Baby Safety in the Home

Nola:
As a building safety expert in the United States and being involved in child safety policy, I will give you this piece of advice: NEVER rely on another party to provide for safety for your child. I have seen too many preventable tedies because parents were not aware of certain risks to their children.

First, google "child safety". You will find a LOT of resources that have lists of things that you should consider. You will need to walk through the house and make the assessment yourself to ensure your child's safety.

Starting on the upper story (Caveat: this is NOT complete, so read all you can on the subject), check that operable windows do not pose a fall hazard. Screens do not restrain children! The window must be locked, be more than 36" above the floor, have a guard placed over it, or be limited to opening only 4". Make sure that toilet lids are always closed (common cause of drowning). Remove medicines from low or unlocked locations. Put safety plugs in all electrical receptacles (bring them with you from the US or order them online). Corded electrical items can be partially unplugged and may still be energized, so you may want to block access with heavy furniture where they are plugged in. Verify that any guards protecting falls from upper levels are provided with infill such that a 4" diameter sphere will not pass through. Do NOT place furniture in front of open windows or guards (kids climb). Block the top of the stairs with a substantial gate.

In the lower level, make sure that any hazardous chemicals, medication, or other health hazards are kept in an upper level or locked cabinet. Do not rely solely on latches to prevent access to the lower cabinets. Safeguard knives and other sharp objects. Secure electrical outlets. Do not allow cooking pans and handles to hang over the edge of the stove or counter as your toddler can reach and pull them down onto them (scalding injuries). Close the toilet. Etc. Etc.

I highly suggest reading the suggestions on the internet and then visually walk through your current home to find things that may be a hazard to your children. Then purchase any device that you think you will need and bring it with you (bigger items in your e-box) when you leave. You may want to look for window opening limiters for upper stories. Buying these at home will ensure that you have it when you arrive and you won't need to scour the Kingdom to find it. Think through everything that might pose a hazard to a child and determine how you can mitigate it. If you take these basic steps, you will address the most common causes of injury. Unfortunately, the tedies I have assessed have usually come from either neglect or simple ignorance of what consutes a danger to a child. All of these could have been easily prevented.

You take on a great responsibility when you decide to have a child. Make sure that you own up to that responsibility when it comes to their safety. They are relying on you to protect them.

Best of luck in your new home!

Thank you all for the information! Every piece answers so much and gives rise to several new questions.

Cacord: Interesting that you arrived into a single level home...are you able to say how common this is for new arrivals to RT? We are anticipating receiving a 3 bedroom home since we have 2 children, but we were assuming it would be a townhome. A single level home would be a really great surprise as stairs have become our antagonist with twins.

Also, can you recommend a style of door handle cover? Not sure if the door handles are levers or knobs.

Thank you for all of the offers of help! I am sure we will need something that never even occurred to us. We can't wait to meet you all.