Baby Proofing the house...

[Lolly85x]

... So my little man is in at EVERYTHING....!
And I just wondered if any of you ladies had any tips to share to make the place safe? And where to buy the stuff?
We have plug socket covers, things to wrap the cords up from the blinds and baby gates..?

Any other things people have found good/useful

 

[l_maclean]

Don't use plastic socket covers! They are actually more dangerous!!! My OH (an electrical engineer went MENTAL when I bought some).

The design of uk sockets means its physically impossible for a LO, even at just a few weeks old to get fingers in them more that a few mm (miles away from wires). But the socket covers can usually be put in upside down cos most of them bend - this technically means that you can put one in the earth point leaving 2 live points below - which keys etc can be stuck in.

Also they aren't tested to any proper safety standards. He found me a website explaining it - will see if I can link. Xxx


On my iPhone - so cant see tickers

 

[l_maclean]

http://www.fatallyflawed.org.uk/


Very eye opening. Xxx


On my iPhone - so cant see tickers

 

[Frankie_Lou]

Don't use plastic socket covers! They are actually more dangerous!!! My OH (an electrical engineer went MENTAL when I bought some).

The design of uk sockets means its physically impossible for a LO, even at just a few weeks old to get fingers in them more that a few mm (miles away from wires). But the socket covers can usually be put in upside down cos most of them bend - this technically means that you can put one in the earth point leaving 2 live points below - which keys etc can be stuck in.

Also they aren't tested to any proper safety standards. He found me a website explaining it - will see if I can link. Xxx


On my iPhone - so cant see tickers

I second this. My OH is an electrician and I got a lecture when I suggested buying some. Just leave then empty and if possible stand furniture in front so they can't get to them.

Other than that all i can think of is those kitchen cupboard latches things to stop them getting in. Keep all cleaning products/chemicals and medicines in high cupboards out of reach.

Can't actually think of anything else right now, my brain won't function this morning!

 

[hellywelly]

Omg. Thank you for sharing that article - I had no idea. Why don't we know more about these things?! Shouldn't somebody be promoting this more? I have just nearly ordered some plug socket covers online - I can't believe important information like this is not more widely promoted.

 

[Leah04x]

Stalking this thread! Ethan is into everything too..
Where's the best place to buy the cupboard latches etc?

xx

 

[Karate Kid]

Thanks for the info! Cx

 

[Jajis]

I had read the thing about socket covers somewhere on here before I'm sure, so I've not bought any of them. We have got corner protectors for a couple of bits of furniture with particularly sharp corners in the sitting room - Alex pulls himself up on the bits of furniture and then sits back down and I was worried he'd headbut the corners.

We haven't got stair gates yet because we're in rented so we'd have to get the pressure ones as we can't screw anything into the walls, but we're moving in a couple of months and once we're in our own home we'll be putting them up everywhere Once we're in our own home we'll also be putting catches on the kitchen cupboards.

You can also get things to stop door hinges shutting on little fingers, so we'll be getting some of them I think.

We're having the gas fire at our new place ripped out before we move in because (a) it's hideous and (b) we have one at our current place and Alex keeps pulling the front off it - obviously we don't have it on (if we did we'd get a fire guard), but it drives me insane

Not sure what else we need to get.

 

[kedi376]

My surestart centre has safety packs that they give out for free., I'm not sure if they all do it though. I got a stair-gate, bath mat, bath thermometer and plug socket covers (even though I'd also read it wasn't good to use them!). I could have got a fire guard too but I don't have a fire.

Might be worth giving them a call.

 

[kittyrooroo]

I'll be getting those toilet lock things for our downstairs loo because when OH was a baby, he threw everything he could get his hands on in there! I don't fancy fishing my phone or house keys out the loo on a regular basis! Xxx

 

[Jajis]

I'll be getting those toilet lock things for our downstairs loo because when OH was a baby, he threw everything he could get his hands on in there! I don't fancy fishing my phone or house keys out the loo on a regular basis! Xxx

Oh dear! We might have to get one of them too - Alex loves water so I reckon if he worked out there was water in the toilet he'd be straight for it

 

[Hope81]

i am in the process of moving everything up out of her reach, nth out and about besides her toys, we said bye bye to the living room table long ago, we blocked her way to tv and electronics, we are going to mount the tv on the wall too, all the power things are behind sofas and they all have sth plugged in

there is a baby gate in the living room and a baby gate to the bottom of the stairs, we are going to mount glasses panels to raise the entrance to the stairs upstairs to child safe level, we have a water thing for fires in the hallway under the stairs, the foor that leads to the balcony will get a new shiny lock as the current one is not properly working, same comes for the bathroom door.we have a problem with the front door that can't have a lock, it has a switch type thing from inside but we are goign to figure that out too i suppose.

the windows are getting locks too so you need to open 3 point 2 of those needing simultaneous coordination to open the windows

i am going to move all the detergents, waterer weird cleaning substances or anything else dangerous in the bathroom or the basement, anyway behind a locked door that is (once she is crawling or walking)

all the drawers that she can reach will go through them and see if anything small enough for her to eat is in there

all medicines are goign to be moved upstairs in our bedroom in a locked drawer.

hmm that all i can think, i just started so yeah there is a long way ahead of us...

 

[Lolly85x]

Don't use plastic socket covers! They are actually more dangerous!!! My OH (an electrical engineer went MENTAL when I bought some).

The design of uk sockets means its physically impossible for a LO, even at just a few weeks old to get fingers in them more that a few mm (miles away from wires). But the socket covers can usually be put in upside down cos most of them bend - this technically means that you can put one in the earth point leaving 2 live points below - which keys etc can be stuck in.

Also they aren't tested to any proper safety standards. He found me a website explaining it - will see if I can link. Xxx


On my iPhone - so cant see tickers

It's not the plastic plug socket covers were using my sister works in Electrical Engineering too and she got me really good things from her work, that actually fits onto the socket so it's just flat. And baby can't get to the sockets or switches. And it just pops on and off! It's brilliant

 

[Lolly85x]

Good tips! I really need to re-arrange my cupboards and get some of those door stopper things.xxx

 

[Lynds77]

oh god all of this scares the crap out of me! her cot is right next to a double socket, and what do I have currently have in them?? bloody socket covers!!! she often sits up and reaches through the bars to the socket. Not sure I would be happy with nothing being there? We have a breathable cot bumper, but she she just pulls it out of the way.

we have had to order all new furtniture. our TV unit is low with glass doors on the front that come off easy, and our coffee table is also low with sharp edges and corners.

so we have a new corner unit, coffee table, side board and nest of tables on order and waiting for them to arrive. All solid wood so too heavy for her to topple over and all nice rounded off edges and corners. Hope it arrives soon as she is wanting to stand up all the time now.

when it all arrives we are going minimalist. Nothing is going to be left out, just in case!

 

[l_maclean]

Lynds - by all accounts having nothing in them is ALOT safer.

Tbh we don't have any safety stuff in tech house. We taught her quickly how to use stairs safely - I figured us having stair gates would make her more likely to hurt herself if she got access to stairs somewhere else (she moves pretty fast!) and didn't know how to use them.

Same with cupboard door - she knows "shut the door"




On my iPhone - so cant see tickers

 

[Jajis]

Our furniture is currently far from baby proof - all our bookcases, CD/DVD racks, wardrobes etc. are supposed to be attached to the walls (they all came with things to attach them) so that children can't pull them over if they try to climb them, but as we're renting we've never attached them. When we move I'm going to try and make built in cupboards with shelves over the top so that we don't need as many free-standing pieces as I can definitely see Alex trying to use them as ladders! We'll also finally have an attic and a shed so I can de-clutter and put things away properly out of his reach!

 

[hellywelly]

Lolly can I please have a link to the socket covers you are talking about? Thanks. I have the worlds most immobile child so at the moment we haven't got anything in place! I think it will evolve as she starts to move a bit more and we can start to see what we need to do.

 

[toni64539]

I honestly can tell you, that is a load of rubbish, last month my friends little girl spent 5 days in hospital after sticking a key in one if their sockets. The socket covers I have you have to use a device to remove them, even I can't do it! So for me, they are a must!

 

[Hope81]

My mum said my cousin tried to put a fork inside there, we are covering anything empty of appliances too, though hard to find anything empty in our house lol.