Baby-Proofing The House

Baby-Proofing The House

Your first few months as a new parent have no doubt been a sleepless journey filled with joy, exhaustion, and quite a few other emotions. Once you’re past the newborn stage, your life can resume some sense of normalcy, right?  But now that your baby is a little older, and perhaps beginning to crawl, you’re beginning to realize how dangerous the house can be for your curious little crawler.  Seemingly, just about everything in the house poses a hazard to your child.  Electrical outlets, sharp corners, and stairs, oh my!  The list of dangers may seem endless, but don’t fret!  You can baby-proof the house in no time!  Read on for some helpful suggestions.

Install baby gates

This is a must if you have stairs in the house.  Falls are one of the leading causes of injury to children in the United States.  When choosing a baby gate, make sure to buy self-closing gates that screw in to the wall.  These are a much better option than pressure gates, which can be pushed over by those stronger kids.  Baby gates are also a great tool for restricting your child’s access to dangerous rooms such as bathrooms, garages, and laundry rooms.

Cover electrical outlets

Nearly any grocery store, home improvement store, or general merchandise store will carry electrical outlet covers.  Installing outlet covers is a cinch, and won’t cost more than a few dollars. Simply plug the outlet cover into the socket like you would any electrical cord.  Just like that, you’re one step closer to baby-proofing the house!  If you use long extension cords around the house, neatly tuck them away as well.

Inspect your furniture

Take a look around the house.  Pay close attention to heavy bookshelves, sharp corners, floor lamps, and dressers.  Bookshelves look like perfect ladders to those adventurous little ones.  To prevent them from toppling over on your toddler, make sure to bolt them to the wall.  Open dresser drawers are also perfect for climbing, so make sure to keep them closed.  Adding a small piece of foam can safeguard sharp corners on fireplaces and furniture. Relocate those floor lamps so that they’re behind other furniture so your child can’t reach them. Also, push heavy items like televisions and small kitchen appliances out of your child’s reach.

Keep curtain and blind cords out of reach

You may not realize it, but those cords on your window blinds pose a serious strangulation risk.  Check every window in the house, and tuck those cords up and out of sight.  If your child’s bed is within reaching distance of a window with blinds or curtains, then move the bed or remove the window dressing.  A dangling cord will naturally draw a child’s interest, so removing the temptation is vitally important to your child’s safety.

Install child locks on windows and doors

Windows and doors pose a major safety risk to children. While you’re out shopping for those electrical outlet covers, pick up some safety locks for those doors and windows for an added level of security.  These come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes to fit your needs and vary greatly in cost.

Baby-proofing your house may feel like an insurmountable task, but following these tips will help you get started!  Soon, you’ll be a baby-proofing pro!

The article was provided by Choices Pregnancy Care Center, a nonprofit pregnancy services center in Gainesville, GA.