How To Baby Proof Your Home

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So you’ve got a baby on the way? – Congratulations! This is such an exciting time in your life right now, and you should enjoy every single step of the way.

One thing that will need to be done though is baby proofing your home. Babies are tiny, and everything will feel like a possible danger towards your baby, and this will scare you to death. But you shouldn’t worry, there are simple things that you can do to ensure the safety of your little one – allowing you to relax a whole lot when he or she finally arrives.

Here’s how.

 

 

Safety precautions

First, you should think about how safe your house is in general. It starts with the safety precautions like making sure you have smoke detectors and a carbon monoxide detector – people forget about this, but it’s so important as this is a silent killer. Unless you have a carbon-monoxide detector, you will never know. These should be on each floor of your home.

 

You should have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen, the water heater shouldn’t be any higher than 120 degrees, and you will want to cover all the electrical outlets with plastic caps.

 

Pick up what you can, and then vacuum away what you can’t. Babies will grab everything, and the first place it’s going to go is in their mouth, so you’re going to want to look at the best vacuum cleaners to suck up anything nasty.

 

Also, if you different levels to your house, install safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs so your baby can’t get up or down.

 

 

The kitchen

This is probably one of the most important areas in the house because there are tons of hot things in there, and you can easily get distracted while cooking – even if you turn your back for just a moment.

 

Look at what’s inside your low cabinets and drawers. Most people tend to keep their cleaning products at the bottom, so if that’s the case, you’ll want to move everything to somewhere out of reach. Remove anything that’s sharp, and also any plastic bags as these can be a suffocation hazard.

 

Remember that once your baby can climb, they will be able to be in reach of the top cabinets and even the work surfaces, so you may want to invest in some stove-knob covers which will prevent your child from turning on any burners.

 

If you keep your pills and vitamins in the kitchen, make sure they are impossible for your little one to get a hold of. If your child does see them, they will most likely give them a try – they look like candy! Why wouldn’t they put them in their mouth?

 

Even the innocent things like magnets on your fridge from your holiday last year, may seem like a lovely souvenir, but unfortunately are the perfect thing for your baby to choke on. So put them somewhere safe and out of reach.

 

 

The living room

Cushioned corners will become your new best friend. You can put there on all the corners and edges that are exposed. This means any tables, shelves, and hearths. If your baby does topple over, they won’t be met with a hard pointy edge; instead, it’ll be a squidgy landing.

 

Don’t leave the risk of things from falling over; this means any bookcases or cabinets you have, mount them to the wall and secure the tv to whatever it’s sitting on.

 

You should also move anything away from your windows that your child could climb up – especially if you keep your windows open in the summertime. And if you have any blinds or curtains with cords – get rid of them. Your baby can get caught in the string and get it around their neck.

 

In general, anything you don’t want your baby touching or playing with should just be moved and put somewhere safe.

 

 

The bathroom

Don’t ever leave your child alone in the bathroom. It’s a simple as that, and even more importantly – if you have a bathtub, never ever turn your back on them – even if it’s just for a second. Babies can drown in just a couple inches of water, so always be on the ball. If the phone rings or the door knocks, bring your baby with you.

 

Move any cleaning products and put them somewhere else, as well as any electrical appliances like your hair dryer. And don’t leave any razors lying around the sink!

 

 

The baby’s room

It’s likely that you have already sorted out the baby’s room first, but if you haven’t, there are some areas that you should focus on.

 

If you’ve bought a brand new crib, then it should be absolutely fine, but if you’ve been given a second-hand crib, it’s wise to check it out properly to make sure it is up to standard.

That means making sure it’s stable, and nothing wobbles, and if there are bars on the crib, nothing can be pulled off.

 

When your child is under the age of 6 months, don’t put any cuddling toys, pillows and loose blankets in the crib. This is because they are still so vulnerable; they can easily suffocate on things like this if they cover their face as they sleep. So keep these for when they’re toddlers instead.

 

Make sure you have thick, soft carpet or rugs on the floor to cushion any falls your little one will have, and make sure there are no sharp edges or corners, (like you did for the living room.)

 

 

As long as you have some common sense, you shouldn’t worry about anything. There’s a lot to think about when you’re a new parent; it’s very daunting, and you are bound to feel pressure to do everything perfectly, but we all make mistakes. If your baby has a fall, don’t beat yourself up about it – as much as you’d like to wrap them up in bubble wrap – that’s just not realistic.

You are going to be an amazing Mom, don’t worry.

 

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
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