Welcoming a little bundle of joy into your life is an exciting time. However, it doesn’t come without a little bit of anxiety. Children grow up and start crawling and walking and get into literally everything. There are hazards all throughout your home, so it is important to take the steps necessary to properly babyproof your home. In doing so, you can prevent numerous accidents in the home. Let’s take a look at how to create a safe environment for a baby.
Cover Electrical Outlets
Babies love to stick their fingers in just about anything. Therefore, to prevent shocks and electrocution, cover the electrical outlets so they can’t do that and hurt themselves.
Lock Toilet Seats
While you probably think about locking up medicine and cleaning products, you may not consider locking the toilet seat. However, the truth of the matter is that very young children can fall headfirst into the toilet and potentially drown. It only takes an inch of water for a baby to drown. On top of installing locks on the toilet seats, make sure children are always supervised while in the bathroom.
Soften the Edges
Babies will stumble and fall as they learn to walk. It’s a learning process. While they may get some bumps and bruises with these falls, which you can’t prevent, you can install bumpers on the corners of tables, cabinets, etc., to reduce the impact of the fall and prevent more serious injuries.
Secure Doorknobs
While you can close the door to an area of the home you don’t want your child in, they will become curious. The installation of plastic safety covers over doorknobs will keep small hands from opening doors and entering forbidden areas.
Anchor Heavy Items
You may not realize that your young child can cause a heavy object like a TV to fall over, but as they pull themselves up, these larger objects can tip and crush a child. Therefore, all heavy items should be anchored to the floor and/or wall.
Use Safety Gates
Whether you want to keep your child from going up the stairs or entering the kitchen, use a safety gate. These gates can help keep babies and young children from entering potentially hazardous areas of the home.
Hopefully, the aforementioned tips have helped you in proofing your home for children and understanding how to create a safe environment for a baby. Don’t forget to use common sense when proofing your home for children. If you think it may be a hazard, it probably is.