Complete Guide To Baby Proofing Your Home

When you have a baby, it may be a challenge to decide what to do in order to achieve their safety in the home. Just look the coffee table in front of you or the drawers in the sideboard and almost all other furniture and you will see that it most probably has sharp corners.

The electrical outlet cords and blind cords hanging loose, those potential choke hazards… the list goes on. In fact, most of us read countless blogs in order to find out what we need to have in the house to ensure that the baby is safe.

However, some of the information out there may be misleading or simply it is not what you need. All homes are different and it is important to treat safety of the child independently.

Having said that, it does not mean that you cannot rely on some of this information—it means that you have to critically analyze the information you have and determine what suits you and what does not.

Children are vulnerable to unintentional injuries when compared to adults. This may be due to the fact that children are curious to explore their surroundings, but are not aware of the dangers that lurk.

Some of the accidents that they child may face around the house include burns, falls, cuts, or even potentially drowning. It is, therefore, our responsibility as parents or guardians to ensure that home remains to be the safest place for the children. Baby proofing is necessary for the quest to make your home safe the little ones.

What You Need To Know About Baby Proofing Your Home

There is a lot of information out there about childproofing and this may overwhelm you especially for the new parents. The first important thing to understand while making a decision on baby proofing your home is that various tools are needed depending on the age of the child.

When you become a parent, there is no single time you will take a bowl of popcorn, sit on a couch and say, ‘Well, I have accomplished all that is needed to make my baby safe.’ Unfortunately, it is a life-term contract and that is what makes our lives worthwhile.

Speaking from my own experience, baby proof your home early. Despite the fact that it may seem odd to baby proof your home even before the child starts crawling, it is very effective. Babies grow very fast and before you even know it, they are already running up and down.

Despite the fact that it may seem odd to baby proof your home even before the child starts crawling, it is very effective.

More also, it will not overwhelm you once the baby starts achieving various milestones in their growth. Having ample time to determine what is needed to baby proof your home makes the process easier.

However, it may not be possible to install everything at once but when some of the basics such as window and door locks. By doing so, you will have ample time with the baby at all times.

As the child grows up, you will realize that the need to improve your safety measures at home is necessary. For instance, an infant who is not yet mobile requires less of these tools. More also, as the children hit teenage, you will need another set of safety tools.

Baby proofing will also give you the peace of mind that you desperately need as a parent. In this era, you don’t have to keep moving up and done checking on the child but can just have a camera to do that work. This will not only makes you less tired but also enables you to spend ample time with the baby.

Baby Proofing: Things That You Need To Do At Your Home

Socket Guards

Once the baby starts walking or even crawling, one of the area they will easily reach is the sockets. The unused sockets around the house can be very dangerous to the child especially if they throw in metallic objects. It is, therefore, very important to ensure that sockets guard are installed in the unused sockets to protect the child against electrocution.

Safety Window Locks

Children are always amused by what is outside of the house. In fact, they feel like they are in a confinement and would do everything to have a glimpse of what is outside.

Windows are more likely to attract the child and when not properly secured, they can result in falls. There are various window locks on the market and one of the factors that you need to consider while buying one is the age of the child.

Closets, Cupboards, And Cabinets

These are parts of your home that are likely to inflict injuries to baby’s fingers. Children are more curious to know what is hidden from them and may be tempted to open them.

To avoid such injuries, ensure that all closets, cupboards, and cabinets at your house have safety latches. Some of the items stored in these places are also harmful to the child, such as cutlery and medicine.

Smoke And Carbon Monoxide Detector

Having the two at your home is very important and not only for childproofing but also the entire family. Smoke detectors come in handy when you may have forgotten the stove and the food have burnt or in case of fire emergency.

A carbon monoxide detector is also very important, especially while keeping the house warm by lighting fire. Carbon monoxide is termed as a silent killer as it does not smell making it even more dangerous.

Sharp Corners

Most of the house construction has sharp corners in every room. These corners are likely to cause injuries to the child especially when they start walking. It always feels good to see your child playing around the house.

However, the joy will be short-lived when the laughter turns into screams and wails. To ensure that your child plays around the house without being knocked down by the sharp corners, have corner cushions in place.

Kitchen

Baby proofing your home cannot be complete without ensuring safety around the kitchen. The most important thing to note is that you should never leave the child alone in the kitchen. Also, when cooking, ensure that the child is not playing on the floor as hot content may burn them.

Kitchen appliances such as fridge, oven, and cookers also need to be out of reach. This can be achieved by having strong locks in place. Also, keep away all the dishwashing liquids to avoid poisoning.

Dining Room

When the child is at a point where they are able to sit on their own and feed themselves, ensure that you use restraining straps to avoid falls. Care should also be taken to ensure that strangulation does not take place. If the chair used folds, ensure that it has a locking device that is working.

Items such as knives and folks should be brought to the table once the adults are seated to avoid injuries. Moreover, keep content away from the child especially anything hot to avoid burns.

Bathroom

It is not recommended to allow children into bathroom except during potty training and bath time. However, it is always good to ensure that the place is safe for them since they may enter without you noticing.

Kids can potentially drown even in the smallest amount of water. One way to achieve baby proofing your bathroom is to ensure that the toilet lid is always down and secured with a latch. Also, do not leave water in the bathtub after use as it can result in drowning.

Slipping causes injuries especially in the bathroom. Ensure that you use non-slip mats. During bath time, carefully support the baby and do not over-rely on bath seats as they may slip. Keep all the toiletries out of the reach of the child.

To avoid being distracted by the child during bath time, ensure that you have everything that you need. Additionally, ensure that the temperature of the water is okay for the baby before bathing them.

Living Room

This is the room where you spend a lot of time with your baby. Ensure that it is safe by applying various baby proofing tools. Most of the living room has a fireplace and the child needs to be protected against falling by having a fireplace screen.

Its corners also need to be cushioned. All the corners of desks, tables, and other furniture also need to be cushioned to avoid injuries to the child. The unused sockets should be covered with socket guards to avoid electrocution.

Baby Toys

Every child loves toys and it is a good way to keep them in one place. However, some of the toys may inflict injuries on the child. To avoid any form of injuries, ensure that toys that do not have locking mechanism as it is likely to lead to trapped fingers.

The play cards should not have holes as it is more likely to entrap their head or limbs. Play cars are one of the popular play tools today that needs to be made safe for the child. For instance, children may hurt themselves while climbing in and out.

To avoid this, always be with them as they play and also do not let them play while the mesh is drop-side down. Applying this baby proofing technique is going to help you enjoy parenthood.