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How to Keep Children Safe Around Stairs

It’s so easy for your child to have an accident in your home. You turn for one moment and then your worst fears occur. But in hindsight, you can see what you could have done to stop it from happening. Therefore, it’s so important to put preventive measures in place to keep your little ones safe in the home. One of the most common accidents in the homes is falls. As this article from Mother and Baby explains, 44% of all childhood accidents is falls. And one of the most common places falls occur is on the stairs. Here is how to keep children safe around stairs, so accidents don’t happen in your home.

Keep the stairs in good condition

It’s so easy for wear to occur on the stairs over time. After all, continual use can have an effect on the quality of the handrails and the steps. A lot of people ignore this wear and tear when they are busy in their life.  But if you do fail to keep the stairs in good condition, an accident could occur before you know it. For instance, the handrail might not be as secure over time and might need a piece replacing. And then your little one might be holding on to the handrail to walk up the stairs and it could fall apart. Therefore, use sites like Balustrade Components to replace parts to make sure the stairs are in good condition so a fall doesn’t occur. And do regularly check the condition of the steps so that you sort any problems before they become a big issue and cause your child to trip while walking on the steps.

Fit a stair gate

It’s so important that you do fit a stair gate once your child is toddling around. After all, little ones are still trying to get their balance properly, so they could fall at any moment as they begin their walking journey. And stairs are a very fun thing to try when you are a small toddler. They can begin climbing before you even realise they are on the stairs. And then they could fall and end up harming themselves. The same applies when you are upstairs; you don’t want to take your eye of your child for a second and then find they have fallen down the stairs. As discussed on which.co.uk, there is a range available from a simple gate at £10 to something more smart and stylish up to £100. And you can get different sizes so that you have a secure fit on your stairs so that your baby can’t knock it down when attempting to go up the stairs.

Remove any items on the stairs

We all have made the error of leaving something on the stairs, promising we will remove it later. After all, we live such a busy life that things get put on the back burner. But if you do leave an item on the stairs accidentally, it could become a trip hazard for your little one. They could step on the item and then not only harm their foot, but also fall down the stairs. And then you will look back with regret that you didn’t move the item. Therefore, always pick up items that are lying around the stairs and don’t leave it until a later date. It’s always worth doing a clean up at the end of the day so that any kids toys that have made an appearance on the stairs go back to their proper home before your child wakes up in the morning. That way, you can feel reassured your child can walk up and down the stairs without harm.

Maintain the carpet

It’s so easy for the carpet to get damaged over time. After all, you use it every day and the material starts to get worn easily. When this occurs, you might find that pieces of underlay might start being on show, or even the floorboards which have nails. Therefore, your kid might catch this and then end up falling down the stairs. Or they might even trip over a piece of carpet which might be no longer attached. Therefore, replace any worn carpet as soon as possible so that the stairs stay safe for your children to use. Not only will it give them a safe area, but decorating your stairs is great to boost the decor of your home.

Disclosure – this is a collaborative post

 

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