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Safety hub

Keeping them safe, from bump to 16.

Mum-tested, UK-backed safety advice for every age. Tap a stage to jump straight to the checklist that matters right now — safer sleep, baby-proofing, car seats, water, roads and online life.

Bump · Pregnancy0–12 months · Newborn & baby1–4 years · Toddler4–7 years · Preschool & infants7–11 years · Primary school11–16 years · Tweens & teens

In an emergency

999
Life at risk, fire, crime in progress
111
Non-emergency NHS (option 2 for mental health)
0800 1111
Childline — 24/7, free, confidential
0808 800 5000
NSPCC Helpline — worried about a child
BumpPregnancy

Keeping you & baby safe in pregnancy

The safest start begins before baby arrives. These are the NHS-backed basics every mum-to-be should know.

Food & lifestyle

  • Avoid pâté, unpasteurised dairy, raw/cured meat, swordfish, marlin and shark.
  • Limit tuna to 2 cans or 1 fresh steak a week; oily fish max 2 portions a week.
  • Wash all salad, fruit and veg to remove soil (toxoplasmosis risk).
  • Caffeine under 200mg a day (≈ 2 mugs of instant coffee).
  • No alcohol — the safest amount in pregnancy is none (UK Chief Medical Officers).
  • Stop smoking and vaping — ask your midwife about free NHS Stop Smoking support.

Seatbelts & travel

  • Always wear a seatbelt — lap strap UNDER your bump, diagonal between your breasts and to the side of your bump.
  • Avoid long-haul flights after 36 weeks (28 weeks for twins) — carry a fit-to-fly letter from 28 weeks.
  • Move around every hour on long journeys to lower DVT risk; consider flight socks.

When to call your midwife or 999

  • Reduced or changed baby movements after 24 weeks — call your maternity unit straight away, day or night.
  • Heavy bleeding, severe one-sided pain, or a sudden gush of fluid.
  • Severe headache, blurred vision, swelling in face/hands, upper tummy pain (pre-eclampsia signs).
  • High temperature (38°C+), itching on palms/soles, or feeling something just isn't right — trust your gut.
Trusted sources:NHS — PregnancyTommy's — Pregnancy info
0–12 monthsNewborn & baby

Safer sleep, feeding & first months

The Lullaby Trust's safer-sleep advice and the right car seat reduce risk in the most fragile months.

Safer sleep (every sleep, day & night)

  • Always on the back, on a firm, flat, waterproof mattress with no incline.
  • Own clear sleep space — no pillows, duvets, cot bumpers, pods or nests.
  • Room-share for the first 6 months — same room, separate sleep surface.
  • Keep room 16–20°C. Feet-to-foot position in the cot.
  • No smoking near baby, and never sleep on a sofa or armchair with baby.
  • Breastfeeding lowers SIDS risk — but don't co-sleep if you smoke, drink, or take medication that makes you drowsy.

Car seats

  • Use a rear-facing seat to at least 15 months — ideally to 4 years (i-Size R129).
  • Never put a rear-facing seat in front of an active airbag.
  • Check the harness: flat, no twists, two fingers max between strap and chest.
  • Bulky coats compress in a crash — strap baby in first, blanket on top.
  • Always check second-hand seats for cracks, recalls and expiry (usually 6–10 years).

Bathing & handling

  • Run cold water first, then hot. Test with your elbow — water should feel warm, not hot.
  • Never leave baby in the bath alone, not even for a second — drowning can happen in 2cm of water.
  • Support the head and neck for the first 4 months.
  • Never shake a baby — even gentle shaking can cause brain injury.
Trusted sources:The Lullaby Trust — Safer sleepGood Egg Safety — Car seats
1–4 yearsToddler

Baby-proofing your home

Falls, burns and poisoning are the top causes of A&E visits in under-5s. A weekend with these checklists prevents most of them.

Room by room

  • Anchor every wardrobe, chest of drawers, TV and bookcase to the wall — toppling furniture is a leading cause of toddler deaths.
  • Stair gates top and bottom — pressure-fit at the bottom, screw-fit at the top.
  • Cordless blinds only, or fit cord cleats out of reach (looped blind cords have caused strangulation).
  • Window restrictors on every upstairs window so they open no more than 6.5cm.
  • Move beds and cots away from windows and radiators.

Burns & scalds

  • Set hot water thermostat to 46°C max.
  • Use back hob rings and turn pan handles inward.
  • Never carry hot drinks while holding a child — a cuppa stays scalding for 15+ minutes.
  • Fit smoke alarms on every floor and test monthly. Add a CO alarm near any fuel-burning appliance.
  • Keep matches, lighters, candles and hair straighteners (still hot 8 mins after unplugging) well out of reach.

Choking, poisoning & electrics

  • UK plug sockets are child-safe by design — DO NOT add plastic socket covers (they bypass the built-in shutters).
  • Lock away cleaning products, medicines, dishwasher tablets, button batteries and laundry pods.
  • Button batteries can burn through the oesophagus in 2 hours — go to A&E immediately if swallowed.
  • Cut grapes, cherry tomatoes, sausages and blueberries lengthways into quarters until age 5.
  • Stay within arm's reach during meals; learn paediatric first aid (St John Ambulance or Red Cross).

Out & about

  • Reins or wrist strap near roads, car parks and stations.
  • Stop, look, listen at every kerb — toddlers can't judge speed until around age 7.
  • Drowning is silent — supervise within arm's reach at paddling pools, ponds and bath time.
  • Sun safety: SPF 30+, hat, t-shirt, shade between 11am–3pm. No sunscreen under 6 months.
Trusted sources:RoSPA — Child safety at homeCAPT — Child Accident Prevention Trust
4–7 yearsPreschool & infants

Bikes, roads, water & friends

As independence grows, layer in road sense, water confidence and the first conversations about safe touch.

Wheels & roads

  • Bike, scooter or balance bike: always a correctly-fitted helmet (two-finger gap above eyebrows, V-straps under ears).
  • Cycle on pavements until they're competent — UK law allows children under 10 on pavements.
  • High-vis or reflective strips on coats and bags in winter.
  • Booster seat in the car until 135cm tall OR 12 years old (UK law).

Water confidence

  • Book swimming lessons early — Swim England recommends from age 4.
  • At the beach: swim between the red and yellow flags, never inflatables in the sea.
  • Open water (rivers, lakes, quarries) is cold all year — cold water shock kills strong adults in minutes.
  • Teach the float-to-live rule: lean back, spread arms and legs, float until the gasp passes.

Body safety & safe adults

  • Use correct names for body parts — it makes disclosure easier.
  • Teach the PANTS rule (NSPCC): Privates are private, Always remember your body belongs to you, No means no, Talk about secrets that upset you, Speak up someone can help.
  • Agree a family code word for trusted pickups.
  • Practise 'what would you do if you got lost?' — stay put, find a mum with kids or a uniformed worker.
Trusted sources:RNLI — Water safetyNSPCC — Talk PANTS
7–11 yearsPrimary school

First phones, first screens, first independence

The average UK child gets their first phone at 9. Set the ground rules before, not after.

Phones, tablets & gaming

  • Use a Family Link / Apple Screen Time / Family Pairing setup — agree limits together, not in secret.
  • All accounts private by default. No location-sharing on social or game apps.
  • WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat require age 13+ — there is no legitimate under-13 account.
  • Charge phones outside the bedroom overnight — protects sleep and removes night-time risk.
  • Talk about in-game chat, loot boxes and pressure to spend; turn off in-app purchases.

Online content & contact

  • Set router-level filters (Sky Broadband Shield, BT Parental Controls, Virgin Web Safe — all free).
  • Agree the 3 golden rules: never share where you live or school, never meet anyone you've only spoken to online, tell me without getting in trouble.
  • Watch out for grooming signs: secrecy about online friends, new gifts, sudden mood changes.
  • Report grooming or sexual images to CEOP (police) at ceop.police.uk.

Home alone & walking to school

  • NSPCC: no fixed legal age, but no child under 12 is mature enough for long periods alone.
  • Practise the route to school together; agree check-in times.
  • Programme home, mum and 999 into their phone; teach them to share live location with you.
  • Agree what to do if a stranger speaks to them: don't engage, walk towards people, call mum.
Trusted sources:Internet MattersCEOP — Report abuse
11–16 yearsTweens & teens

Online safety, mental health & real-world risk

Teens face risks mums never did — sextortion, county lines, vaping, AI deepfakes. Keep talking, even when they roll their eyes.

Sextortion, nudes & AI fakes

  • Sextortion cases involving UK teens (mostly boys) have multiplied since 2023 — scammers fake-flirt, ask for nudes, then blackmail.
  • The script: never pay, stop replying, screenshot, block, report to Instagram/Snapchat AND to CEOP.
  • Sharing a nude of an under-18 is a crime even if both are teens — but Report Remove (NSPCC + IWF) will get images taken down without police involvement.
  • Talk openly about AI deepfake nudes circulating in UK schools — the law (Online Safety Act 2023) treats them the same as real images.

Privacy, location & passwords

  • Audit accounts together every 6 months: private, location off, no DMs from strangers, two-factor auth on.
  • Snapchat Snap Map: set to Ghost Mode.
  • Use a password manager (free: Bitwarden, iCloud Keychain) — one strong password per account.
  • Never share Apple ID / Google account passwords with friends or partners.

Drugs, vaping, alcohol & county lines

  • Disposable vapes are illegal in the UK from June 2025 — talk about nicotine addiction, not just the law.
  • Know the signs of county lines exploitation: new phone they hide, unexplained cash/trainers, missing for days, older 'friends'.
  • Save Frank (talktofrank.com) and Childline (0800 1111) in their phone — both anonymous.
  • Agree a no-questions-asked code word: text it and you'll pick them up, no row, conversation tomorrow.

Mental health & friendships

  • Eat together when you can — daily family meals are the single biggest protective factor for teen mental health.
  • Watch for: sleep changes, withdrawal from friends, self-harm marks, sudden grade drops, giving away possessions.
  • First port of call: GP, school counsellor, or YoungMinds Parents Helpline 0808 802 5544.
  • In a crisis call 111 (option 2 for mental health) or 999 if there's immediate risk.
Trusted sources:NSPCC — Report RemoveYoungMindsInternet Watch Foundation
On the marketplace

Every car seat, cot & pram is age-checked.

Sellers enter the manufacture date. Our Safety Check Tool instantly verifies it against UK lifespan rules and recall lists — before it ever appears in search.

  • UKCA / CE compliance for all new items
  • Automatic recall alerts to buyers & sellers
  • One-tap report to The Mum Hub + Trading Standards
  • GDPR-compliant, no data ever sold

A safer mum is a confident mum.

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The Mum Hub is not a medical service. This page summarises publicly available UK guidance (NHS, RoSPA, NSPCC, Lullaby Trust, RNLI, CEOP) and is not a substitute for advice from your midwife, GP or 999 in an emergency.