The Quick Guide to Home Childproofing

CHILDPROOFING YOUR HOME – SIX SPOTS TO TACKLE

There’s nothing like the parental bliss of watching your child first discover crawling, then move on to hoisting herself up onto two feet, and then master the act of walking. Whether it’s walking or crawling, your baby can now access the farthest reaches of the house, navigate around, and stand up and pull on things.

This is a danger.

With each step or shuffle, another safety hazard will present itself. Packing away fragile items simply won’t cut it, so now is the time to go into full childproofing mode. Get ready for the baby apocalypse!

1. CORNERS AND EDGES

No more sharp corners on that sleek coffee table. It’s time to blunt that edge. Cushion them with bumpers, like in the image above, and soften the potential blow should a child knock into them. Corners are of greatest concern, but edges also, should be served with a bumper for protection. You can even go the low-tech route and try pool noodles for sharp edges and corners!

2. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

High shelves simply won’t cut it now. Locked cabinets are the only way to go. Anything that will cause harm if ingested, from cleaning products to medicines, should get locked away.

3. STAIRS AND DOORWAYS

Keep your new mover and shaker away from any kind of ledge by installing safety gates at the top and bottom of staircases. If you want to, you can put the lower gate about 3 steps up to let your little one continue her stair climbing practice.

Also…

“Seal off high-hazard rooms such as the bathroom (which contains water dangers and electrical appliances like hair dryers) and the office (which may have child safety hazards like computer wires and staplers) with hard-to-turn plastic doorknob covers…” // whattoexpect.com

4. WINDOWS

Window guards made of metal are a must. They should screw into the side of a window frame and have bars less than four inches apart. If you have blinds, the cords are a strangulation hazard. Move them out of reach.

5. HOT SPOTS

Electrical outlets must be covered. This will stop your little one from jamming anything, from their fingers to their toys, into the sockets or yanking on the plugs and potentially pulling a lamp down onto their head! Also consider blocking the burner knobs on your stove and other appliances with knob covers. When cooking, use the rear burners. If you have to use the front burners, turn the pot or skillet so the handle isn’t hanging over the edge waiting to be grabbed.

6. STANDING WATER

Keep your child away from toilets unsupervised. To them, it looks like a little pool, a place to play in and something to dump things into.