Essential/Useful things for a 6-12 month old

Deucharman

valk_scot wrote: »

This article also presupposed that everyone lives in a modern house with up to date wiring, a near instantaneous RCD failsafe at the box end and has a child that doesn't try to stick your metal knitting needles and kirbigrips into anything he can find. The one thing he couldn't do though was get socket covers off.

I am afraid that this comment is clearly from someone who has not actually read what it says on the site!

Firstly, every flat pin 13 amp socket ever made has had internal shutters, to ensure that children cannot poke anything into them. It is not dependent on the age of the wiring - unless you have round pin sockets, but nobody makes socket covers for them (that would actually be useful). If you cannot get the socket covers off easily it is because they have oversize pins, and oversize pins damage sockets. That leads to poor contacts when you start to use the sockets resulting in overheating and possible fire.

The man responsible for the UK wiring regulations, Mark Coles of the IET, is on record as saying “Socket-outlets to BS 1363 are the safest in the world and have been since they were first designed in the 1940s. Socket protectors are not regulated for safety, therefore, using a non-standard system to protect a long established safe system is not sensible.”

The leading socket manufacturer, MK, says "MK goes to great lengths to ensure that all its BS 1363 plugs and sockets are safe. Inserting incorrectly dimensioned products into a socket-outlet can both damage the socket and reduce its safety.”

You are unlikely to find more educated and valid opinions than those! (The link to the article by Mark Coles is on the FatallyFlawed home page)