當馬克遇上莎莉

Remember that babies eight months and older focus on what adults are doing. Children mostly want to play with the items they see you using. So paper and scissors, CD players and stereos, videos, cookware, and tools all have enormous appeal. Give your baby child-safe versions of your work tools -- toy car phones, CD players, pots and pans -- and be sure to keep appliances, sharp objects, and tools safely out of reach.

These simple bits of equipment will also help to keep him safe:

Smoke alarm -- cheap, widely available and essential for every home.

Corner protectors -- designed to cover sharp furniture corners and prevent bumped heads.

Door slam protectors -- clip over the edge of doors to prevent them slamming on little fingers.

Glass safety film -- can be stuck onto large sheets of glass to prevent them shattering into little pieces if broken.

Video lock -- fits over the slot in your video, to stop chocolate biscuits and other foreign objects being jammed into it.

Temporary window locks -- these cheap plastic locks only allow windows to be opened by a safe amount.

Tip: Mobile babies can be harmed by pills, pens, and other potentially fatal items that they pull from visitors' bags -- put guests' belongings out of reach as soon as they arrive. 

Kitchen safety 

From hot cookers to cupboards full of cleaning stuff, your kitchen holds lots of potential hazards for your child.

Cupboard, drawer, oven and fridge locks -- fit them wherever your child could possibly get access to something dangerous, such as sharp knives, cleaning products or a hot oven.

Cooker guard -- This is a narrow strip of clear plastic which fits across the front of your hob to stop your child getting hold of hot pans.

Lead guard -- if you have leads hanging down where your child can reach them, you can also buy a device that shortens them and keeps them out of harm's way.

Tip: If you don't have a cooker guard, always make sure pot and pan handles are turned towards the back of your stove, not the front.

(Read more about babyproofing your kitchen.) 

Bathroom safety

Babies can drown in a few inches of water and many scalding accidents happen in bathrooms, too, so your bathroom can be a hazardous place for a tot. And let's not forget all those wet, slippery surfaces. But a few simple safety devices can quickly take the dangers out of bathtime.

Bath thermometer -- these floating thermometers often change colour to let you know whether or not your baby's bathwater is the correct temperature. Some even look like bath toys, so your baby can enjoy playing with them, too.

Safety tap covers -- inflate and fit over taps, protecting against bumped heads and little hands playing with the hot water tap.

Bath seats (from around six months) -- these allow your baby to sit safely in the bath without slipping (but babies most not be left unsupervised in them).

Bath supports (for under six months) -- allows your baby to lie supported in the water so that you have both hands free.

Slip-resistant bath mat -- to prevent slipping in the bath. Look out for colourful or cushioned designs.

Tip: Lower your hot water heater's thermostat to reduce your child's risk of being scalded by hot water.

(Read more about babyproofing your bathroom.) 

Electrical safety 

Electrical sockets in most homes are at just the right height to attract crawling babies and curious toddlers.

Socket covers -- Choose socket covers that plug in place, and fit them before your baby starts crawling.

Lead tidy -- If you have lots of electrical leads lying around in your living room, you can buy simple bits of foam tubing that gather them together and hide them, making them less attractive to small children.

Tip: Don't forget to fit covers to plugboards, too. 

Safety gates

It is possible to have a mobile baby or toddler in your house with no safety gates, but they do make life an awful lot easier. Safety gates can be fitted at the top or bottom of the stairs or across doorways so that you have some control over which parts of the house your tot can visit.

Check that the gate you are planning to buy fits the space you need it for, or that it is extendable. Some gates also come with extension kits, in case you need to move them to a wider gap, and some have pressure gauges so that you can tell whether or not they are safely fitted.

Permanent gates: These are best for places that need to be permanently guarded, such as the top of the stairs. The frame is permanently mounted between two walls, or the doorframe, and will have a toddler-proof gate in the centre or at the side, which can be opened in either direction using one hand.

Spring-mounted gates: These are held in place with springed fittings so that they can be moved more easily from place to place.

Mesh gates: These work rather like roller blinds. You attach two permanent fittings on either side of your gap, then a strip of mesh can be pulled across whenever you need it. More discreet than other gates.

Extending gates: Some extend automatically to fit any gap, and other come with an extension kit that can be used when necessary.

Build-your-own gates: These come in several pieces, which you can fit together however you want. Especially good if you have an awkwardly shaped area to guard.

Travel gates: These consist of four metal tubes which you fit together to make a rectangle, plus a piece of mesh that stretches between them. The top and bottom tubes are extendable so that it fits any gap.

Tip: Adults climbing over stairgates can lead to accidents. Avoid this by choosing gates that have an opening section in the middle for areas of high traffic.