Babyproofing your home is an integral part of keeping your children secure, both during their early years and beyond. Making your house a secure environment for your little one doesn’t have to be complicated; with some effort and time you can ensure it remains so.
First and foremost, take a step back and view your home from a baby’s perspective. Get down on the floor and try to visualize what a child would see if they were standing in your shoes; this will help identify any potential hazards in your household.
Be sure to inspect every room, including bathrooms and kitchens, for potential hazards. Not only will this give your child a secure place to play, but it also gives you an opportunity to identify any issues before they arise and address them quickly.
Use plug protectors on unused electrical outlets to prevent children’s hands from getting trapped in sockets.
Lock cabinet drawers and doors to prevent them from opening accidentally. Doing this will safeguard your child from sticking their fingers inside the drawers and sustaining serious injury.
Store medicines, vitamins, cleaning products and other hazardous items in a locked cabinet that is out of your child’s reach. Doing this not only keeps them away from harmful substances but it also helps safeguard them against accidental ingestion of them.
Don’t load your dishwasher with detergent until you are ready to run it, and store it in a locked cupboard so your child cannot access it. This is especially true for detergent pods, which may be attractive to kids but contain toxic poison if swallowed.
Never leave your baby unsupervised in a bathtub, even for a few seconds. This is one of the leading causes of drowning deaths among young children.
When using a baby bathtub, make sure the water temperature is one your child is comfortable with and keep it away from sharp corners and edges. Furthermore, installing a lid lock on the tub will prevent accidents in which your child could fall in and get hurt.
Babies tend to roll over faster than you may think, so be sure not to leave them unattended on a bed or crib. If you must, secure the crib with a safety strap in case your child should fall out of it.
It is essential to ensure there are no electrical cords beneath rugs in your child’s room, as a child’s hand could easily get caught in one and strangled.
Hide lamp and appliance cords behind heavy furniture or use a special flex-holder device to conceal them. If your lamps are tall, anchor them behind furniture to avoid tipping over if your baby pulls on them.
Avoid leaving plastic bags, deflated balloons and other objects that could cling to a child’s neck and cause choking. Not only are these hazardous for babies, but also difficult to clean up afterward.