Do you anticipate welcoming a child soon? You’ve come up with your baby names and bought baby clothes and baby toys. Congratulations! One of the most exciting and nerve-wracking parts of preparing for a new baby is making sure your home is safe and secure for your little one. That’s where babyproofing comes in! So let’s get started and turn your house into a paradise for your new family member!
What Is Babyproofing?
The process of ensuring that a space or object is child or baby-safe is known as childproofing or babyproofing. This lowers the hazards to an amount that a society, an organization, or a particular set of parents would deem acceptable also for baby development. Childproofing might involve keeping kids in safe locations or preventing them from getting to dangerous ones.
Your little explorer won’t be able to identify dangers such as a hot stove, sharp items, or unstable furniture, even though many risks and hazards in your house may be simple for adults to traverse. Therefore, the key to properly babyproofing and childproofing your house is detecting potential safety threats and providing a safe environment for your child.
Steps On Babyproofing Your House
- Keep Heavy Objects Away
Newborns begin to move, roll, and play on the floor more often at the age of 6 months. Baby will start pushing up on furniture by the time they are 9 months old thinking it’s baby toys. This forces parents to secure furniture to walls and take heavy objects like televisions and lights off of furniture surfaces.
- Gate The Staircases
Parents should exercise caution around stairwells by installing safety gates at the tops of the steps or securing doors that lead to stairwells. It’s time to start getting these things ready around that six-month mark. You don’t have to do that when they’re a newborn, but the moment they start moving and rolling, it’s time to get those gates out.
A semi-permanent gate that is screwed into place offers several advantages, including the fact that it won’t collapse, that you may leave it open when not in use and the absence of a bottom bar to trip over.
- Get Corner Protectors
Parents should lie down so they may see around while being at the baby’s eye level. It makes it simpler for them to see their house from a fresh perspective and to identify features that a baby may find appealing. You get corner protectors for tables and any other sharp corners you notice since it sometimes seems like newborns are drawn to them.
- Keep Your Windows Closed
Parents should lock windows so they can only open four inches. The window frame is secured by these window stops. You can search for suction cup-applied versions if you don’t own your home or don’t want holes. Another choice is releasable window guards, which feature bars that span the window.
- Use A Jumperoo
It might be dangerous if babies are crawling around on the floor when parents are preparing dinner. Baby toys such as Jumperoos are perfect for keeping your child contained while you prepare supper and keep them occupied content, and safe. Choose one that can grow with the baby.
Choose the one that has adjustable height and all the baby-pleasing features, such as lights, noises, and music. Jumperoos can also tire the child into making a baby, sleep soundly.
- Always Lock Bathrooms.
There is a lot of potential for harm in the restroom for babies. Even only a few inches of water can cause a child to drown. Infants and toddlers are also lured to playing in the bathroom and opening cupboards that are frequently stocked with dangerous chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
As baby development is constant, your young child will eventually learn how to use the door knob to unlock doors. Then it becomes more difficult to prevent kids from entering prohibited areas.
- Cover Your Electrical Outlets
Around the 15-month age range, babies become fascinated with putting things into things and they stick things in electrical sockets. It is advised that parents look for tight-fitting outlet covers that cannot be removed by a baby’s small fingers.
It’s far better than those individual outlet covers that plugin, despite how difficult replacing the cover is. Those individual coverings, if small enough, may pose a choking risk if they came free.
- Lower Your Crib Height
Parents must be aware of the proper crib-rail height for their baby’s age to prevent injuries as their baby sleep. As soon as a child can pull up, for example, the crib must be lowered to the lowest setting; otherwise, the child might pull up and launch themselves out of the crib. This is true when the child is a newborn.
- Keep Cleaning Supplies Away
Lock the cabinets and keep things high. If children learn to climb, placing objects on higher shelves won’t keep them secure. Locking it is always the best option. Avoid carrying tablets and other drugs in handbags since they can be mistaken for candy by little children.
You should probably lock up your cabinets since curious babies love to open whatever they can and it could possibly get to their baby clothes. These are fantastic alternative that keeps them locked out even as they become older.
- Set Your Water Heater
Make sure your water heater is set to less than 120 degrees to keep curious babies safe. Children tend to start to get attracted to playing with knobs. This is most common around the age of 15 months. If the thermostat is set to less than 120 degrees, babies can’t hurt themselves.
That’s It!
Those are the 10 best yet simple practices to babyproof your home! Stop reading and start proofing! Seeking more baby advice? Check out our blog posts!