The Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health confirms that up to 200,000 child accidents occur within a year. In Germany alone, the following facts emerge:
- 47 percent of accidents in the home happen to children under the age of six,
- of which 58 percent are boys,
- 47 percent of all mishaps turn out to be falls,
- 26 percent represent collisions,
- 15 percent are burns
- and five percent appear as scalds.
Accidents that lead to health complications for offspring also happen in Austria. Therefore, it is better to make sure to make the apartment childproof. First, try to look at your home through children's eyes. For example, kneel in the door frame and see what injury risks are at your eye level. Think about which dangerous objects you can easily reach at this height. At the same time, you will learn which activities the children need help with.
How do you ensure child safety?
As a rule, the offspring spend most of their time in their room. There they play and romp around, for example by climbing on the furniture. If the armchair falls over during a climbing tour, there is a risk of serious injury. To avoid this, mount the furniture so it is tip-proof. Screw tall cabinets to the back wall to prevent them from falling over. In addition, you can prevent them from climbing the shelves by placing the child's favorite toys in the lower compartments.
If this is not possible, offer your children a practical step stool. Depending on their age, help them climb up so they don't fall down. If the little ones slip while running and fall to the floor, there is a risk of bruises. You can avoid this by laying out rugs in the room. If you have carpet as a floor covering, fluffy runners are still suitable to cushion a fall.
Throughout the apartment, it is worth providing the edges of furniture with padding. Edge protection accessories play a role here. Alternatively, use foam to cover sharp corners. Another source of danger is open sockets. Curious little ones quickly reach into them with their fingers. You can prevent this by buying child socket protection online. You can find out which models are currently on the market and what you should look out for when buying them at moms.de read.
Child socket protection and child safety locks
You should attach the protection to all sockets – not just those at the children's eye level. As a rule, this is a flap that covers the socket. Furthermore, keep the apartment tidy to remove tripping hazards. If the little ones run through the rooms, carpet edges also count as a possible obstacle. Glue the carpet to the floor so it doesn't slip. Numerous accidents happen in the kitchen. In addition to knives and scissors, you should keep cleaning agents here, for example. To ensure that children do not get their hands on them, attach a child safety lock to the respective cabinets.