Guide for Baby Proofing Your House

When the little one first comes home, you may not think much about baby proofing your house. However, it doesn't take long for them to get to the stage where they are crawling and getting into things. By then, you may be busy and not have time to do a thorough job of securing your home. Take a few minutes ahead of time to decide what steps you need to take for your baby's safety.

Once your baby is old enough to move around, anything within crawling distance will be fair game. Here are some hazards that you will want to keep away from a crawling baby in the living room or family room where your child will spend much of their time.

1. Cabinets and bookcases. If there are heavy or breakable items within reach on shelves, you will want to move them out of the room. After crawling, they will begin to pull themselves up and can pull off heavy objects and hit their head. They can also get cut or hurt with glass or ceramic objects if they should break.

2. Coffee tables and end tables. Look for sharp edges where they can hit their head. Buy edge protectors or move the item out of the room until they are older.

3. Fireplaces. You have two dangers with a fireplace: they can get burned and they can fall against the brick or stone and get hurt. A screen in front of the fireplace blocking it from their reach is the best solution.

4. Outlets and electrical cords. Outlet safety plugs should be kept in any unused outlet. Another problem is with cords laying on the floor, which could cause strangulation if it gets wrapped around their neck. Keep cords behind furniture and tucked out of sight as much as possible. You can also get covers to fasten on the floor to keep the baby from being able to lift the cord up.

5. If you have mini-blinds, the best advice is to remove them. The cords are a hazard, but the blinds themselves can be a danger with the cording that runs through them.

6. Small appliances like a fan or space heater. It is best not to use these at all with a small child around. If you need one, never leave it unattended. The space heater can burn them and the fan can injure them if they put a finger through the slots while it is running.

The kitchen can be one of the most dangerous areas in the house for a baby. Here are a few tips to help you with baby proofing your kitchen.

1. Lock cabinets with cleaning supplies. You can buy cabinet locks at any home improvement or baby store. This prevents the child from getting into cleaning supplies or other dangerous chemicals.

2. Keep knives in a drawer out of reach. It would be best to put them in a locked container since the baby will reach new heights as they grow. Do not leave a knife lying on the counter because you never know when the child will grow enough to reach it or be able to climb up on the counter. It's a good idea to begin this practice before they can even crawl so that it will become a habit.

3. Protect your child from the stove. You can get locks that prevent them from being able to turn on the burners.

As they get older, babies will enjoy exploring farther in the home and bathrooms have a lot of fun items to check out. The easiest way to protect your child from the dangers of the bathroom is to keep the door closed. You will still need to know how to baby proof the bathroom in case the door is accidently left open.

1. Lock cabinets that have supplies in them that can be dangerous to the child. This includes the medicine cabinet, which they will be able to reach once they can climb.

2. Get a lock for the toilet seat so they can't raise the lid.

3. You can also purchase a kit for the faucet to prevent them from being able to turn the water on in the tub and drowning.

Note: Turn down your water heater so that it is not hot enough to burn your child if they should turn on any faucets throughout the house.

It can seem overwhelming to figure out how to baby proof your house. There are always more things they can get into than you might think about. One tip that will help is to get down on the floor and crawl around so you can see things from the baby's level.

Here are some other things to watch out for:

• Keep small objects out of reach and make sure you pick up anything you drop.
• Keep plastic bags in a safe place away from the baby. This includes trash bags and shopping bags.
• Keep guns locked away and unloaded when not in use.
• Use baby gates at stairs so they do not have access to that area. You can also use them to keep the baby out of certain rooms or in one specific room.

Thinking of all these potential hazards can be scary, but if you plan ahead and start living in a baby proof home before your child is born, it will become second nature. You will be providing a safe home for your baby and peace of mind for you.