If you have children then the chances are your house and garden have been made safe for them. But you may be surprised. Things that you and I take for granted may prove harmful for a little one. In this article we suggest some handy hints to adopt if you have children or they are coming to visit.

The suggestions in this articles are just that. Suggestions. They have been gathered together from personal and friends experience and at no point should be viewed as expert opinion.

Kitchen

This is the first room in the house to ensure is child friendly. Not only for the most obvious reasons but also for the not so obvious.

Nearly everyone keeps bottles of detergent, bleach etc under the sink as they are accessible and away from food there. However it somehow happens to be one of the cupboards that children head for as soon as they are in the kitchen.

We have all looked at the warning labels on many household products and it is obvious to us that they are not to be drunk, spilled, poured or fed to the dog. Therefore this is the first area that you have to consider making inaccessible.

Therefore either ensure that all harmful liquids are out of reach in another cupboard or that the cupboard is securely tied. There are gadgets available that are meant to be childproof that can be affixed to the inside of the cupboard to ensure that the door does not open without reaching in and undoing the catch.

Unfortunately most childproof gadgets are more adult proof than child proof so one of the best and simplest methods is to tie a piece of string around the handle doors. Tight with good knots. Also ensure that anyone who is likely to open that cupboard knows to retie the string.

A wide range of cleaning fluids now come in a variety of aromas therefore they now come in a variety of colours. To a child this may appear to be the colour of their favourite drink so should be safe to drink. So to be on the safe side, keep them out of sight and out of reach.

Cooker hobs are also a special interest area for children as they are always curious to know what you are doing. Keep any pots and pans away from the edge of the hob and if possible use the back two rings while cooking.

A childs curiosity is endless and will explore all areas, normally ones that should not be accessible to them. So keep any drawers, cupboards or working surfaces that may contain sharp objects; knives, scissors etc firmly shut and out of reach.

In fact one acquaintance went all out in pursuit of child health and safety and sellotaped bubble wrap to any sharp corners of the working surface and shelves to avoid the sometimes inevitable bumps and bruises.

As the kitchen can be one of the most hazardous areas of the house it may be best just to keep the door shut!

Hallway

That does not mean however that there are not risks for kids safety elsewhere within your house. One of the areas that has to be monitored or controlled is the stairs.

Children with their overflowing curiosity will venture upstairs just to find out what is up there. Now, the majority of children will be fine on stairs as they can establish their own balance at a fairly young age and have unique and downright amazing ways to zoom up and down stairs. However, sometimes it is best not to leave these things to chance.

The best safety method is a childproof gate either just at the bottom of the stairs or if the child is going to be up the stairs at any point is to have two gates, one at the bottom and one of course at the top.

These do not necessarily have to be a hindrance to most adults as these gates can be easily stepped over. It is though recommended that you do not step over the gate at the top of the stairs as it would be ironic for an adult to fall down the stairs and injure themselves while stepping over a childproof gate.

One other area that can be overlooked and can be dangerous is uncovered plug sockets. We as adults know not to poke anything into plug sockets for the most obvious reasons. Children unfortunately do not have this knowledge and will quite happily experiment with anything that can come to hand.

To counter this hazard does not require the drastic measure of removing or raising plug sockets, just the purchasing of plug socket covers that are available from most electrical retailers.

One of the simplest methods to identify areas of concern in a room or hallway is to look at it from a child’s viewpoint. This may not mean getting down on your knees and looking, though that has sometimes raised a few valid concerns, it is to look at what would attract a child.

It may be your calming and serene water feature in the corner that to a child will instead be an attractive and interesting plaything who will promptly pull it off the table. To counteract this insatiable curiosity of the child to play with your most valuable possessions it may be best to have a selection of toys available for them to play with, if they do not come with toys attached.

They do not need to be state of the art toys. Who does not know a child that will be enthralled for hours with a big box of Lego.

Bathroom

The other area of the house to keep an eye on when it comes to child safety is the bathroom. As with the kitchen we keep a number of items that should be out of a childs reach, though may not be as harmful.

Bathroom cleaning supplies are normally kept in the cupboard under the sink and should be treated the same way as the harmful chemicals in the kitchen. Either move to an out of the way place or tie the cupboard shut and keep any razors away from any accessible shelves.

The bathroom is as well a breeding ground for germs so it might be wise and also sociable to do a good spring clean before any little (or big) visitors arrive. Ensure that there is soap, hot water (though not too hot) and clean towels. Not only will it keep germs at bay but also show you to be a sociable and conscientious host.