Childproof home

Avoid accidents and poisoning in the home

Text last updated: 2025-08-26

You can protect your child with these measures

Your child is now at an age when they want to discover the world. Learning to walk expands the radius of movement from one day to the next. Full of curiosity, your child is now ready to explore. They are not yet aware of any dangers and are probably even quite impetuous when out and about, but parents can be proactive in defusing danger spots. Read here to find out how you can banish the risk of accidents and take precautions to ensure that your child grows up safe and sound.

What can you do to avoid accidents?

Potential dangers for small children lurk at home and in the immediate vicinity. To recognize hidden risks, you should see the home through your children's eyes: A shelf can quickly become a climbing tower, a carpet a tripping hazard and the contents of the garbage can a plaything. If you are aware of these and similar dangers, you can easily avoid them.

The following tips will help to make your home safer for children

Attention: Danger of poisoning and chemical burns

As soon as your child can walk, the risk of poisoning and chemical burns at home increases. Poisoning can be caused by medicines, tobacco, cigarettes, corrosive cleaning agents, paints, varnishes, poisonous plants or alcoholic drinks, among other things. Do not leave anything within your child's reach and make sure you use childproof closures. Medication belongs in a locked medicine cabinet.

The Federal Institute of Public Health (BIÖG) has published a parents' guide to accident prevention in childhood, which can be downloaded free of charge from its website.