We need to examine our home today to check if it is safe for our little one so that his safety is nurtured at all time. Our child is very vulnerable to his environment, he is easily exposed to danger and risk of accidents or injuries. Our attitudes as an adult are important to ensure we nurture our child’s safety at all time.

We must never leave our child alone unattended at home. They must be supervised and taken care by a responsible adult at all time. We need to check our home environment for hazards before allowing the children to play. Prevention is always the best policy to minimize the risk and danger. Here are some pointers that you should take note:-

• Ensure First Aid Box is always well equipped. Attend basic first aid course in order able to handle simple child related accidents such as choking, burns and falls.
• Teach our child the rules for safe play to avoid rough or unsafe play.
• Teach our child not to talk or receive gifts from strangers.
• Install topple-proof furniture and use corner protections over sharp edges of your furniture.
• Lock all windows and prevent access to balconies especially in high-rise buildings.
• Never leave a child (with or without an adult) alone in the car with engine running when you are taking another child down or buying something.
• Ensure a playground area meet safety guidelines and the equipments are not broken. Playground equipment must not more than 1.5 meters high to prevent falls. Choose playground with soft flooring or soft rubber.
• Never allow a child to be alone in the bath room or in the bath tub.
• Ensure all pails are emptied and not filled with water. A child might fall into it and get drown.
• Fence off any baby pools or swimming pools in your home.
• Label all poisonous chemicals and medicines. Ensure these items are kept locked or out of reach of children.
• Do not re-use soft drink containers to store hazardous liquids.
• Ensure all sharp items such as knife, sharp utensils and scissors are kept safe and away from children.
• Set house rules that children are not allow to run and play in the kitchen or any area with outdoor cooking.
• Do not allow our child to play by roadside or in car parks with moving vehicles.
• When one of the adult is reversing car in the car porch/drive way, ensure no children are playing or running at that area.
• Ensure our child is seated on a baby car seat with seat belt on whenever in a car.
• Activate child-proof car locks to prevent our child from opening the door or window while we are driving.
• Always hold our child’s hand while crossing a street or walking along the roadside.
• To prevent choking, make sure our child sit down when eating.
• Never give nuts or small sweets to children below 5 years of age.

I hope the above basic guidelines are helpful to create a safe environment at home for our child!