Baby Proof Your Home

Perennially curious, perpetually active, and inexplicably prone to accidents, babies are a bundle of challenges, nerves, and of course, joy. If you are ready to welcome a baby into your home, or already have one, you’ll be surprised to find that your clean and ‘safe’ home can be a haven of hazards for your little package.

Here’s a guide to help you baby-proof your home. Our checklist will make it easier for you to identify potential problems and offer you solutions and ideas on how you can successfully make every room in your home child safe.

How to Baby Proof Your Home

Babies grow up faster than you think. The bundle you brought home in your arms will begin turning and crawling before you know it. Every single area or room in your house poses unique threats. Here’s how you can tackle it all.

Baby Room/Toy Room

This is the room your little one probably spends most of her time in. From her crib to the umpteen little toys she’s surrounded with, there’s much to child-proof. Keep the following points in mind when you are decorating your kids’ room.

1. Cribs generally follow the standard requirements, but in case you have an old crib, make sure that the bars are no more than 2⅜ inches apart. Bars that are widely spaced increase the chances of babies getting their head stuck in the middle.
2. Toys should all be much bigger than your baby’s mouth.
3. Keep large stuffed animals, soft blankets, etc., away from your baby because these can easily cause suffocation.
4. Make sure that the toys do not have long strings that can cause strangulation.
5. If you have a toy chest in the room, it’s best to keep one without a lid. If there is a lid, make sure that it is light and can be lifted and opened from inside as well. Also check to see whether the lid stays up when opened to avoid it from falling on your baby’s head.

Living Room

This is another area your baby or toddler is going to spend a lot of time in. From table corners to drawers, many things will need baby-proofing.

1. The living room is bound to have many sockets. Use child-proof ones as far as possible.
2. Small things lying about the floor that seem harmless to you can cause untoward incidents when you have a crawling toddler in the house. Clear the floor of any object lying on it.
3. Avoid placing furniture near windows.
4. If your home has stairs, use safety gates at the top as well as the bottom of the stairs. You could choose to install the gate after two or three stairs at the bottom so your child can practice crawling and walking up the stairs.
5. Use pads over sharp table corners so your child does not hurt herself as she is crawling around.
6. If you have bookcases or other things that can topple over, make sure you fasten them. While these cases may be heavy, you never know how your little one can end up bringing everything down!
7. Avoid keeping breakable items anywhere within your baby’s grasp. Store all crockery and cutlery in cabinets that are either high or are locked.
8. Tape down or wrap and keep out of reach all electrical cords.

Bathroom

The biggest fears in the bathroom are water related. Here’s what you can do to avoid any drowning accidents and more in the bathroom.

1. Babies can drown in very little water. Never leave them unsupervised in the bathtub or on the toilet.
2. An additional area to consider is the pool. Swimming pools can be very dangerous. Even inflatable devices, tubes, and other safety tools are not enough when it comes to letting babies play in or near the pool. Keep a hawk’s eye on them.
3. It’s important to keep in mind pool safety tips for kids and the family. Fence in the pool. Also ensure that all doors that lead to the pool are shut at all times so toddlers can’t make their way to the pool by themselves.

Kitchen

Most parents try their best to avoid taking their babies into the kitchen, simply because the kitchen is chaotic enough! However, when you must enter the kitchen and have to take your baby along, here are a few things you should take care of.

1. Kids are known to put anything that fits into their mouth. Keep all small items like popcorn, grapes, nuts, hard candies, etc., away so you minimize the risk of your little one choking on anything.
2. Keep all cleaning supplies in a cabinet that is high. Keeping them under the sink and easily accessible is an invitation for trouble.
3. Make sure that your baby is kept as far away as possible from your working area so she does not touch anything hot.
4. All knives and other utensils with sharp edges should be kept at a height as well.

What seem harmless to us adults can be traps for the little ones. If necessary, don’t hesitate to get down on all fours and look at everything in your house from your baby’s perspective. This will help you identify threats and ensure that everything within your baby’s reach is safe. These simple tips will help you baby-proof your house effectively and let you and your little one have fun without worry.