IKEA Launches A New App To Child-Proof Your Home

Taking a stance on the importance of children’s safety in the home, IKEA has launched the Safer Home mobile application with practical tips and ideas to prevent injuries in the home.

According to research by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, locally, up to two children die every year from furniture or TVs toppling over. In addition, an estimated 2600 people are injured by toppling furniture or TVs every year.

The IKEA Safer Home app takes users around a virtual home where they can learn about child safety tips in all sorts of living scenarios including the bedroom and sleep, through to the kitchen and mealtime.

Australia is only the second country to launch the IKEA Safer Home mobile app.

The launch of the app is part of a bigger IKEA program to keep kids safe, where 10 stores will be hosting free workshops for parents and carers in the coming months on the following four topics: safer life at home with small children, a safer baby sleep environment, safer baby caring and nursing, mealtime with small children.

IKEA stores nationally will also be running internal training sessions available to all our almost 4000 co-workers can help customers make better decisions when it comes to planning a space for small children.

IKEA spokesperson, Mark Mitchinson said: “We believe children are the most important people in the world, which is why we work hard to make homes safer. It only takes a few minutes to make life at home safer for children, and it doesn’t have to cost you any money. We know that most injuries to children occur at home but with a bit of knowledge, many incidents can be prevented.

“With the launch of the IKEA Safer Home app, we want to bring to life simple tips and tricks for safer living in a user-friendly way. We want to help Australians make their homes safer and prevent injuries particularly with children.”

The IKEA Safer Home app is now available for download on Google Play for Android phones and the App Store for iPhones. Simply search for “IKEA Safer Home” and follow the instructions.

IKEA tips to make life at home safer for children

Secure it! Always follow the IKEA product’s assembly instructions and any product warnings. Always secure furniture to the wall to prevent it from tipping over onto children. We even offer free secure it kits if you lose or misplace yours.

Home Safety: Products like the PATRULL safety plug (a plastic plug that covers a wall socket to reduce the risk of your child sticking their finger or an object into a wall socket), PATRULL window latches (window catch for windows that open inwards or outwards as well as for sliding windows), and the UNDVIKA corner bumper (attaches to sharp corners of tables and cabinets to reduce the risk of your child getting hurt), are simple items that can help keep your children safe at home.

Sleep tight: Many parents choose to sleep their babies in a sleeping bag – it is important that the baby sleeping bag is the correct size. The child’s head should not pass through the neck-hole when the product is fastened for use. To avoid over-heating the sleeping bag should not be used with an additional blanket or quilt and the thickness of the undergarments the child is dressed in should be adapted to the thickness of the sleeping bag. The ideal room temperature for a baby to sleep in is 18-20 degrees Celsius.

Bunk beds:  A barrier on a bunk bed does not protect a child from falling off if they are playing on the bed. The barrier is there to prevent the child that is sleeping on it from rolling off the bunk bed while sleeping. The top bunk is not suitable for young children. When setting up your bunk bed, the top of the barrier should be at least 16cm higher than the top of the mattress to protect children from rolling off.

Cords, drapes, and ropes: Toddlers and young children can be fascinated by strings, ropes, and straps and they can put them around their neck when playing. If they were to fall or get caught onto something when moving around with a cord around their neck, this could result in a serious injury. To keep children safe, we recommend not to use drapes or textiles with loose ropes or strings in children’s’ rooms.