Things you must know when child-proofing your home

To prevent accidents such as cuts, burns, trapped fingers or falls from happening, parents are advised to safe-proof their house and keep a close watch on a few danger zones and situations at home.

Find out how to childproof your home and keep it safe for your little ones.

Mr Andrew Esmonde-White, Co-Founder of Kluje.com shares his insights on how to make your home a safer place for your child.

1. Things to know before you safe-proof your house

Keeping in mind the phase of your child’s growth goes a long way in helping you plan and budget the renovation works to safe-proof your home.

Here are some things to consider:

Installations vs renovation: Parents need to divide the 2 ways of child proofing their house, which are small installations and renovation. When their kids start to crawl, parents can equip their house with electricity plug plastic cover to prevent their kids from sticking their fingers into the outlets.

You’ll need latches and bumpers like this to keep your baby’s prying fingers away.

Grippers, latches and bumper for doors: Some safe-proof items that are needed in the beginning phase are door grippers, door latches and bumper. When kids start to walk and climb, parents will usually install swing doors and window grills which usually come out with the idea of remodelling their house by the time the children grow by setting up their bedrooms and also living room.

By indicating the phases, parents can predict the budget based on their needs – small installations or a renovation. This will help them to be more efficient in making the budget plan.

Will you child proof your home on your own or outsource to a handyman?

DIY or outsource: Parents can do small installations, however for busy modern parents they can look for assistance by hiring a handyman. For bigger renovations such as house remodeling or childproofing garden, parents might need interior designers and contractors. Therefore they can seek them online on online marketplace for homeowners to find quality contractor to prevent unsatisfactory results.

2. Areas of the house parents should child proof 

Parents should put attention on every corner of their house, however there are two areas that should be prioritised – the kitchen and bathroom.

Child proofing the kitchen

For child proofing, we usually suggest to start from the kitchen, as it is probably the most dangerous place in the home.

Do note that it is dangerous to hold your baby while getting things done in the kitchen

Although mothers may want to cook and take care of their kids at the same time, it is highly suggested to keep the kids out of the kitchen. In order to assure this, parents might need to separate the kitchen by installing a glass frame with the door or for a lower budget, parents can install a swing door.

Furthermore, safety latches should be installed on all cabinets and drawers to keep children from potentially poisonous household products. Pot handles should be turned toward the back of the stove to keep hot pots and pans out of the reach of children.

Take note to turn pot handles inwards, and choose a ‘child proof’ stove design.

Child proofing the bathroom

Apart from the kitchen area, the bathroom is also on the priority list – and the following should be taken into consideration:

• If you use electrical appliances in a bathroom, unplug them after use to prevent electrocution from contact with water in the bathroom. Also keep them away from children to prevent burns.

Make sure to unplug your bathroom appliances and keep the plug point away from your baby.

• Install safety latches on cabinets and drawers to prevent children from getting to potentially poisonous household products.
• Install toilet locks to keep toilet lids closed because children are more top-heavy than adults and can lean and fall into a toilet easily. They also can drown in just one inch of water, not to mention that your child can get very ill from the water in the bowl.
• Lastly, set the water heater thermostat to 48 degrees Celsius. It takes just three seconds for a child to sustain third-degree burns from water at 60 degrees Celsius.

3. Set a budget for child proofing your home

The pricing for child proofing your home varies, depending on what you need to install and your choices of product. Here are some examples for you to take note of:

• If you choose to install safety gates to prevent your kids from falling and wandering around your house, this will cost between S$100-S$150 per gate installed (Auto-close Metal gate S$89.00).

Install safety gates to keep your child from falling or wandering to ‘dangerous’ zones in your home.

• Window grills installation costs between $150 – $1000, depending on the type of window grills as well as the length and height of installation required.
• For smaller installation jobs like safety latches, these will set you back between $50-$100. The safety latches itself costs S$5.95 for a pack of 4.

Get a safety cover like this for your plug points to keep your kids from sticking their hands into the outlets.

• In the living room, parents usually install electrical outlets cover or they can use safety caps. Outlet protectors costs S$5 per pack of 12 while ground fault circuit costs$50 per circuit. Do note to add $150-$200 for installation.

 Got more tips on how to childproof your home? Share with us by leaving a comment below!