Home safety should be one of the things you consider before buying or renting a new home. You will want to do what you can do ensure the safety of your home environment preventing access from intruders and serious injuries. One study suggests around 3 million kids get injured at home every year, additionally, there is a home break-in every 106 seconds in the UK. These numbers can be frightening and leave you concerned with the safety of your home environment. Here are some tips to improve your home's safety and security so you can relax.  

Develop Emergency Plans

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Emergencies can't always be avoided so it is useful to talk through with your children what should happen if something bad happens. It's important to agree an age appropriate way for them to call for help if parents aren't around whether it's talking through who to call on the phone, a neighbour to knock for or other contacts. Talk you children through what they should do if they smell smoke or there is a fire in the house. A few conversations now can prevent problems later. Older children who might be home alone need to understand rules around: bringing home strangers, friends, locking your doors and windows or using the alarm system. 

Secure Your Doors and Windows 

Are you looking for a simple way to improve your home safety? According to statistics, 67% of burglars break into homes using the door while 29% used the windows. These figures mean you can significantly improve your home security by enhancing your doors and window locking system. Check your home's entire doors and window frames to ensure they are robust, and hinges are still secured. Check to see if anything can be reached through your letterbox as burglars can use tools to grab keys or twist door handles. If you just moved into a home previously occupied by someone else you should have all the door locks changed to ensure no stranger has extra keys to your home.

Improve Home Privacy 

There are several simple ways to maintain the privacy of your home to keep out prying eyes. Thieves are less likely to break in if they are unfamiliar with the inside of your home. You can use curtains or blinds to turn away burglars. You can secure you garden with plants too. The Hedgeplants Heijnen website has some great hedge plants like holly, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Columnaris, Leyland Cypress to keep out intruders and provide a safe playground for your children. 

Prevent Falls

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Falls remain the leading cause of accidental injuries to children aged 14 and under in homes. According to statistics, falls contribute to 44% of accidents in the house involving children. To control the occurrence of these accidents, consider introducing wall-mounted baby gates at the top and bottom of your stairs and pad corners and low table edges to guard kids against hitting their head in case of any fall. Discourage games involving shoving, pushing and pulling and ensure they have as safe a space as possible. 

A few conversations and some preparation can make your family home safer, but accidents still happen. You don't live in a soft play with padded walls and children shouldn't be worried about having fun. Prepare, but don't live in fear of something bad happening and try not to feel guilty if it does.

***This is a collaborative post***