As the little ones start to explore and wonder around the house, it is important to make the environment as safe as possible for them. Anything that their little hands can reach, they will certainly try to grab. You may need to make some changes to your decoration, and from now on it could be good to keep your baby in mind when buying new furniture. But when exactly should you start babyproofing your home? You may want to wait a couple of months, but the truth is the sooner you start doing that the better.
What can I do to babyproof my home?
First, you should secure your baby’s place of sleep. Make sure their crib is safe, not near a window, and it has nothing on it but a fitted sheet. Soft toys and blankets should only be added after a year, when your baby can roll over and sit up right.
When it comes to the rest of the house what you can do is:
- Put all your medicine in childproof containers. Not only for the medicine itself, but also because pills can be a choking hazard.
- Control your water heater, the maximum it should get is 120 degrees F (around 50 degrees C).
- Get a lid lock for your toilet.
- Install window guards.
- Keep your house clean, vacuum often, and watch out for little objects that may drop on the floor, such as paper clips.
- Get corner bumpers to protect sharp edges.
- Get childproof covers for electric outlets.
- Make sure your changing table has safety straps.
- Get cabinet locks.
- Store heavy objects and potentially harmful items - such as medicine and cleaning products - as high as you can.
- Put gates at the top and the bottom of stairs. If you have a pool install a gate to keep your baby from going there by themself.
- Make sure all your baby’s toys are much larger than their mouths.
- Get stove knob covers.
- Avoid tablecloths. They are easy to grab, and your baby may feel the urge to pull it from below.
- Switch to cordless blinds.
- Cover radiators to avoid any burning incident.
Be creative, everything is new for your baby, so the simplest thing may spark curiosity, alongside no awareness of danger. Remember not to let them out of your sight for too long. It may be helpful to crawl down and try to see the world from your baby’s perspective. Ask yourself, “what would I grab first?”. After all these recommendations, try to see what other items in the house should be locked or hidden from your baby.
References:
- Bykofsky, M. (2020, September 26). Babyproofing Your House: A Checklist for Every Room. Parents.
- Peters, T., & Migala, J. (2019, March 26). How to baby proof your house: 13 baby proofing tips and products. TODAY.Com.
- Underwood, P. L. (2020, April 18). Yes, You Absolutely Need to Baby Proof. The New York Times.