Bringing home your newborn baby is pure delight. You now have a new member of the family and this delightful bundle of joy will grow everyday. Before you know it, your little one will be crawling and walking with curiosity abound. You want your child safe and baby proofing your home early is key to adjusting to the changes and being prepared.
Here are some tips to get you and your baby ready.
Bathroom Safety
Every day products you use could be poisonous products if ingested by your child. They could be in your bathroom under the sink, or on the counter within reach of curious little hands.. Make sure to install safety latches on all cabinets and drawers and store away products on the counter.
You will really have a reason to tell everyone to keep the toilet lids closed now. A child can lean and fall into a toilet very easily because they are more top heavy and when a toddler is learning to walk they are awkward and fall in. A child can drown in just a couple inches of water, so make sure you attach a latch that will keep the lid closed. Also, this could also save you a bundle on a plumbing bill. Why you ask? Children could also drop items in the toilet that could clog it up. While this may be an inconvenience to you and others in your home the safety of the baby must come first.
Check out how hot your water is. Scalding is very painful and you could save your child from an unnecessary accident by setting your water heater to 120 degrees. Third degree burns can happen to your child within seconds from water set at 140 degrees.
As with every outlet in your home, do not forget the bathroom. Purchase protective plug – ins or safety caps for this purpose in the bathroom too.
Unplug and put away and curling irons, hair dryers, electric hair curlers or anything else they could grab and get a potential burn.
Kitchen Safety
As with every outlet in your home, purchase protective plug – ins or safety caps to protect them from cleaning product to dish soap.Keep your little ones at a safe distance when using the stove. If you have a pot boiling water and pick up your child, they may want to reach out to the steam and they could get burned. Also keep the pot handles turned in and away from reach.
Appliances and cookware should be kept under counters and in drawers with locks on them to prevent and injury. Keep a poison control phone number handy on the refrigerator or if you have a note board. You can also purchase stickers with pictures such as Mr. Yuk which was conceived by Dr. Richard Moriarty to help children learn to avoid ingesting poisons,
In the House Everyday Living Safety
Safety gates are great for keeping kids out of rooms you may want to work in or have set something up they should not get into like a project for an older child in the home, or one of your own. They also protect them at the top and bottom of stairs.Doorknob covers are also good to keep your little on from going into a room you do not want them venturing into or out to the family pool.
Bumper proof your furniture. Coffee table with a squared edge is a good place to start and work your way around the room to see if there is any other place your child could fall into and get injury.Pull your furniture away from high windows so they cannot climb up and fall out. The screen is not strong enough to hold them back.
Window blinds have been linked to deaths in children. In 2009 4-year-old daughter of boxer Mike Tyson died after she either slipped or put her head in the loop of a cord hanging under the console.Consider replacing their older window coverings with the new cordless products.
Make sure your book cases, shelving and heavy furniture attached to walls is secure with brackets and anchors. You child may like to climb and this would be tragic if a bookcase or entertainment center fell over on them.
Toy chests are a great for keeping the toys all in one place, make sure you remove a free falling lid or have a lid that stays open and is very light.
While child proofing your home is a great way to protect them, it is not all you can do. Supervising your child at all times is the best way to prevent any type of injury.
Photo courtesy of Jomphong at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Budget Bi-Rite Insurance, Inc 