baby

Here's another reason to exercise some healthy 'did I turn the hair straightener off?' paranoia.

Year One
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Bringing your first child home is an exciting time… Until the fear starts to set in.

Every corner looks deadly sharp and every object is a weapon.

When it comes to baby proofing, there are some things that are easy to forget about. Especially when we head into the bathroom.

Sure, you know not to leave your darling baby in the bath on its own. Or the shower. Those are great things to remember.

But apparently, the most dangerous thing in the bathroom isn’t water-related at all.

Listen: Sarah Hunstead explains what to watch out for in the bathroom. 

On the latest episode of the Year One podcast, Sarah Hunstead from CPR Kids gives us a safety lesson in baby proofing 101.

“In the bathroom we’re aware of things like keeping cords out of the way when it comes to cords and electricity,” she says.

“But one thing that people often forget, or might not realise is that hair straighteners are one of the biggest causes of bathroom accidents when it comes to children.”

Yep, burns. Ever scalded your scalp on the hot plates? Imagine that, on a baby’s precious, porcelain skin. OUCH.

“GHDs or whatever straightener you’ve got, they heat up to 350 degrees in seconds,” Hunstead says.

For you, it's the key to sleek and shiny hair. For kids, it's an accident waiting to happen.

And even if it's out of reach, be careful. As we know, kids have a knack for getting their hands on things they're not supposed to.

"Kids imitate us. They want to do what we do... It's just innate for them to crawl up to the sink, that long cord that hangs down, grab it, we've got burns," the child safety expert said.

Just another reason to exercise some healthy hair straightener paranoia and triple check it is switched off before you leave the bathroom.

To find out more about baby proofing your home, listen to the full episode of Year One here:

To subscribe to the show, go to apple.co/mamamia.

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