The storehouse

Everything you need to make a home safer, in one place

Checklists you can work through room by room, plus the real Australian services for poisons, product recalls, drowning prevention and button-battery safety. Practical, free, and calm. Save this page.

000
Emergency: ambulance, fire, police. For any child who is unresponsive, struggling to breathe, or seriously injured.
13 11 26
Poisons Information Centre: any hour, Australia-wide. Call for any suspected poisoning or swallowed substance.
1800 022 222
healthdirect: 24-hour health advice when you're unsure but it isn't an emergency.

If you suspect a swallowed button battery, treat it as an emergency. Go straight to a hospital, don't wait for symptoms.

Room by room

Safety checklists for every room

Walk through your home one room at a time. Tick these off and you'll have covered the dangers this site is built around.

Kitchen

Critical zone: burns, poisoning, cuts

  • Cook on rear elements; turn pot handles inward
  • Keep hot drinks away from bench and table edges
  • Store knives and cleaning products up high and locked
  • Move chairs away from benches to stop climbing
  • Keep dishwasher pods sealed and out of reach

Bathroom & laundry

Critical zone: drowning, poisoning, scalds

  • Never leave a child alone in the bath, even for a moment
  • Empty the bath and buckets immediately after use
  • Set hot water to 50°C at the tap
  • Lock away medicines, cleaners and laundry pods
  • Keep the toilet lid down; supervise around nappy buckets

Nursery & bedroom

Suffocation, falls, strangulation

  • Baby on the back, in a cot, firm flat surface, no soft bedding
  • Cot away from windows, blinds and curtain cords
  • Tie up or cut looped blind cords; use cord guides
  • Anchor drawers and bookshelves to the wall
  • Lower bunk beds only for under-9s

Living room

Falls, button batteries, tip-overs

  • Secure the TV and anchor heavy furniture
  • Check remotes, scales and toys for secure battery compartments
  • Pad sharp corners on coffee tables
  • Keep small objects, magnets and coins out of reach
  • Fit window locks or guards above ground floor

Backyard & pool

High zone: drowning, trampoline, dogs

  • Four-sided pool fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate
  • One child at a time on the trampoline; nets and padding
  • Empty paddling pools and containers after use
  • Supervise all interactions between children and dogs
  • Lock away garden chemicals and remove toxic plants

Stairs, garage & shed

Falls, poisoning, vehicle risk

  • Safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs
  • Store fuels, paints and pesticides locked and up high
  • Always check behind vehicles before reversing (driveway run-overs)
  • Keep tools, sharp objects and cords out of reach
  • Lock the garage and shed

Checklists adapted from Kidsafe Australia, Royal Life Saving and Raising Children Network guidance.

Product safety & recalls

Check what's in your home

Product Safety Australia — RecallsOfficial ACCC register of recalled products, including toys, nursery furniture, prams and more. ↗ Babies & Kids product safetyMandatory safety standards and buying guides for cots, prams, toys, car seats and more. ↗ Button & coin battery safety (ACCC)Australia's mandatory battery safety standards, plus what to do if one is swallowed. ↗
Prevention services

Poisons, drowning & safe sleep

Poisons Information Centre — 13 11 2624/7 advice for any suspected poisoning. Prevention tips and a first-aid guide. ↗ Royal Life Saving — Keep WatchDrowning-prevention program for under-5s: supervision, barriers, water awareness and CPR. ↗ Red Nose — Safe SleepingEvidence-based safe-sleep advice to reduce the risk of sudden infant death and fatal sleep accidents. ↗ Raising Children Network — Home SafetyAustralia's parenting website: room-by-room safety, first aid and age-based guidance. ↗ Kidsafe AustraliaThe Child Accident Prevention Foundation: home, playground, road and water safety resources. ↗ eSafety CommissionerCyberbullying reporting and online-safety guidance for older children and teens. ↗

Want the printable version?

Join the get-involved list and we'll send you the full room-by-room checklist as a one-page PDF you can stick on the fridge.

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