This is the time of year when homes are at their fullest, as the cold weather, and sometimes illness, keep people indoors. It is also a time when accidents in the home can happen more easily. Generally speaking, we are more distracted when people are visiting our homes, and it is on such occasions that normal little mishaps can turn into more serious accidents.

Keeping a close eye on what your mobile baby or toddler is up to at all times is, of course, the best way to keep your child safe from harm. However, as most parents will admit, this is neither practically nor psychologically possible - let's face it, if little Jack is happy playing in the washhand basin for a few minutes, aren't you glad of the few minutes mental space he is giving you? So, the second-best option is to make and keep your home child-friendly.

Every family has a different way of dealing with the everyday potential hazards that lurk in their homes. Some parents like to teach their children from an early age never to touch hot oven doors or open certain cupboards, while others will buy childproof cupboard fasteners and fridge locks before any problem arises. Different children - even in the same family - may also need different strategies, as some are more adventurous and curious than others.

Some people even decide to replace certain items of furniture which were perfect before the children arrived yet now seem highly inappropriate.

Coarse matting, pointed steel chairs and glass-topped tables fall into this category: fashionable furniture which is not child-friendly. One of the basic requirements recommended by the National Safety Council for all homes is a smoke alarm. The hall is usually the most central place to fit a smoke alarm; however, many parents also like to have another one fitted on the ceiling near a child's bedroom.

Stair gates at the top and bottom of stairs are also deemed a must in most families with toddlers and pre-school children.

Window catches which stop children opening windows too far are also very useful in homes where large windows are easily opened by young children. The following is a room-by-room assessment of what measures you can take to keep young children safe in your home.

The kitchen: This is probably the most dangerous room in the house, with potential accidents waiting to happen - from hot cookers to full fridges and detergent-filled cupboards. Simple measures, such as keeping all cleaning agents on shelves which are beyond a child's reach (and inaccessible even from those adventurous types who tend to climb up on chairs and cupboards to get their desired object) and always turning saucepan handles inwards when cooking are very important.

Otherwise, it's down to family styles and common-sense safety. One shouldn't ever leave a hot iron with its cable hanging down near small children. Likewise, electric kettles and other kitchen appliances should have short cables well away from little hands.

Some families have no objections to children helping themselves from the fridge - even if it means the occasional spillage - while others keep such areas out of bounds. Chip-pans are notoriously dangerous and some people choose not to use them at all for fear of accidents.

The bathroom: Another potentially hazardous space: filling wash hand-basins with water from the hot taps is attractive yet dangerous play. Turning off all hot taps tightly is one simple measure to take, but if this doesn't work you could have the temperature on your thermostat lowered so that your hot water never reaches burning temperatures. All medicines, perfumes and bath products should be on shelves that children can not reach.

Bedrooms: Usually quite a safe, cosy place for children, the bedroom offers lots of opportunities for games such as dressing-up and hide-and-seek (not to mention, bouncing-on-the-bed, permitted by some families and forbidden by others). The main dangers here emanate from Mum's perfume bottles (which should definitely be on out-of-reach shelves) and from falling off the bed.

Although carpets usually offer safe landings, even adults have been known to break bones from falling out of the bed, so young children's bedroom games should always be supervised by responsible adults.

Sitting room: Here the greatest hazard is an open fireplace, which should be fitted with a safety guard. The best ones on the market are the large, rectangular small-mesh guards which completely surround the fireplate, clipping into hooks on the wall to prevent them from coming off.

As in other rooms, low-level sockets can present danger to curious children who like to poke objects into them. Placing furniture such as couches and bookshelves etc in front of sockets is one easy way around this.

However, if this is not possible, simple plastic socket covers can be purchased in most DIY and hardware stores. Music systems, video recorders and televisions present their own set of problems, in that a child may permanently damage or break them rather than injure himself. Keeping such equipment on high shelves or lockable cupboards is often the best solution.

Ensuring furniture that is next to walls, such as bookshelves, sideboards and glass cabinets, are securely standing on the floor - or even fixed to the walls - can prevent such items from being pulled down on top of little bodies. Keep your drinks cabinet locked.

General tips:

Never leave hot drinks or alcoholic drinks within the reach of a child.

Always turn off appliances before going to bed and ensure open fires are banked down and protected with a fireguard.

Avoid using a long, hanging tablecloth, as small children will pull it and everything on it down on top of themselves.