Childproofing Your Home

How to childproof different areas of your home

When your child start crawling and walking around the house, one of the first things that you have to do is childproof your home. Child safety in the home is an important step can be even taken in advance, as your prepare for a baby.

But even if you do so, it's a good thing to double-check your childproofing home project just as your baby starts to get about on his/hers knees and feet. Only then you can more acurately childproof your home, once you see what your baby does and in what things he or she takes interest.

Children are naturally curious about everything around the home, but they have to be watched as they haven't got yet any sense of danger. (Image: Pixabay.com)

Even if you don't know exactly how to go about childproofing your home, don't worry. Once you observe what baby does, you'll soon realize all the possible dangers around the house that could be potential hazzards for the baby. You'll develop a different frame of mind and a way of looking at things, with a view to prevent the little one from doing something untoward, or even dangerous.

As a parent, I'm sure you're familiar with the feeling of viewing the world in a different way once you have a child. Child safety in the home is essential to every parent and part of parental responsibility.

Childproofing Home

Little hands will get into things you never even thought of, so being well prepared is critical to your child’s safety. Here are some areas of your home that need attention to get you started on your childproofing project.

» Electrical Outlets– One of the first things to do. You can buy inexpensive covers to keep little fingers out of your outlets, or simply put a piece of furniture in front of them. There are different electrical outlet cover designs, so choose the one you think is the safest.

» Cords– Be they electrical cords or cords for blinds or draperies, they are a risk. Cords from blinds or draperies are a choking hazard, and electrical cords can cause a shock, or can cause baby to pull something heavy (such as the lamp at the other end of that cord) down on top of them. Make sure they're tied and lifted up away from the baby, or just moved out of her reach.

» Rickety furniture– Be certain that you don’t have unstable furniture around. When your baby begins pulling up, he could pull the furniture right down on top of him. Sometimes it’s necessary to attach furniture, such as top heavy bookcases to the wall. Little hands may seem little and gentle, but they can have surprisingly enough power to pull things down when exploring their little world.

Your house's windows are another area of your house that might need to be child-proofed, as children have a natural curiosity that can take them to places you'd never think they would go. (Image by Freeimages.com)

» Plants – Likewise, make sure your plants are tied and can't be pushed or pulled down. Some houseplants are poisonous, so be certain to keep plants out of baby’s reach. Also, keep in mind that babies like to bite into things, plants included - don't let them.

» Radiators – Heat - one of the first things we learn as children to stay away from. If you live in an older home with radiators, you will need to put barriers in front of them or radiator covers over them during winter months.

» Fireplace – Even more essential to be protected from, as it's a greater source of heat and an open fireplace attracts their attention more. Be certain your fireplace is equipped with a grill or glass doors to protect your child’s little fingers. As soon as your baby starts to take interest in your fireplace, make sure you explain what it is and keep the baby away from it. Babies and children learn things quickly and know more than they let know at first.

Being full of energy and playfulness, children like to run no matter where they go. Stairways at home or elsewhere can be slippery and dangerous, so your children should be made aware of this. (Image by Pixabay.com)

» Stairs– Another potentiall hazardous area. Install baby gates to keep your little one from tumbling down the stairs. Make sure the gates can't be easily opened - little ones learn fast by observing how adults deal with obstacles.

» Cabinet doors and drawers– Install childproof latches so that your baby is unable to open drawers and doors, particularly those where you store sharp objects or cleaning supplies. There's always a danger of them falling on top of your baby when pulled out.

» Railings – Be certain that any railings in your home, such as those on your stairs, have no more than a five inch gap between any vertical posts. You’d be amazed at how easily a baby’s head can get stuck.

Keep your baby or child safe at home

All of these are important steps to readying your home for those days when baby starts crawling around. But, probably the most important thing you can do is to learn to keep your everyday things put away. Items that adults use regularly, like scissors, pins, coins, buttons, cutlery and letter openers can all be very hazardous to a baby.

It’s going to take some getting used to, but with some preparation, you can organize your life so that your everyday activities don’t put your baby and child at risk. It takes only a moment of inattention for something to happens. That's why childproofing your home is an ongoing project, just like parenting is anyway.

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