The moment you bring your baby home from hospital, start thinking about child-proofing your entire house.
“Don't wait too long. Before you know it, your child will start crawling, exploring the house, investigating everything they can put their little hands on. The sooner you hide hazardous items and potential dangers away from your child’s reach, the better,” says Lewis Rudall, master electrician and director at Lake Road Electrical. Here are some recommendations:
1. Residual Current Device protection – RCD is vital, especially if you have young kids and pets. RCD is a life-saving device designed to protect you and your children from fatal electric shock if they touch something live like an uncoated wire. RCDs are designed to quickly and automatically disconnect power when an electrical change is detected, preventing serious injury. If you have an old switchboard consider upgrading it, as new ones offer RCD protection and multiple other safety features.
2. Avoid extension cords and multi plugs – If possible, avoid using long extension cords and multi plugs that sit on the floor. Kids tend to chew on things - you don’t want them chewing on something electrical, or playing with accessible cords and wires, or knocking over appliances plugged into them. Consider using a multi-plug cover which has an opening for the cords to hang out safely, or install multi-plug points on the wall out of reach.
3. Use electrical plug-point caps – The cheapest way to prevent your child from sticking objects and fingers into outlets is to use electrical outlet caps. Made of plastic and plugged directly into your plug-point, the exposed area of the cap is completely flat making it difficult for a child to grip on it. If your child cannot poke anything into outlets, the safer he/she is. It’s that simple.
4. Use nightlights – Use a nightlight to provide illumination in the dark for your child’s safety, perfect for kids' bedrooms and the bathroom, so they won’t stumble if they wake up in the night. Nightlights come in a variety of styles, such as outlet-mounted, table mounted or low-level recessed wall lights.
5. Regular electrical maintenance – Take care of loose and frayed wires that are located in accessible areas of your home. At least once a year, have a licensed electrician check your home’s electricals.
Visit www.lakeroadelectrical.co.nz for more news and tips.
