Your Toddler - 10 Tips on Making Home Safe for the Young Child

Toddlers are usually very energetic. They are at the stage where they are extremely curious about things in their environment. They are developing rapidly and need to explore their surroundings in order to facilitate their mental and social development. Toddlers should be given the least possible physical restriction in the home. If the needs of the toddler are to be met, the home must be made a safe place for him to explore and learn without injuring himself.
If you have a toddler in your home, you should pay special attention to the suggestions in this article, thereby ensuring the safety and well being of your child.

1.Before giving your child a toy to play with, you should examine it for sharp edges that may cause injury to the child.

2.Put away all ornaments or heavy articles that your child may break or cause to fall on himself.

3.Be careful when placing things on the table. Make sure they are well out of the reaches of the toddler. You would want to avoid incidences where the toddler pulls heavy or hot items on himself. Sometimes the things on the table are out of the toddler's reach, but a tablecloth on the table is within his grasp. This can have equally devastating results since the youngster can pull on the tablecloth and bring down what is on the table. Watch out for those tablecloths that the toddler can reach.

4.If possible, restrict the toddler's access to the kitchen especially when cooking. In this way you could avoid bumping into your child accidentally while carrying hot food or hot water. Toddlers may climb kitchen cabinets or stove to see what is on them. Remember he is very curious and wants to learn. You may satisfy your child's curiosity by showing him the food cooking on the stove. Let him know that it is hot and if touched, it will hurt. Demonstrate the hurt so he sees it on your face. Make it live for your toddler so he will learn to avoid such situations.

5.Restrict access to stairs for your toddler. Climbing stairs unattended is exciting for the toddler but it is very dangerous also. Your toddler may be permitted to climb the stairs only when supervised by a responsible individual. In the final analysis, he will one day climb the stairs on his own and therefore needs to know how to do it safely.

6.Keep all medicines and cleaning substances out of the reaches of your toddler.

7.Pesticides, herbicides, lawn and garden supplies, automobile lubricants, furniture polish and insecticide sprays should be kept in the garage or storage shed. All such materials should be kept on shelves that are out of the reaches of small children.

8.Secure standing fans, bookcases, lamps and any other appliance that is within the reach of the toddler. Secure anything that will fall if your toddler holds it for support.

9.The toddler's room should have little furniture to allow him maximum freedom of movement. The floor should be covered with a rug or carpet to prevent injury when the child falls. Remove any protruding nails or screws from walls, doorways, cribs and playpens. Toddler's crib should be located away from windows to prevent the child from attempting to climb through the window and injuring himself. Keep the toddler's room and the rest of the house clean at all times. Wash and sanitize his toys and play area every day. Protect your child from germs.

10.Never leave your toddler unattended in the bath. Always make sure that your young child is removed from the bathtub before attending to other matters.

Toddlers love exploring and learning from their environment. We as parents and family members must allow maximum freedom for the toddler to get familiar with, manipulate and discover how his world functions. Without unduly restricting the young child, we must make sure that his safety receives the attention it deserves.