Baby Proofing Your Home - Here Are Some Helpful Tips
It’s always a thing of joy when babies hit their growth milestones – ability to sit unaided, first words, first steps etc and it’s only natural that as a parent, you worry so much that they could get hurt once they are able to crawl all over the house. It’s true we want them to be free and exercise those muscles as much as they can but we should also take care not to allow them hurt themselves in the process. To guard against preventable accidents, you will need to have your home baby proofed.
To do this, you have got two options; you can either go with a professional childproofing service and have experienced and certified experts help you turn your home into a child-safe zone or you can go ahead and get it done yourself. For the sake of this post, below are some helpful tips from Midatlantic Obgyn for baby proofing your house if you do choose to have it done yourself.
Baby Proofing Tips
1. Crawl through the house like your baby would to help you see things from their perspective. This will bring items that they could potentially tug on or tip over into focus for you.
2. Bath time is usually a fun affair for kids. In between playing with rubber ducks and actually getting cleaned, there’s bound to be some splashing going on. This leads to a wet, slippery floor. What you can do to guard against slips and potential injury is to place non-slip mats on the bathroom floor.
3. Keep all hair appliances unplugged from the electrical outlet when not in use; tuck away the cords neatly and place the appliances out of the reach of your kids.
4. Get a safety latch for the cabinets on a lower level; this is to prevent your kids from getting into contact with dangerous household cleaning agents or chemicals.
5. If you have got a hard tiled floor at home, consider investing in some good quality soft carpeting. This will not only help prevent slipping but will help to cushion their fragile little bottles when they fall.
6. Cover up your electrical outlets with electrical outlet covers – These are pretty affordable and can be gotten at your local hardware store or ordered online.
7. If you previously planning on buying a drop-side group, then you may want to rethink that as this goes against the current US regulations on crib safety.
8. Invest in removable safety gates for the top and bottom stair cases or places you would generally want to keep your toddler out of. This includes the kitchen or an arts and crafts room.
9. Check to see if your railings are wider than 6.5cm; if they are, you will want to block them with Plexiglas or plastic garden fencing.
10. Ensure that all utensils with a sharp edge or tip are locked away in drawers or placed out of reach.
11. Use wall brackets to secure and tassels or cords from your curtains.
12. Flower vases, coat hangers or any heavy furniture that could fall on your baby should be relocated to somewhere out of your baby’s reach.
This list is by no means exhaustive but it should at the very least help you get started with your baby proofing activities. If at any point you feel overwhelmed or you’re simply a first time parent who wants to make sure everything is perfect, you can always engage the services of a professional to get it done thoroughly.
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