Tips to consider before baby proofing your home.

 

Keeping your baby safe at all times is one of your greatest concerns and responsibilities for parents. There is so much to consider and it is very easy to overlook something that might be fairly obvious to some but escape others. In this post I am going to give you Tips for baby proofing your home to avoid accidents and injuries to your baby. Ready? Let’s get started.

Best way to approach baby proofing your home.

The best way is to see your home from the eyes of your child. It is recommended that you get down on your hands and knees and crawl around your home. This will enable you to see hazards you might not have recognized at your full height. Are electrical outlets in baby’s reach or are there electric cords hanging down that your baby can pull on or get tangled in? Does your furniture have sharp corners? Are there precious items at your baby’s level that should be put up out of reach?

Most hazardous situation for a baby.

The most hazardous situation for your baby is choking or anything that might cause him to stop breathing. The most hazardous situation for you baby is one that caused an injury that could have been prevented.

Tips for baby proofing your home.

There are many things to consider, among them you have:

• Your baby is a quick mover so it is never safe to leave him unattended if at all possible.
• Consider putting up all valuables and breakable items out of reach of your baby’s.
• Anything that is small enough to fit in his mouth should be removed.
• If in doubt as to whether any one item is small enough to fit in your baby’s mouth and pose a choking hazard take an empty toilet paper roll. If it fits inside the tube, it goes in his mouth and possibly harm him.

Do you need baby safety gates?

The answer is Yes.

Baby safety gates can be placed in doorways or at the top and bottom of staircases.

• The gates can prevent your baby from getting into the kitchen or bathroom.
• They can also prevent your baby from tumbling down the stairs or climbing the stairs and falling.
• The mesh or the holes in the gate should not be large enough for your baby to put his toes through to climb the gate. Gates now are being made to operate hands-free or one handed.
• There are gates being made with the bars going vertical instead of horizontal reducing the chances of your baby being able to climb the gate.

Consider electric outlet covers or locks as a good way for baby proofing your home.

• Electric outlet covers look like plastic plugs when they are inserted and prevent your baby from sticking his fingers or something else in the outlet and getting a serious shock.
• Electric outlet lock plates can replace typical outlets and in order to insert anything into the outlet the plug has to be inserted and turned.

What about motion alarms on doors and windows?, are they necessary?

Some kids are very active and able to do things you would be very surprise about. Children have been known to open windows and fall through screens and become seriously injured. There are many news stories where toddlers have gotten up in the night and unbeknownst to their parents open the door and go outside. Some are found wandering around and others are not so lucky. Some windows now come with a mechanism to prevent the window from being opened more than an inch or two. The alarms will alert you to the door opening and you can intervene before something tragic happens.

Baby proofing products available on the market.

There are all kinds of baby proofing products available and most of them are reasonably priced.

• Motion sensors.
• Corner cushions for sharp corners on furniture through out the house.
• Electric outlet covers.
• Safety latches and locks to use on cabinets (kitchen or bathroom cabinets) and drawers.
• Cord retractors for window blinds.
• Doorknob covers and door locks to avoid access to areas with hazardous areas.
• Anti-scald devices use for faucets and shower heads to set water temperature to avoid burning.
• Smoke detectors for fire.
• Carbon monoxide (CO) detector use outside bedrooms to help prevent CO poisoning.

Is there anything available to protect a baby from getting in between banister posts?

There is netting available that can be attached with screws that will prevent your baby from getting between the banister posts. This product is similar to the deck netting available for outdoor decks.

How can you baby proof the nursery.

The nursery is the first place where your baby will ambulate, to make sure that is a safe space keep in mind the following tips.

• Keep your baby’s crib away from windows and blinds cords.
• Put outlet protectors on all outlets.
• Make certain to dress your baby in sleepers rather than using blankets.
• When your baby begins sitting up place the mattress in the lowest position.
• Do not put stuffed animals or pillows in the crib with your little one, they could nestle up to them and suffocate.

How to baby proof a kitchen.

• Put all cleaners or chemicals up out of reach of your baby.
• Make sure all drawers and cabinet doors.
• While cooking put all pot handles toward the rear of the stove.
• Do not allow electric cords to hang over counters where your baby can pull on them.
• Better still, if possible unless you are feeding your baby keep him out of the kitchen.

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Final thoughts  about Tips for baby proofing your home.

As you can see baby proofing your spaces can be a bit overwhelming. The good news is that newborn babies cannot walk alone, so you have a few months to baby proof your house, car and space in general, to avoid injuries to your child.

I hope this post has been helpful for you, if you learned something share it, and leave me your comments.

Zadi, xo.