Working from home looks set to remain for the foreseeable future, with many discovering greater levels of productivity and saving time by not doing the twice-daily commute.
Creating the ideal home working space can be difficult and the greatest challenge of all, childproofing it to keep little ones safer.
International child safety expert/advocate and Dreambaby® co-founder, Carolyn Ziegler, shares her check list of the best ways to childproof any home office or working space.
- If you’re lucky enough to a have a spare room at home used as a dedicated home office but you have a waddler or a toddler, block the entrance to the room with a gate. This will help keep them out or in, when those little feet go wandering.
- Beware of the many dangers in a home office, including plug sockets and dangling cords from blinds. Kids love to post things, including toy parts into plug sockets. Block off all unused plug sockets with safety plugs and use cord wind-ups on your blinds or curtains so there are no dangling cords that can cause strangulation.
- Drawers should be lockable where possible, keeping private client documents secure and out of harm’s way.
- Help secure cupboards and drawers with a variety of different locks and latches
(using a variety of locking methods keeps kids on their toes because let’s face it, they’re quick learners).
- Large and heavy items of furniture can pose a whole new set of problems. These should be affixed to the wall to prevent them toppling over. Furniture corners that are the same height as little people’s face, should be covered with corner protectors.
- If you don’t have a dedicated office but have carved out a space in a corner, and have a toddler, you can put
them in the Royale 3-in-1 Converta® Play-Pen Gate #849. This will allow them to play in a safer environment and also keep them separated from older kids who may be playing with smaller toys unsuitable for little ones.
- You might also consider putting yourself in the play pen. This may sound strange but Dreambaby® play-pens can be very useful to allow you to do things just out of reach of your toddler. Dreambaby® play-pens can also be used
as wide barrier gates so you can block off the part of the room you are working in! There is also the Dreambaby® Newport 3 Panel Adapta-Gate in the range, which is great for blocking off irregular spaces such as a work corner.
Product recommendations:
· Royale 3-in-1 Converta® Play-Pen Gate #849 can be used as a play-pen, barrier or gate so you can decide how to use it. Using it as a play-pen, you can either put your child in it or yourself while working.
· Chelsea Auto-Close Security Gate #G2171 helps to block off your home office (optional extensions also available).
· Newport Adapta-Gate #2022 to help block off your home office space.
· Hinged Furniture Anchors #1428 helps secure
heavy furniture to the wall. For use on bookcases, chest of drawers and display cabinets.
· Outlet Plugs #F10244 helps to block off unused power points.
· Angle Locks #133 perfect to help secure filing cabinets.
· General Purpose Latches #145 great for securing a variety of furniture items.
· Drawer Catches #149 will help most drawers on metal runners – self-locking.
· Ezy-Check® Dreambaby® Multi-Use Latch® #800. This extra-long flexible latch secures most services and the lock indicates if it is locked or not at a glance.
· Blind Cord Wind-Up #131 helps keep dangling cords out of the reach of children.
· Bump Guard Corner Protectors #1349 these help take the ‘ouch’ out of your sharp edges from work desks and tables. They are extra-cushioned and soft to touch.
Products are available to purchase at www.dreambaby.co.uk
Selected items are available at Very, Asda and JD Williams. Consult Dreambaby website for info on more stockists.