Nurture Magazine | Page 34

32 Water safety Baths, basins, garden ponds, water features and swimming pools do of course pose a very real threat, and children should never be left unattended in or near them. Even filled bowls and buckets can be hazardous for young children. Ponds and pools should be fenced off and netted over, and children should always be under constant supervision in gardens or parks which have them. Childproofing on the go It can be useful to have a few spare bits and pieces to take with you when visiting other people’s houses, or staying away from home, to stop inquisitive fingers getting where they shouldn’t. A pressure-mounted stair gate (one that does not require wall mounted fixtures and fittings) is a handy piece of kit to take to Granny’s house, or on holiday. And even if stairs aren’t an issue, they are great for putting across doorways to keep little ones in. Safety checklist  tair gate – great for use in doorways as S well as stairs  upboard latches – keep those cleaning C products safely locked away  ocket covers – essential for easily S accessible plug points  all brackets - for freestanding W wardrobes and bookcases  ppliance locks for fridges, cookers and A washing machines  nti-door-slammers – cushioned A jammers that stop doors slamming on little fingers  ire-guards – get a model that hooks to F the wall for optimum safety Smoke detectors – a necessity for every home Socket covers can easily be slipped into a handbag or changing bag – again, very useful in hotel rooms or at friends’ houses when all those ‘voyage of discovery’ crawling sessions end up around the power points! For your big parenting adventure