Electrical hazards and safety for baby/toddler

There’s no getting away from using electrics and electrical appliances in the home, but with a baby or toddler around the place you need to pay particular attention to this aspect of everyday life. Plug sockets, electrical power cords and lamps are just some of the things that can cause your little one harm.

To avoid shocks, burns and other injuries from electrics, parents should adopt a few habits concerning the use of electrical equipment as well as introducing some essential electrical safety products.

Plug socket safety

Plug sockets, or power outlets, are one of the primary danger spots for children. Thousands of injuries every year are caused by unprotected plug sockets. To prevent curious fingers poking into places where they shouldn’t, install plug socket covers to every power outlet in the home.

Plug socket covers should be designed to be tamper-resistant as recent studies have found that toddlers aged 2-4 were still capable of removing basic covers. Choose socket covers that have a twist and pull mechanism or ones that require the plug to be used as a key for removal.

BabyDan Twisting Plug Socket Cover

Clippasafe Plug Socket Covers

There are of course some appliances that need to remain switched on (i.e. fridges, freezers, computers) for permanent or prolonged use so a socket cover isn’t practical. However, this doesn’t mean that the socket and inserted plug can’t be protected.

To prevent your tots from turning off these essential appliances and exposing the socket, install universal socket covers that provide a complete boxed cover to both plug and socket but with a simple tamper-resistant release mechanism for when you need to gain access.

Universal Single Socket Cover

Universal Double Socket Cover

Electrical cord/cable safety

We’re a long way from technology and appliances being truly cordless so until that day comes electrical cords and cables represent a real danger to your baby or toddler. Wherever possible, hide cords and cables so your infants can’t see them, chew them, pull them or trip over them.

Ideally, cords and cables should be out of reach and hidden because babies in particular are prone to chewing anything they can get their hands on (and chewing through a power cord will result in shock or a nasty electrical burn).

Cords and cables can also be pulled which may result in toppling over a lamp or other appliance bringing it crashing down on top of your tot. Children playing with cables and cords are also at risk of accidental strangulation and a stray cord or cable laying across the room is a trip hazard to your infants and everyone else in the house.

To keep your longer cables safe and tidy, use a cable shortening product to lessen the length of cord. This baby safety essential will help to keep long dangling electrical cords out of reach.

Clippasafe Electrical Cable Shortener

Electrical appliance safety

Children are endlessly fascinated with opening fridge doors or playing with the knobs and switches on electrical equipment. Always supervise your infants when they are close to electrics and fit safety devices that will help to prevent them getting access to or putting fingers into electrical appliances.

For the kitchen, use a locking device that fits to the side of your fridge/freezer to prevent your toddler from opening the door.

Clippasafe Fridge Lock

Kids love DVD players and satellite/cable digiboxes. The lights, switches and mechanisms are too tempting to leave alone but these devices are not only fragile (and therefore breakable) but also an electrical danger if handled incorrectly.

A shield over these devices means that your infants can’t have access to them, however your remote controls will still continue to work.

Clippasafe DVD and DigiBox Protector

Video recorders (or VCRs) may be being phased out but many homes still have them – much to the joy of babies and toddlers who like to play with the opening flap and stick their hands where only video cassettes should be!

Fortunately, the video locking device is a product that is still available and used by many parents with infants in the house.

BabyDan Video VCR Lock

Tags: baby safety, electrical safety, ravi, toddler safety

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 9th, 2009 at 3:03 pmand is filed under Electrical. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.