Home Safety Checklist: Room by Room

• Pot and pan handles are always turned in, away from the edge A toddler grabbing a handle can pull boiling soup or oil over themselves. Use the back burners when you can.
• Children stay out of the kitchen while you cook, especially when frying Hot oil causes deep burns. A gate across the kitchen door or a play area in sight, but out of reach, helps.
• A child is never left alone near a cooking fire, charcoal stove or firewood Open flames catch loose clothes and wrappers in a second. Keep children at least a metre back.
• No hot drinks or food while holding a baby A hot drink can still scald a small child long after it has been made. Put it down out of reach first.
• No tablecloths that hang down A toddler pulls the cloth and everything on the table comes with it.
• Kettles, flasks, irons and their cords kept at the back of the counter
• Gas cylinder upright, in a ventilated place, hose checked for cracks and valve closed after use If you smell gas: do not switch anything on or off, open doors and windows, close the cylinder valve, and get everyone out.
• Knives, graters and razor blades kept in a high or locked drawer
• Bath water and baby's washing water tested before use Put cold water in first, then add hot, and test with your elbow. It should feel warm, not hot.

• No kerosene, petrol, diesel, bleach or chemicals stored in drink or water bottles — ever A child sees a drink and gulps it before tasting. Kerosene and petrol breathed into the lungs cause severe pneumonia; bleach and caustic soda burn the throat.
• Fuel and chemicals kept in their original, labelled containers with the caps closed
• A locked cupboard or box, up high, for fuel, chemicals, insecticides and rat poison
• Generator fuel stored outside the house, away from the kitchen and children's play area
• Cleaning products put away as soon as you finish using them Most poisonings happen when a product is out "just for a minute".
• Hair relaxers, perfumes, nail polish remover and mouthwash out of reach They contain chemicals and alcohol that are harmful to small children.

• All medicines in a locked box or high cupboard, including vitamins and iron Iron tablets, adult painkillers and blood pressure, diabetes and heart medicines can be dangerous to a small child in small amounts.
• Medicines put away straight after each dose, not left on a bedside table
• Medicine is never called "sweets" Children remember, and help themselves later.
• Visitors' handbags kept up high Grandparents' and guests' bags often hold tablets.
• Old, expired and leftover medicines taken back to a pharmacy See what not to keep in our first aid kit checklist.

• Buckets and basins emptied after use and turned upside down Especially buckets of stored water in the bathroom and kitchen.
• Water drums, tanks and storage containers covered with tight, heavy lids
• Wells and soakaways covered with a strong, locked cover a child cannot lift
• Swimming pools fenced on all four sides, with a self-closing, self-latching gate A fence that separates the pool from the house and garden, not just the edge of the compound.
• A baby or young child is never left alone in the bath, even for a moment Take them with you to answer the door or phone. An older brother or sister is not a safe substitute.
• Bathroom and toilet doors kept closed, and toilet lids down
• Fish ponds, gutters and open drains in the compound covered or fenced
• At a pool, river or beach, an adult watches within arm's reach and is not on their phone

• Upstairs windows open only a little, or have burglary-proof bars with small gaps Mosquito netting will not hold a child's weight. Gaps in bars and railings should be narrower than 10 cm so a child cannot slip through.
• Burglary-proof doors and window bars can be opened quickly from inside in a fire Keep the keys in the same place, near the door, out of children's reach, and make sure every adult knows where.
• Beds, chairs, tables and boxes moved away from windows and balcony railings Children climb whatever is there.
• Balcony doors locked, and children never on a balcony alone
• Stair gates at the top and bottom of stairs for babies and toddlers Screw-fixed gates at the top; pressure gates can be pushed out.
• A baby is never left alone on a bed, sofa or changing table Babies roll earlier than you expect. Change them on a mat on the floor.
• Baby walkers are not used They let babies reach hot and dangerous things and roll down stairs.

Generators and Carbon Monoxide

• The generator runs outside, never in the house, parlour, garage, boys' quarters or on a closed veranda Its exhaust contains carbon monoxide, a gas you cannot see or smell that can kill a sleeping family.
• The exhaust points away from the house, at least 6 metres from windows, doors and air vents
• A battery carbon monoxide alarm in the rooms where the family sleeps It sounds before the gas builds up.
• Everyone knows the warning signs Headache, dizziness, vomiting and sleepiness, often in several people at once, which get better outside. Get everyone into fresh air and go to emergency.
• Charcoal stoves and grills are never used indoors or in a closed room
• The generator is switched off and cooled before refuelling, and children are kept away from it Hot exhausts burn, and moving parts catch fingers.

Sockets and Wiring

• Extension boards kept off the floor where children play, and not overloaded Unused sockets covered, or the board fixed up high.
• No bare, loose or taped-up wires in reach Ask an electrician to fix damaged wiring and broken sockets.
• Phone chargers unplugged and put away when not in use Children chew the ends and loop the cords around their necks.
• No electrical appliances near baths, buckets or sinks

• Mosquito coils placed on a metal stand, on the floor away from bedding and curtains, with a window open Coil smoke irritates children's lungs, especially with asthma. Insecticide-treated nets are safer for sleeping.
• Candles and kerosene lanterns never left burning when everyone is asleep or out of the room Use a torch or rechargeable lamp during power cuts.
• Matches and lighters kept up high
• A smoke alarm on each floor, tested monthly
• A fire blanket or extinguisher in the kitchen, and a plan for getting everyone out Including where the burglary-proof keys are.

Things That Tip Over

• Televisions fixed to the wall or strapped to a low, stable stand A falling television can cause fatal head and chest injuries.
• Wardrobes, bookshelves and chests of drawers fixed to the wall Children climb open drawers like steps.

Things That Go In Mouths

• Button batteries locked away, and battery compartments on remotes, keys, toys and scales screwed shut A swallowed button battery can start to burn the food pipe within two hours.
• Small magnets kept away from children Two magnets swallowed separately can pull together through the gut wall.
• Coins, beads, marbles, pen lids and small toy parts off the floor If it fits through a toilet-roll tube, it can choke a young child. See choking.
• Whole groundnuts, hard sweets and balloons kept away from children under 5

Things That Suffocate or Strangle

• Plastic and nylon bags knotted and stored out of reach
• Curtain and blind cords tied up high, out of reach of the cot and bed
• No necklaces, amber teething beads or cords around a baby's neck
• Baby sleeps on their back, in their own cot, with no pillows, bumpers or loose blankets See our safe sleep guide.

The Compound and Gate

• Before any car moves in the compound, an adult knows where every child is Drivers cannot see a small child behind or in front of a car. Hold children's hands, or keep them inside, while cars reverse or the gate is open.
• The gate is kept closed, and children do not play near it or on the road
• Heavy sliding gates are checked so they cannot fall or trap a child
• Dogs in the home are vaccinated against rabies every year, and young children are never left alone with a dog
• Children hold an adult's hand near roads and walk on the side away from traffic

In the Car

• Every child rides in a car seat or booster suited to their age, size and weight, on every journey A child held on an adult's lap is thrown forward in a crash, however tightly they are held.
• Babies and young children ride rear-facing for as long as their seat allows
• Children ride in the back seat, never in front of an airbag
• A child is never left alone in a car, not even for a minute In the Abuja sun a closed car heats up to dangerous levels within minutes, and children can also release the handbrake or be taken with the car.
• The car is locked when parked, with keys out of reach Children climb into parked cars to play and can become trapped in the heat.
• A habit for busy days: put your bag or phone on the back seat next to the child Tired parents do forget a quiet, sleeping child. The habit makes you look.