When our little ones start taking those first steps, they’re off! Once the little ’uns get going, there is no stopping them. Babies are highly inquisitive and will want to explore every single space they set their eyes on. All parents want to do is keep their children safe but, knowing where to start when it comes to baby proofing can be tricky. Hopefully, this handy guide can put you on the right track and get you started.
The first step is making sure you have a clean home free of bad bacteria and germs that could make your whole family poorly. If you are rushed off your feet with looking after your little one, have you considered getting a cleaner? The likes of Simply Maid and other professional cleaners can come to your rescue!
It can be hard for us grown-ups to imagine what your baby might find or see from where they are. Now as silly as it sounds, many mums and dads have found it useful to get down on their hands and knees and look at everything from a baby’s perspective. Try it – it works.
Baby Proofing Room by Room
Living room
From your coffee table to TV stand, there are plenty of sharp corners that will be at eye level for your child. Edge bumpers help to keep your little ones safe by rounding off sharp corners.
Take a good look around your living room and pick out anything that is breakable – you will be amazed at how far up your little one can reach when they really want to. Move your fragile items to somewhere that is as high as possible and secure your bookshelves and DVD racks with bolts or furniture straps. These will attach to a wall and keep your objects from being pulled over.
Do you have house plants? Be aware, they will be very tempting for little hands to play with. Keep them as far out of reach as possible. And last but not least, a safety gate is a must for those of you who have stairs. They come in all shapes and sizes to match any awkward space you may have.
Fires and babies don’t mix, so make sure you have fireguards. It is also a good idea to have a fire extinguisher in the house too and make sure you are regularly testing your smoke alarms.
Kitchen
You should be fitting childproof catches in your cupboard to stop them being pulled open and allowing your child to grab anything and everything out of them. Keep those dangerous objects such as knives, cleaning products, plastic bags, cling film, etc, out of reach. You may also need to lock the rubbish bin away. Although it is just a bin to you, to them it’ll turn into a toy.
Oven dials also seem like fun things to play with so cover them with knob covers. This way they won’t be able to turn them on. Consider a stove guard too.
Bathroom
If you have any leftover childproof catches from your kitchen, use one on your bathroom cabinets. Keep all your medicines in these cupboards too so that they are locked away as well as your toiletries, beauty products and cleaning products.
Always lower the toilet seat lid when not in use and get a toilet lock to protect little fingers. Make sure you have non-slip mats in and out of the bath. It can get very slippery, very quickly.
Nursery
Plastic electric socket covers are one of the main necessities for childproofing as they protect those tiny fingers from exploring places they shouldn’t. As we all know, it is impossible for you to keep an eye on your child at all times. Investing in a baby monitor and/or a breathing monitor is a good tool for extra reassurance on your child and allows you to keep track of them when out of the room.
If you have a changing table make sure you have safety straps and always keep an eye on baby when they are on the table. Have everything you need close by, such as nappies, cream and wipes so that you never have to leave your baby alone.
For further information on child accidents, you can visit the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the Child Accident Prevention Trust.
