Making Parenting Easier
Christmas is a time for all the family to celebrate together, and enjoy peace of mind with these simple steps for safety over the festive season. From using a hob guard to raising your Christmas tree, there are some easy solutions to make sure that you can enjoy the festivities to the full.
Decorating the house
Why not get creative with your decorations this year, using a range of child-friendly materials and designs?
Using fresh foliage is beautiful, but make sure to choose varieties that don’t have berries. Similarly, glass ornaments should be kept out of reach so the little one doesn’t accidentally break them.
Fred Safety’s choke tester is a really simple tool to check your Christmas decorations and make sure they’re safe for young children. If your ornaments can fit or squish into the choke tester, they need to be put well out of reach of children. It is not just the ones that fit into a choke tester whole that you need to be aware of though, if they can break into little pieces that will fit into it then they pose as much risk, or if they are decorated with poisonous paints. Even if they are wooden and appear safe, they can still be a risk so it’s best to be cautious as decorations are rarely tested to the toy safety standards and should therefore be kept out of reach. The same goes for bowls of nuts and even chocolate assortments – anything small enough for the choke tester needs to go up high. These small changes will make a big difference to your stress levels in the run-up to Christmas and on the big day and don’t worry, you’ll still be able to reach the chocolate!
Overnight stays
If you have family coming over to stay, there are a few simple steps you can take to accommodate young children into your home. The easy way to secure rooms and staircases is with a Fred stair gate. Stair gates can be fitted in minutes and will give you peace of mind when you’re eating your Christmas dinner. Little ones can play with their toys in a separate room and with a stair gate you don’t need to worry about them wandering into the busy kitchen or trying to climb the stairs.
Similarly, our self-adhesive child safety locks for drawers, doors and more can be easily fitted and removed, leaving no trace. The same goes for plug socket covers and stair gates. This means you can fit them before your little guests arrive and then take them off before New Year! They can be kept in a drawer or cupboard and used again when you have more children staying. These simple additions can help to make the festive period stress-free, without compromising on your interior design. If you don’t want to install child safety products then make sure you move poisonous or hazardous items up and out of reach in a secure cupboard for the duration of their stay.
Christmas cooking
Food is without doubt one of the best parts of the Christmas holidays. When you’re multi-tasking in the kitchen with plates going to and fro and a strict schedule to stick to, you’re unlikely to be at the hob whilst pans are boiling and simmering. This can be dangerous if you have young children around so to cook without limits, it’s a good idea to fit a hob guard.
A hob guard is a really important addition to your Christmas kitchen, especially if you have family members who aren’t necessarily clued up on child safety. A hob guard reduces the danger of burns during the busy holiday period, making the home safer for the whole family. This gives you more freedom to get everything ready for lunch, without worrying about children going wandering! Make sure you choose a hob guard that fits securely and wraps around the sides of the hob, not just the front, so that they can’t be pulled down by little ones and try to use the back two hobs as much as possible to minimise the risk even further. The easiest way to protect children from harm in the kitchen is to keep them out of the room while you are cooking, so make the most of all those relatives coming to stay and ask them to keep the kids entertained while you cook up a feast!
Christmas Trees
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a tree and just because you have young children in the house, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on this festive tradition. There are some simple things you can do to make your Christmas tree safe, starting with elevating it. By raising your tree up on a sturdy table, you take it out of reach of young children and toddlers. This reduces the risk of them pulling the tree over and removes the ultimate toddler temptation – to pull off all the baubles! Another option is to only decorate half of your tree, leaving the bottom clear of ornaments. If you opt for this version, make sure that your base is secure and cannot be toppled over. If you decide to elevate it then choose a table with legs in each corner rather than in the center so that it doesn’t become a tip hazard, or you could try putting a play pen around your tree!
When it comes to fairy lights, it’s a good idea to keep these up high too. Make sure you tuck any wires out of reach of your baby or toddler and don’t leave exposed extension plugs lying around. Fred Safety’s child safety plugs are specially designed to fit exactly in UK sockets, eliminating fire risk and ensuring that your little one can’t take them out. They’re the safest option for Christmas and year-round.
Christmas is all about
spending time with family. Whether you’re celebrating at home, have a full
house or are heading to your relatives, these simple ideas will make sure that
your house is safe and child-friendly for the whole of the holiday.
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