Six to 12 Months

This period of development sees children sit up, crawl, pull themselves up to stand, take their first steps holding on and with a great sense of curiosity. This can bring with it a new area of safety issues.

• Ensure the use of harnesses on baby furniture such as highchairs, strollers and for shopping trolleys.

• Always use an Australian Standard child restraint on every trip in the car.

• Ensure all poisons are out of sight and out of reach of children.

• Children can drown in 5cm of water. Fish ponds, buckets of water and open drains, pools and spas can be a safety hazard for children.

• Check power points are covered and sharp corners are cushioned.

• Keep cigarettes, matches and lighters out of reach and out of sight.

• Install safety barriers on stairs and areas out of bounds.