November 26, 2018

Childproofing Your Home

Many parents while spending nights worrying about how to protect their children from violence and injuries, tend to overlook one of the biggest threats to their children’s safety – their own home. Studies have shown that kids between the ages of 1 and 4 are more likely to be harmed by burns, choking, drowning, falls or poison indoors than by violence.

Because so many children are accidentally injured, it is imperative that you childproof your home. That is why we’ve come up with a few things you can do to ensure that your baby isn’t harmed in your house.

In the nursery:

1. Try to avoid buying drop-side cribs, they can be dangerous to your toddler. Also, make sure your crib’s slats are 2 3/8 inches (or less) apart.

2. Many mothers leave blankets, pillows and stuffed animals in the baby’s cribs. They can actually suffocate your child so you should remove them when your toddler is sleeping.

3. Do not leave small things that can be swallowed by the baby, lying around.

4. While baby monitors are great, many households still use the ones with cords. If you have it, keep the cords tightly wound and away from the baby’s reach or you could choose a cordless monitor.

5. Store your baby’s toys in an open box so that there’s no lid to slam your child’s fingers.

In the bathroom:

1. Make sure that you test the water temperature before giving the child a bath.

2. Use nonslip mats so that even if your kid is running around, he/she might not slip.

3. Make it a habit to cover the toilet. Babies are very susceptible to diseases.

4. Make sure that you keep all the chemicals you use to clean the toilet out of reach of your child. You should also keep your hair straightener, your blow dryer, and other electricals out of reach.

5. Cover the tub spouts to protect your baby’s head in case he/she falls.

In the kitchen:

1. Keep your oven and microwave out of reach. If you’re cooking something, keep your child away from the splatters and use a stove guard to ensure that your baby won’t hurt him/her self when you’re not there.

2. Many people feed their pets in the kitchen; the pet treats can prove to be a choking hazard. If you feed your pet, make sure there are no treats just lying around.

3. Every kitchen should have a fire extinguisher, but you need to keep it out of reach.

4. Many families also store cleaning products under the sink. If you have a baby in the house, you need to keep them out of reach. You can make cabinets, which you can then lock.

5. It goes without saying that you need to keep knives and other utensils out of reach of the baby.

In the living room:

1. Make sure that all the cords are well hidden. These include your electrical cables and cords of the blinds.

2. Whether it’s your TV stand or coffee table or even window ledges, there are plenty of sharp corners that might come at eye level for someone who’s just 2 feet tall. Try and cushion the edges and move the breakables to where your little one can’t get them.

3. Make sure that you secure all your tall and heavy furniture and that they are attached to the walls with bolts so that they don’t fall over.

4. Make sure that your houseplants are not toxic and try and keep them out of reach so that your child won’t be tempted to eat the mud.

5. You should have a baby gate on your stairs to make sure that they can’t just run up or down.

Follow these hacks and you can rest assured that your bundle of joy is safe at home.

For more pregnancy tips ranging from finding the perfect pregnancy kit and learning how to use the pregnancy kit at home to some amazing recipes for your pregnancy diet check out the rest of our site.