It's easy for adults to assume that their homes are safe because they haven't had any accidents in them. Things are different, however, when you have children. While you can control what a baby does because they don't actually do a lot of things independently, you need to think about safety more seriously once your child gets older and more able.

Hot water can be a serious issue in the home. If your child is old enough to reach and turn on a hot water tap, then they could get scalded if the water is hot enough. How can you protect your child against hot water accidents?

Take Care With Kettles and Hot Drinks

If a child pulls a recently boiled kettle off the benchtop, then they could get splashed by boiling water. Make sure to keep your kettles at the back of the bench; put their cords behind them so they are out of reach.

You should also be wary of how you handle hot drinks when your child is around. Again, pulling a hot cup of tea off a benchtop is dangerous, so make sure not to leave hot drinks where your child can reach them or accidentally knock them over.

While it's nice to relax with your child in your lap and a soothing cuppa, this can also be dangerous. If your child wriggles when you have a hot drink in your hand, then you could tip the contents over them.

Monitor Bath Temperatures

If your hot water bath tap runs very hot, then don't turn this tap on first to fill a bath for your child. Run the cold tap for a while first, or put both taps on at once. This reduces the heat in the water while the bath runs.

If your child did put their hand in the water or even accidentally fall in, then they wouldn't get scalded. It's also important to check the final water temperature before you let your child get in the bath.

Explain the Dangers of Hot Water

As your child gets older, do explain why you are being careful. Children understand the concept of hot and cold, so you can start teaching them how to protect themselves from hot water accidents.

If your hot water runs hotter than you can handle as an adult, then you may have a problem in your hot water system. To make things safer for all of you, call out a hot water plumber to check the system. If it is working OK, your plumber can take other measures to cool your hot water, such as adding a temperature control valve to your pipes.