Child safety in the home

Mouthwash
It may seem like harmless minty stuff to help you freshen up dragon breath, but be warned, many mouthwashes contain alcohol, sometimes as much as 37 per cent. The British Medical Journal reported a recent case, in which a three-year-old boy collapsed after drinking a bottle of supermarket extra-strength mouthwash. Fortunately, he made a full recovery in hospital, but other children have not been so lucky. There have been seven other similar cases reported worldwide, two of which have died.

Doctors point out that mouthwash is palatable, often brightly coloured, and is usually kept in easy-to-reach places. Manufacturers are not required to have childproof caps, although many now do.

Make it safe: Choose alcohol-free mouthwash or one fitted with a childproof cap. Keep it out of your child's reach.

Curtain cords and tie-backs
There was a recent tragedy when a toddler hung himself on a curtain tie-back. Charlotte Stark also warns against looped curtain and blind cords hanging over cots or near furniture where children might be able to strangle themselves. 'There are very small numbers of accidents thankfully, but it does happen,' she says.

Make it safe
Try not to use tie-backs. If you have cords to open and close your curtains and blinds, there are tension and tie-down devices available, or you can simply cut the loop so that you have two straight pieces.