in the home

Your toddler needs to feel and be safe in your home. You can take care of a few parts of your home to make sure that you feel confident and happy your little one can explore in complete safety. Find out what an expert suggests to help you manage the safety of your home. Here’s a quickstart guide to safety ideas you might want to use in your home:

Kitchen and bathroom

• Make sure you supervise your kids in these rooms.
• Keep chemicals, including cosmetics and medicines, and cleaning products locked away.

Hall and stairs and living room

• Fit safety gates to make sure your toddler can’t go upstairs unsupervised.
• Never leave your front door open.
• Make sure all your breakable or dangerous items are out of toddler reach.

Smoke detectors

• Make your home a lot safer by fitting smoke detectors on every floor and checking the batteries weekly.
• Draw up a fire safety plan and make sure all your family know what to do if there is one.
• Look into installing fire doors and swapping glass doors for ones with shatterproof glass.

Managing the safety of your home: the expert’s view

"Accidents in the home are a common reason for hospital admission in the toddler years, so have a checklist and make sure your home is safe every few weeks or months and at each new stage of your child’s development. Your health visitor can help."
Zoe Dunhill, Consultant Paediatrician, Edinburgh Sick Children’s Hospital

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You might also like to check out Home Safety Scotland's website for additional tips.