Best buys: boosting child safety indoors and outdoors

You can’t put a price on child safety, but you can invest in certain essentials to make it easier to maintain

Ensuring your child is safe at all times is a huge responsibility for parents, so anything that makes the job a little easier should be a welcome addition. These items will help give you peace of mind about child safety both at home and outdoors.

For the home and garden

Every year, 2 million children under 15 are taken to A&E as a result of an accident at home. The home is where our children are most at risk of injury, but a few key investments can help lessen these risks.

Child locks

25,000 under-five year olds visit A&E every year due to poisoning in the home. Child locks are a must for the thousands of us who keep everyday household items like bleach, window cleaner and medicines out of sight in cupboards. Making these cupboards inaccessible to young children means your child is less at risk of consuming harmful substances.

Sharp edge corner strips

More accidents happen in the living room than anywhere else in the home. The corners of tables and windowsills are particularly high-risk areas for serious accidents, so investing in corner strips is definitely a good idea. They can help soften the blow of an injury, and you can even get transparent ones which won’t disturb your décor.

Stair gate

Every year over 4,000 children are injured by falling down the stairs. A stair gate means you don’t have to worry about checking the stairs every few minutes to make sure your child isn’t trying to tackle them themselves.

Pond netting

A baby can drown in just 5cm of water. If you have a pond or pool, it’s important to never take your eyes off your child when they’re playing. Netting can help reduce the risk of water related injury in the garden.

Safety scissors

Almost 16,000 injuries a year are caused by scissors, so a pair of safety scissors is essential for when your child is given crafty homework to complete. In fact, be careful in your choices of all stationary when the time comes for your child to start school. Pen lids are a particularly infamous choking hazard.

For the outdoors

Child are also at risk of safety threats outdoors — around 40,000 UK children suffer an accident in the playground every year. Outdoor safety can be harder to control than safety in the home, but again there are a few purchases which can increase the safety of your child.

Hi-viz clothing

Around 5,000 children under 16 die each year on British roads. A lot of these accidents involve a lack of visibility, so hi-vis clothing is a must, especially in evenings and early mornings. Even a wristband can make all the difference.

Wearable tech

Every 3 minutes, a child is reported lost or missing in the UK. No parent wants to think of this as a possibility, but it’s important to face the risk and do what we can to prevent it. Wearable tech for children often comes with an in-built GPS system, meaning you can keep track of your child at all times.

Cycling helmet and pads

Almost 25 per cent of cyclists killed are children, and three quarters of cycling fatalities involve a serious head injury. Children start learning to ride a bike from as young as three, so parents need to instil the importance of wearing the right safety gear as early as possible — especially a helmet.

At Kids Smartwatches, we’re parents too. And we love tech that helps keep our little ones safe and sound. Take a look at some of our latest GPS smartwatch recommendations here.