Baby Proofing Your Home
The theme of safety continues in September with Baby Safety Month. Once babies start crawling, they can really get into dangerous situations such as pulling things onto themselves and running into sharp objects. Here are some steps parents can take to help keep their little ones safe in the home.
Baby Gates
Baby gates are a must for stairways, to block off a room that doesn’t have a door, or for entire areas of your home. The variety of gate sizes and styles has grown to accommodate many uses and needs. Put baby gates at both the top and bottom of the stairs for the most protection.
Furniture
As soon as babies begin crawling, they start pulling themselves up and furniture becomes their new obstacle course and source of support. Falling on sharp edges and tipping over furniture are common causes of injuries to babies. Fortunately, there are a lot of proofing products to help parents protect their developing toddlers from being hurt while exploring.
- Corner cushion guards can be temporarily applied to sharp edges and corners.
- Furniture safety brackets can be installed to secure furniture to walls.
Electrical Outlets
Nowadays there are outlet plates that have sliding covers to prevent young children from placing objects in the socket. The outlet cover automatically slide closed when not being used to keep the openings covered. However, parents still have to watch that their children don’t open the covers. Another electrical safety tip: If using power strips, covers are available for additional safety.
Door Handles
Use doorknob covers on all doors, especially ones that lead to hazardous areas such as basement stairs, the garage or outside.
Sliding Doors
Window guards that sit in the frame of the sliding door not only protect your toddler, they act as an added security measure for your home. If you have blinds on your sliding doors, cover the cords as they are easy for toddlers to get tangled in.
Cabinets and Drawers
These places where hazardous items live need protecting! A baby latch will secure your cabinets and drawers. For the more curious toddlers who have figured out latches, there is a magnetic locking product that requires a magnetic “key” to open the area.
Toxic Items
Move all toxic items (beauty supplies, cleaning agents, hand sanitizer, medicines, toiletries, vitamins other potentially items) to higher, out-of-reach storage areas. If possible, use a secure lock on all of these areas.