See your home from a toddler's perspective at House of Giants

An interactive exhibition in Brussels allows adults to see the dangers in a household – from the perspective of a two-year-old.

The “House of Giants” has been built inside Koekelberg basilica to demonstrate in a very concrete way how children see the interior of a house and what dangers may be present.

From a bathtub to an iron and dining table, the size of all the furniture and objects has been tripled.

"I was amazed at the size of things,” said one visitor, a pediatric nurse. “What is normal for us is actually huge for babies - we don't always realise it. For kids, the high chair is really very high and the cups are really heavy.” 

Another pediatric nurse who visited the exhibition’s opening climbed on a giant step stool to take a look at the kitchen counter. “It's really surprising,” she said. “You realise that there are some really dangerous things for the little ones. For example, there are cups lying on a tablecloth in the dining room and all you have to do is pull on it and everything falls. I was tempted to do it."

A mother of a seven-month-old baby said: “This makes us more aware of the dangers. We tend to leave medicines on the bedside table or the razor on the bathroom counter."

Organised by the League of Families, this interactive exhibition aims to educate adults about these domestic dangers. "Visitors are instructed to touch everything in order to experiment for themselves,” said spokesman Damien Kremer. "They can touch a giant knife, for example, or sit on a gigantic high chair. In this way adults can put themselves in children's shoes.

“Detergent pods that look like sweets, a hot pan, electrical outlets placed on the floor, the dangers are spread all over the house and parents realise it when they walk around the exhibition. Visitors think: ‘it's true it's dangerous, maybe at home I should change things a little.’

“That said, we don't want to avoid everything. Risk is part of life. But this risk must be measured. It must be remembered that the home is a major cause of disabling injuries and mortality. It is these risks with serious consequences that we want to avoid ".

You can visit the House of Giants at Koekelberg basilica until 20 November (entry €8).