Safety in the bedrooms

The bedroom is generally seen as a place of safety, refuge and rest. But as with any room in your home, there are hidden dangers.

Babies are incredibly curious and will touch and play with almost anything that is eye-level. That means you need to get rid of anything dangerous on your floor (for when he’s crawling) and knee high (for when he’s pulling himself up).

Mummy and Daddy’s bedroom

As far as your baby is concerned there are so many interesting things to see and so little time.

• A wall plug has little holes that will fit a tiny finger just beautifully. Once a baby has found a wall plug, he’ll zero in on it every time he crawls into a room. It’s just a matter of seconds before that little finger is pointing in the direction of the plug. If you’re not using the plug, place a safety device in it. You can buy them at most baby stores.
• Cords for hairdryers, hair straighteners, cell phones, lamps, televisions and radio’s can easily trip your baby or strangle him.
• Place hot hairdryers and hair straighteners out of reach so that baby can’t get burnt.
• Lock nail polish removers, nail clippers, hair products and other toiletries away.
• Medicines, stored in your bedside table, should be locked away or kept out of reach

Baby’s bedroom

• Make sure that cot toys can’t strangle him or smother him. Toys with long strings, over-sized teddy bears and toys with sharp corners should only be used under supervision.
• Don’t over heat his room. Make sure that he’s at a comfortable temperature. Overheating, especially with newborn babies, has been linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (S.I.D.S)
• Don’t place too many blankets in a young baby’s bed. Also position your baby at the bottom of the cot and tuck him in, so that he can’t wriggle under the blankets and suffocate.
• Keep the side of his cot up, until he can safely climb out by himself.
• Lock his windows or make sure that there are bars on the windows, so that he can’t climb out.
• When changing your baby on a compactum, changing station or bed, keep an eye on him at all times. Once babies start rolling over, he’ll soon roll right off and onto the floor.
• Keep your baby’s toiletries out of reach. Not only will that prevent your baby from being poisoned, but you’ll also save yourself a lot of money once baby discovers that pulling wet wipes out of the containers is fun.

Sibling’s bedroom

An older brother or sister’s bedroom is like a treasure trove for a crawling baby. There are so many things there to grasp onto, to chew and to taste.

• Marbles, Lego and other little items can be a choking hazard. They should be kept out of reach
• Crayons, pens and paints are more likely to be messy than dangerous. But a pen could cause serious injury, if your baby has it in his mouth when he falls.
• Bunk bed ladders should be kept out of reach, if they’re easily detached. Otherwise place an object in front of the ladder, so that your baby doesn’t pull himself up and try to climb it.
• Try to keep your older child’s bedroom door closed so that your baby can’t get inside
• Hamster cages, bearded dragons and bird cages should be kept out of reach. Once your baby can pull himself up, he’ll grasp at that cage and pull it down.
• Favourite toys can be dangerous too. Your baby or toddler is likely to end up being smacked, whacked, pushed or poked, if he gets too friendly with his older sibling’s favourite toy!