Childproofing

Something that is childproof has been made safe for contact with, or use by, children or infants. Childproofing involves ensuring that a child cannot come to harm, and is a term particularly applied to the act of making a home safe.

Childproofing includes the restriction of children to safe areas, or preventing a child from reaching an unsafe area. Safety gates (also known as "stair gates") are used to prevent a child from accessing an area of a house, especially the stairway. Playpens are used for restricting movement to a much smaller area.

The caps of bottles containing something that might be harmful when consumed or spilt are often designed specifically to make them difficult for young people to take them off. The most common method is the requirement for the cap to be pushed down and turned at the same time.

External links

Guides:

• infantstoddlers.suite101.com Information on infants and toddlers.
• "Childproof Your Home" Checklist for Childproofing Your Home
• "Childproof Your Home" Video on childproofing your home.
• "Childproof Your Home" at WebMD
• "Childproof Your Home" at MSN House & Home
• "Search by zip code for Professional Childproofer" at BabyProofingDirectory.com
• "Ways we baby proof without baby proofing" at BloggingBaby.com, 31 August 2005

News stories and press releases:

• "Safety Caps Aren't 'Childproof'" at CBSNews.com, 25 August 2005
• "Mother pushes for childproof packaging" at ToledoBlade.com, 2 August 2005
• "Childproof Packaging - new designs could save lives" at EPSRC, 24 May 2005