A Guide to Baby Proofing Your Home

Knowing how to properly baby proof the rooms in a house is an important skill for both new parents and grandparents to learn. There are many household hazards that are easy to overlook. For example, the sharp corners of a fireplace hearth may not seem like anything important until you have a toddler that is learning how to walk. Staircases that lead to tile are also a safety hazard. In addition to obtaining a childproofing checklist to follow, it’s also a good idea to get on the floor and look at the room from your child’s perspective. This can help you identify hazards that you would not otherwise see while standing up.

Electrical Cords and Outlets

Going through each room of the house and covering unused outlets is one of the first steps to baby proofing. The plastic outlet covers should be well fitted to the outlet and difficult to remove. It’s also imperative to make sure that unused electrical cords are not left on the floor where they are tempting to play with. Purchase a cord cover or zip tie loose cords together so that they are easier to place out of reach.

Standing Water

Ensuring that all standing water is properly covered or dumped out is very important. Babies can drown in something as small as a mop bucket because once they fall in it’s very difficult to get out. Toilets are also a big concern. In addition to making sure that the lid is down at all times, it’s also recommended that you install a childproof lock on the toilet lid, as well.

Sharp Corners

Sharp corners on counter tops and pieces of furniture pose a threat to children that are able to walk, especially when they are just learning. To combat this, place fitted covers over the corners. These can be purchased premade, or you can fashion them out of foam and fabric. If you make your own corner covers, it’s important to make sure that you are using materials that cannot be pulled apart and swallowed.

The Backyard

The backyard is home to many safety hazards. Although most people are aware of pools, it’s easy to overlook machinery or gardening tools that are left in reach of small hands. The gate is also a concern. It’s important to ensure that a child cannot crawl into the backyard and push open the gate to the street.

Unstable Furniture

Top heavy furniture accounts for a growing number of child fatalities each year. An example of a piece of furniture that often tips over easily is a dresser – TV stands are also known for doing this. It’s extremely important to make sure that all unstable furniture is removed from the house if children are going to be present. As a general rule, if it shakes or wobbles, throw it out.

Cabinets and Drawers

It’s very important to ensure that young children cannot get into cabinets that house cleaning supplies and drawers that hold sharp knives. That being said, all cabinets and drawers should be childproofed to ensure that children cannot climb into them and get stuck. Childproofing these fixtures also makes sure that little fingers can’t be slammed or caught in hinges. There are special childproof locks that are used to do this.

Chemicals

Household cleaning chemicals are a big risk to children that are old enough to crawl. This is especially true if your cabinets don’t have locks on them. To prevent accidental ingestion, keep chemicals in a separate part of the house behind a closed, locked door. For example, the garage is a good place.

Medicine

Prescription and over-the-counter medicines are two common household dangers that account for many accidental poisonings every year. Once there is a baby in the house, these cannot be left down on the counter. This holds true even if you don’t think that a child could reach them. Instead, medicine should be kept in a locking cabinet.

Stairs

If you live in a two-story home, then the staircase is one of the biggest threats to a crawling baby. This also applies to walking toddlers. Baby gates are easy to install, and should be placed at the top and bottom of the stairs. It’s important to understand that there is a difference between a baby gate and a simple wood gate that can be removed. The baby gate attaches to the wall, which makes it difficult to push out of place.

Doors

Although all doors need to be childproofed, it’s especially important to pay attention to sliding ones. These are the easiest for young children to open on their own. This often happens by accident when a child falls against the door. To protect against a toddler opening a door and walking outside, install safety locks that only adults can reach.

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