Safety tips for when baby starts crawling

As a parent, the safety of your baby or child is always going to be at the very front of your mind. There are so many ways that we keep our little ones safe every single day. In fact, there are probably habits you have formed and do numerous times an hour to minimise risk! Here are some safety tips for when baby starts crawling, written by first aider Sammy Davies from Happy Hearts First Aid. 

Of course, keeping an eye on your baby is much easier when they are in your arms for most of the time… but things change when they start to become a bit more mobile. During this crawling/ commando wiggle/ bum shuffling stage, it is really important we create a safe environment for them. As a first aid trainer and a mum of three, I thought I would share a few tips on how to achieve this as realistically as possible.

Safety tips for when baby starts crawling

(Quick side note: Before we jump into these tips. Please remember that you are such an incredible, proactive parent! The fact that you are taking a few minutes to read this blog shows how conscientious you are… so massive high five from me!)

Dealing with Falls

From when they start wiggling on the change table, to when they have found their feet completely, our children are forever keeping us on our toes! As you can probably imagine, falls are one of the most common accidents that can happen to children under the age of 5 in the UK.

The great news is that there are so many ways that we can help to prevent our children from falling:

• Stair gates at the top and bottom of stairs is essential. It takes about a day or two to get into the habit of closing the gate behind you, yet it will mean your little one cannot have that big tumble down the stairs. Massive win. Screw-fit gates tend to be the best ones for the top of the stairs. They are super secure and don’t have a lip at the bottom which could be a trip hazard in itself.

As this is one of those home safety items your house will eventually outgrow, Facebook Marketplace or similar is always a great place to check before you buy new. You might even consider using stair gates to block a busy kitchen or a safe area for the dog. Lots of possibilities for the humble stair gate!

• If you have noticed your little one start to do the change-table-wiggle, now is the time to move them down to the floor for nappy changes. The floor is a great place, as you can’t fall from the floor.
• Make sure furniture is away from windows to avoid toddlers from climbing up and falling.  Failing that, ensure windows have a safety catch on them so they can only open a smidge (I am sure that’s the technical word for it?). Of course tall, bulky and heavy items of furniture are best anchored to the wall.
• Keep floors clutter-free to avoid tripping (haha- you have a child under five years old… good luck with this one!). But on a serious note, of course this is a great thing to try to achieve. If nothing else, it might delay the experience of standing on a piece of Lego barefoot. Nothing can prepare you for that pain.

Burns

Can you guess what the number one cause of burns and scalds to babies and children in the UK is?

Hot drinks.

Did you guess that?! It often doesn’t come as much of a surprise to most people- this is the land of a cuppa tea after all.

To combat this cause and other common causes of burns: make sure hot drinks are placed at the back of counters/ tables, consider the use of travel mugs at home, use the back burners while cooking, and keep those saucepan handles turned in. You might have a bath temperature monitor which is also a wonderful way to reduce risks. Also be mindful of any radiators or hot pipes that a crawling baby might be able to reach.

Treating a Choking Baby or Child

This is a big fear for parents, but again, there is so much that you can do to help prevent a choking incident. Remember that if you can hear your baby making a sound, that is a really wonderful thing. Have a read of the blog “Can my baby choke on milk” which describes what choking is and how to identify it.

Just before your baby is at the age where they are starting to crawl, have a little look around the house yourself. Literally get down on your hands and knees and crawl around the house to see what little bits around the house they now might be able to access. Make sure cleaning products and batteries are safely stored away.

Keep an eye on the integrity of your child’s toys. If something looks a bit tatty, or a thread is loose, decide whether it is still safe to have as a toy, or repair it. This becomes really important as your child grows and begins to play with toys that might have magnets in them or be powered by batteries.

It’s a great habit to make sure that the toys your little one plays with contain the CE mark, meaning they have passed the safety tests in the UK.

Hopefully these safety tips for when baby starts crawling have been helpful, and perhaps this article might even be a great starting point for a discussion with the grandparents (or anyone else looking after your little one). My book Safe Hands, is a story for children about a playful Koala, and how a pair of loving hands is always keeping things safe. With some first aid and safety advice in the back, this is a great way to help teach children (and grandparents!) about safety.

Sometimes, regardless of our best efforts and preparation, accidents can happen to our little ones. As parents, the best thing that we can do is minimise this risk (like we have touched on above) and learn what to do in the case of an accident.

Learning Baby First Aid will give you confidence to remain calm in case of a medical emergency. There is so much that we can do when something bad happens.

You can get 10% off one of Happy Hearts First Aid’s courses (which are priced at £39) using the code “TBTBC10” using the link above.

Want to read more? Head to Can my baby choke on milk? or Weaning: Ready, set , go!