How to: Child safety in the grandparents’ home
Both children and grandparents love to spend time together playing, baking, cooking, reading and much more. Every now and then, parents allow themselves a little “time out” and enjoy to leave the little ones with grandma and grandpa for a certain period without worrying.
But most of the homes where there are no small children living, are not properly furnished and equipped suitable for children. In this article, we’ll tell you how grandparents can childproof their homes. Finally, you will find a practical checklist to tick off.
Discover dangerous spots and safety risks
Grandma and grandpa often have a very special, warm and close relationship with their grandchild. Nevertheless, they are not always able to correctly assess what the child is already able to do and what not, or what could become very dangerous in their home. Therefore, it makes sense to make a joint tour of the house before you leave your child in the care of the grandparents to discover dangerous spots and safety hazards. Often, the biggest sources of danger can be eliminated without much effort.
Just looking at everything through the eyes of a young child helps. Small children are curious and therefore try colourful liquids that are standing around, they put everything in their mouth, try out sockets and pull themselves up on any objects and furniture.
Danger zone: electricity, gas and fire
Young children are not able to assess the dangers of their own actions. Therefore, the home environment must be as childproof as possible, because handling electricity, gas and fire can be deadly.
Child safety locks should be installed on electrical outlets to prevent an electrical accident. Likewise, make sure there is no old cord lying around with unprotected ends. In the kitchen, make sure the child isn’t there alone, so he or she doesn’t get the idea to play with the stove or operate the stove’s switches.
Many children love to play with fire but fire indicators do not belong unattended in the hands of young children. The fireplace can also become a major danger zone. Keep any temptation away from the child until he is old enough to understand the consequences of his actions.
Danger zone: stairs and hallways
Children love to climb up and down stairs. However, this often causes many accidents. Therefore, it is advisable for grandparents to close the stairway with a door gate, so that the stairs are not accessible in the first place. It is important to make sure that the door is closed in such a way that the child cannot reach it by itself, even if it stands on the lowest crossbar of the door. For grandma and grandpa, such a door gate may be a change, but it is very important to protect the child from nasty falls.
To prevent children’s fingers from getting caught, stoppers should be placed on the doors to prevent the door from slamming shut. Pinching small children’s fingers is one of the biggest dangers. Here you can read how to treat trapped fingers correctly in an emergency.
Danger zone: Living room
When the child is with grandma and grandpa, they spend most of their time in the living room. To prevent accidents, you should pay attention to the following hazards.
Install curtains and drapes so that a child cannot get tangled in them. Cords from blinds or shades should be rolled up to eliminate the risk of strangulation. Carpets should also not have rolled up edges to prevent accidents.
Decorations made of porcelain or glass should be placed out of reach of children. In addition, corners of occasional furniture should have edge protectors to prevent children from injuring their heads. Read up on what to do if your child hits their head.
Danger zone: Kitchen
Grandma’s food is simply the best! That’s why it makes even more fun to cook and bake together with grandparents.
Kids love spending time in the kitchen because there’s so much to discover. But everything that sizzles and bubbles in the pots, glows red on the stove and goes in the oven is a big danger zone. It is important to explain to your grandchild what is allowed and what is taboo. Everything you need to know about child safety in the kitchen can be found here.
Danger zone: Bedroom
Spending the night with grandma and grandpa is one of the absolute highlights for every child. Make sure that objects are stored out of reach of children. Likewise, medicines should not just lie around. Grandma’s favourite perfume can also be very dangerous for children. When trying it out, little ones can spray the scent into their eyes, which can cause severe irritation. There is even a risk that the child wants to drink the perfume bottle. This is highly toxic!
Danger zone: Bathroom
Children love to play with water, but water should not be underestimated! Your grandchild should never play in the bathtub unattended, as the risk of drowning is very high.
Dangerous items such as nail scissors, shaving tools, nail files and similar items belong in a lockable bathroom cabinet.
Safe toys at grandparents’ house
Every toy that a child encounters should be tested and therefore not be harmful to health. Look for a test seal and an eco-test label. However, the general rule is that fewer toys are more, so you don’t overwhelm your grandchild with all the toys.
Make sure your grandchild plays with age-appropriate toys, as this can already prevent numerous dangers!
The biggest danger zones for children should be removed from the grandparents’ house. Then nothing will stand in the way of all the fun at grandma and grandpa’s house!