Mains socket covers - hazard or help?

[RogerS]

I came across this website recently and since it seems to make a lot of sense have posted it here.

http://www.fatallyflawed.org.uk/

 

[p111dom]

Definitely a flaw. We didn't use them as upside down they are the perfect tool to lift the flaps of the +&- to allow little fingers in. The health visitors didn't know what I was on about and always pointed the lack of covers out as a hazard. Simply told them to bog off.

 

[matt]

I guess it's relevant to parents who are not paying attention. Socket covers or not mine are taught to leave alone until they are mature enough to be responsible.

I think there are arguments for and against. If there's a socket cover in then a baby is less likely to spend much time trying to emulate plugging things in. The pics show a pin being pushed in the hole underneath the socket cover - the chances of my littleuns having a pin or similar are very slim. I wouldn't mind betting that with similar persistence and having just the right object to hand, a child could weave a flexible piece of metal past the gates of an unprotected socket.

Feels more like self-promotion rather than a balanced appraisal of the risks for and against.

 

[brianhabby]

It's certainly food for thought. We used socket covers when ours were little, but I'm not sure now that we were right to do so.

Having said that, I can remember at a very early age figuring out how these sockets worked and that you could open the shutters by pushing an appropriate device into the earth hole. That's how I found out that putting the same piece of wire (fortunately insulated, but nevertheless with bare ends) into both the live and neutral holes at the same time makes for a big bang...

regards

Brian

 

[cambournepete]

Haven't read the article, but never used them.
What's the point - the sockets are designed not to have anything poked into them.
Waste of time and money IMHO.

 

[RogerS]

Haven't read the article, but never used them.
What's the point - the sockets are designed not to have anything poked into them.
Waste of time and money IMHO.

That is his main argument. Why fit them and they can be pulled out, fitted upside down thus leaving the live connector uncovered.

 

[BradNaylor]

I never had them for any of my four kids as I simply couldn't see the point - the live and neutral holes are inaccessible anyway. It always struck me as something only neurotic parents would buy - like baby-on-board stickers and bed rails.

What damage can a three year old do to themselves falling 12" onto a carpet? They'll only do it once, anyway!

 

[Digit]

My wife insists on using them, but then she's no sparks and the do gooders etc.
Bed rails! Nearly killed my son, I went into his room, don't ask why, I don't know, and there he was hanging out of his bunk bed by his neck and going blue.
Exit bloody rail, sharpish!

Roy.