There seems to be a daunting list of safety issues that confront you when you have a child. I felt bewildered when, on top of all the practical things to organise and buy, I was confronted by more general concerns about my child's safety within the home.

It is hard to identify all the potential risk areas in your home and those that you don't find, your child will probably find for you. There are however some basic things to look out for:

• sleeping - leading healthcare professionals recommend that you ensure that your baby is placed to sleep on their back, in the 'feet to foot' position, i.e. with their feet close to the foot of the cot. You also need to be conscious of the temperature of your baby as small babies are not very good at controlling their own temperature.
  
  For more detailed information about reducing the risk of cot death visit www.sids.org.uk/fsid/question.htm

• sharp corners, e.g. on furniture, kitchen units, door handles. I've found these a constant problem. In our house as soon our son was tall enough to avoid one set there was another just at his new head height. We've found that the plastic covers you can have helped reduce the number of bruises!
  
  
• stairs - don't wait until your child is walking before fitting good stair gates. You will never be able to predict exactly when your baby will decide to tackle the stairs so be prepared and buy them well before their first birthday. We chose to have one at the top and the bottom of the stairs for added safety.

"I didn't want one of those metal gates, we had so many toys, nappies and change mats everywhere that I decided that a big gate across the stairs was one bit of clutter I could live without. We bought a retractable one and it worked very well for us."

• kitchen, e.g. washing machine, fridge, kitchen units. To be honest it is best to fit locks to all these and then you can safely lock up all your best china household chemicals, medicines in one room. If you think of the kitchen as your 'safe house' then you will be less inclined to leave cleaning fluids etc in the bathroom.
  
  We left one cupboard unlocked and filled it with all the plastics from about the kitchen, bowls, beakers, dishes. Our son then had one cupboard that he could rummage which he found great fun!
  
  
• things you love! - move the things you love, e.g. ornaments, CDs, flowers, candles, to higher shelves or put away completely. Don't leave it to chance. You may have a child that respects the words 'No, you do not touch that', but they are rare and so for a while, at least, remove the temptation.
  
  
• bathroom - never leave a baby or small child unattended in the bath. For babies you can now buy bath seats that help stabilise a baby in the bath. For older children always used a bath mat to stop them slipping.

"When I got Sarah home, I was so worried about bathing her. She was so slippery and I can be so clumsy! I was especially worried when we transferred her from the baby bath to the main bath. She loved it in there, but I was a nervous wreck! The bathing pad was a good buy for me."