There is no doubt that real estate in Ghana is rapidly growing with modern architecture. Most Ghanaian architects have included staircases in putting up amazing storey buildings. However, one of the dangers in the home environment could be the staircase, especially, to the child and the elderly.

Most often, like a magnet, children are attracted to the stairs right at the crawling stage. It becomes the responsibility of the parent to make sure they are safe from the staircase and do not harm themselves in the process of climbing or crawling up and down the staircase no matter how many times.

Children do not know that it’s very easy to trip, slip and fall from the stairs which is likely to result in serious injuries. They are generally curious and love to squeeze their tiny bodies through spaces. The child is most likely to fall from raised surfaces like the beds, bannisters, high chairs and even windows if not closely monitored.

Quite a number of houses for sale in Accra are also storey buildings with beautiful and modernised staircase designs forming the spine of the home. Here are some ways for you to make your home with a staircase unit safer for your children.

USE A BABY SAFETY GATE

The stairs are the first place you should consider when proofing the home with gates. Depending on the design of the home, you will need a gate at the top and bottom, one is never enough!

Baby gates come in different forms, shapes and brands, each meeting different needs. Among the types of gates available on the market are hardware-mounted and pressure-mounted gates; step-over gates, retractable baby gates and extra-wide baby gates, among others. The need to know what will work for your family and complement the design of the home is important.

As much as baby gates prevent falls, never leave the child alone around the staircase since there are many ways and tactics they could use to climb and fall from an even greater height causing serious damages. Your attention and supervision is still required to make the baby gate more efficient in its purpose.

Read Also: You Probably Do Not Change Your Bedsheets Frequently Enough

KEEP THE STAIRCASE CLEAR OF CLUTTER AND WELL LIT UP

Children play with just about anything and everything. For this reason, keeping the stairs free of clutter, for example, toys, pens, etc. will help reduce the likelihood of children making the staircase their playground.

A child will do anything to get his/her favourite toy. If the toy is on the stairs, the child will devise ways of getting to the toy, and we all know safety is not the primary concern for the child when making decisions at the toddler stage. These random objects can cause the child to trip and result in injuries. Also, remember to light up the stairs to make every step clearly visible as better visibility will help ensure safety for the children either so they can better identify heights and depths of the stairs or so you can see them easier when they are on the stairs and require rescue.

CONSIDER USING ANTI-SLIP MATERIAL ON THE STAIRCASE

The whole idea is to lessen the slipperiness on the stairs. Using anti-slip materials such as carpets, rubber and slip-resistant paints can drastically reduce slip accidents. In the very probable scenario where the child spills water or drinks; or passes urine while on the stairs, the anti-slip material greatly reduces the chances of slipping on the stairs and getting injured.

ADJUST THE STAIR RISE

When searching for a home, especially, on meqasa.com, it is best to choose homes with a lower stair rise, especially, if you have children who are four years and below to prevent your child from having to step so high before getting to the next step. The fewer trips up the stairs, the lower the risk of the child falling. When looking at the images of the home on the site, close attention paid to the pictures containing the staircases will likely give you an idea of how high the stair rises are. You can confirm this later when you visit the property for a proper viewing.

Having a child start walking is an exciting stage for parents. However, most children are very energetic and adventurous, and in their excitement, may fall victim to mundane things around the house. It is important for parents to be extra vigilant in supervising their children at this stage so as to protect them from serious injuries. We hope these tips on how to child-proof your stairs help protect them from staircase injuries without having to change the home choice and its ideal design. If there are other tips we missed which you have found to be helpful in child-proofing your stairs, share with us in the comments. You’ll help other parents and guardians.