Mothering Diary – September

As appears monthly in VIP. Childproofing your house…

I suffer mild heart attacks on a daily basis since James began to lunge himself forward. I’ve been around kids all my life but not continuously, so I really had no idea how full on it can be. We’ve had bumps and bruises, tears from sheer frustration and giggles and excitement when he finally achieves each little milestone. I chase him when he’s crawling and he gets so excited he falls over in a fit of giggles. It’s so much fun but can also be dangerous. He’s pulling himself up now and nothing is safe. I turned for a millisecond last week and he had a giant vase knocked over and smashed. I had no idea my child was that strong!! Both proud and frightened, it was at this point I had to rethink my childproofing tactics.

Each phase has happened so fast. Just as I sit down in the evening with that smug look on my face, he does something completely unexpected. He’s 10 ½ months and always one step ahead. Has he been here before? We have fake cry’s and Oscar worthy acting happening right here in front of my very eyes and I paid not one penny for classes. His big blue eyes would melt the south pole but I had to take back control and in failing that go shopping.

So shopping it was. I headed to Baby Elegance where Gavan Costello gave me the full rundown on safety in the home. They have a great home safety starter kit. It includes everything from your plug cover, fridge locks, door stoppers and even a toilet lock. My mum chimed in here to say she thought that this was the most amazing product. The reason being was because when my sister Laura was a baby she had an obsession for years with stuffing anything and everything down the toilet.

I was really saddened to learn that cords on window blinds and curtains can be fatal. After the loss of another young child recently, the NSAI (national standards authority of Ireland) are advising all parents to check their blinds with the comprehensive standard in place. (www.windowblindsafety.ie) Never put a cot or high chair near a window with cords. Keep anything that a child can climb on away from windows and use safety cord windups €2.50 for 2 available from www.babyelegance.com. They also do Playpens/room dividers (€145, includes mats) which you can use for a full fire guard as well. This enables you to cook, use the bathroom or run to answer the phone without worrying. These simple things can be difficult to do when you have a child that moves at the speed of light.

If you’re still unsure and nervous and need peace of mind contact www.safehome4baby.ie. They offer a service where they’ll come to your house, do an audit, give you a talk on safety and provide a written checklist of all the risks in your home. A few bumps are inevitable. After all that’s why nappies were invented! Do your best to protect them but most of all enjoy the ride.

Clevamama

Clevamama was set up ‘by Mums for Mums’ by two sisters Martina Delaney and Suzanne Browne. With four kids between them they know all about the struggles parents face on a daily basis. Their products are pioneering, practical and well-designed baby care to make the experience of caring for infants and young children easier, safer and healthier. They pride themselves on their commitment to research and are pioneers in their field.

I contacted Suzanne to ask about child safety and the products they’ve developed in this area. From her research she told me that:

Falls are by far the most common causes of accidents in the home; they account for 44% of all children’s accidents.
Most accidents happen in the lounge/living/dining room – probably reflecting where children spend most of their time.
Collisions with a person or object are the second most common type of accidental home injury
The worst injuries are sustained when a child falls from a great height or lands on something hard, sharp or hot.
Over 500 under fives are rushed to casualty every week because of burns and scalds.

Their safety products include an Oven door guard which reduces heat by up to 50% (€27), the fireplace edge guard (€25), oven door lock (€4), corner cushions (€5-8) and multipurpose edge guard (€17). I have all of these and cannot stress how invaluable they’ve been. Clevamama is available at Smyth’s, Mothercare, baby elegance and nursery stores nationwide. www.clevamama.com