Parental control – tips and tricks

Nowadays, numerous manufacturers have several products on the market to make a house or apartment safe for babies and children. Childproofing ensures that the biggest dangers in your home are rendered harmless.

BOXIE24 has listed the possible sources of danger in the household for you and shown possible solutions that will help you make your home childproof for offspring.

13 Sources of danger with appropriate child safety

1. Cupboard doors and drawers: it’s not necessarily life-threatening, but you can quickly get your fingers between them or otherwise hurt yourself. Magnetic cabinet latches can serve as a solution. This offers several advantages: you cannot see them from the outside and they can be easily installed using an adhesive strip and also removed again when they are no longer needed.
2. Sockets: since most sockets are located just above the ground, they invite many children and babies to stick their fingers or objects into them. On the one hand, children need to be made clear about the dangers lurking everywhere, and on the other, there are practical child safety devices. These child locks with twist mechanism have proven themselves and are also relatively easy to remove without damage if the children are old enough.
3. Stove: This is another major hazard for children, as the stove gets very hot and is a source of all kinds of accidents: from burns to injuries. The ideal solution for this is a stove protector, as it effectively protects the stove – regardless of whether it is gas or not. A pan cannot tip over, nor can children (hands) get on the hot surface.
4. Window: the window is also a great potential for accidents, which is often not looked at. Children falling out of windows or balconies are still more common than expected. Because children have a great urge to explore, which parents are not always prepared for. Therefore, windows and balcony doors should not be easy for youngsters to open. Well-known lock manufacturers offer different types of child locks. Often, this can also be combined with a burglar alarm. So you kill two birds with one stone.
5. Corners and holes: Especially children taking their first steps and no longer sitting on all fours are likely to make painful discoveries: every corner and edge carries the risk of painful bumps, scratches or even cuts. A corner protector, which is usually transparent and attached with glue, is a good choice as a child protection device. Again, removal is easy if the children are old enough. For some corners, DIY child protection can also be suitable: a tennis ball cut open may not be the best solution, but it is just as effective.
6. Stairs: Children still need to learn to climb stairs, but only if they walk and run on one level will they work properly and safely. Until the child is ready, a stair gate is the right choice as child protection. Stair safety has proven itself in almost all households with children and stairs.
7. Bathtub: even for the elderly, there is still an incredible risk of injury here, just like the shower. You can slip easily, especially when getting in and out. The ideal solution for this is an anti-slip mat or anti-slip sticker. Both will prevent you from slipping. Non-slip stickers can also be stuck on the tiles in front of the bathtub, as slipping can also occur here when getting out of the bathtub.
8. Changing pad: something can happen very quickly here too, especially the phase when babies start crawling offers an incredible opportunity for danger. Proper parental supervision is fall protection and attentive parents who do not get distracted.
9. Chemicals/drugs: washing powder or detergents, pipe cleaners, rat poison, fertilisers, dishwasher tablets, medicines and other hazardous substances present in the household can be very dangerous and even deadly if swallowed. Therefore, all these toxic substances should be stored centrally in a lockable place. A “hazardous materials cupboard” in the basement is suitable for this purpose.
10. Doors: here, too, a child’s hand can easily get stuck. Provide suitable door stoppers to prevent doors from slamming shut. Locking doors is also not a permanent solution.
11. Televisions: earlier tube TVs posed no threat here, but the new generation has basically only flat-screen TVs, which also poses new risks. It takes little effort to tilt a flat-screen TV. The right child safety device is a tilt lock, which are available in various designs. Another option is to fix the TV to the wall with a wall bracket.
12. Computer: Parental controls can be used when children are first interested in computers and the internet. Parental controls prevent access to pages that the child should not see from the beginning. You can also use backup to specify certain times when a user is allowed access. This way, you can control the PC even when you are not at home.
13. Washing machine: Many modern washing machines already have a child lock that only needs to be activated. The best protection for the washing machine, the laundry and of course the children is a washing machine in an elevated position. Another option is to place the washing machine in a lockable room.

By the way: does your hobby room have to give way to the (second) children’s room? You are not alone in this! Space often needs to be created because in very few cases individual rooms are kept free for future children from the day they move into a flat or house. During pregnancy, it is discussed and weighed which room should be left for the new family member. Hobby room, sports room or the study? Whatever your decision, BOXIE24 offers a possible solution so you don’t have to give up everything right away: Self Storage – until the place becomes vacant again. They also offer a handy pick-up service. This takes away the stress you would have if you had to arrange for a suitable storage place for your belongings and also transport everything yourself. But the time of pregnancy and everything that comes after is one of the most special things that can happen to you in life. If you focus on it and avoid stress, you will be able to enjoy this phase of your life and your baby’s early days much more.

Do it yourself parenting

You can find lots of ideas and advice on how to set up parental controls yourself, especially online. Often, it is not at all difficult. For example, you can simply cut open swemmie noodles and have the ultimate DIY edge protection. You can find many more interesting tips and suggestions on the internet. You can save a lot of money here.

But it is also important that the house or flat does not become a temple of child safety devices. Children should also be able to learn and assess “danger”. Especially important are sockets, stairs and that dangerous substances and tools are stored inaccessibly.

What other preparations are needed besides parental supervision?

Waiting for a child is something very special and, especially with your first offspring, you make some decisions that you would not have made without hormones.

BOXIE24 has compiled for you a list of things to prepare for and other things not to worry about.

• Advice: there are many unnecessary manuals out there, but it is worth acquiring one for this topic. This can save you sleepless and worrying nights. These days, you don’t live with the whole family under one roof, which is why a guide should educate you on baby care. If you already know that the following point applies to you, we have compiled a moving checklist for you.
• Moving: around the sixth month of pregnancy, mothers start building their nest. The expectant offspring must grow up in the new – possibly their own – four walls. Sometimes you get too brave here and then find yourself among the many moving boxes during labour and the first few weeks and have even more to do. BOXIE24 has a simple solution for this: clear out space, create room in a room for the baby and everything else you need. The furniture and stuff you don’t urgently need for a while can easily be picked up by BOXIE24 staff, rent storage space and let us store it. If necessary, we can also bring your things back, of course.
• Stress: this is the biggest mistake you can make. No appointment, no shopping trip, no haircut and no friends in the world are worth feeling stressed and driven during the especially valuable time. Get what you need. Allow yourself enough time and rest.