The New Arrival: 5 Ways to Baby-Proof Your Home

3-4-2013-1-14-33.jpg

 
Having a baby is tremendously exciting, and new parents know that their lives have changed as soon as they look at their newborns. However, many parents also feel considerable anxiety as having a baby requires responsibility. Fortunately, baby-proofing a home is not as difficult as many parents imagine.  Here are five tips baby-proof your home and prepare for the newest little one in the home.
Secure Outlets
Few children are injured by outlets, but the risk is still present. No matter how closely you watch your child, there is no way to prevent him or her from wandering around. The best way to secure an outlet is to install plastic plugs in those that are not in use. While it will take a few seconds to remove them, it is worth the extra effort to avoid unnecessary anxiety.

Remove Items

Welcoming a baby to your home is a great time to declutter and embrace minimalist design trends. Anything that is breakable and could potentially fall should be removed, and aesthetically-pleasing elements should be replaced with rugged designs. If you have been planning to renovate a room, it might be best to do so before your baby arrives in the home.

Use Locks and Gates

Children go everywhere, and there is no way to tell them to avoid particular areas. By using locks and gates, however, you can keep certain areas secure. Over time, these locks can seem annoying, but they do provide peace of mind that you may lack otherwise. Provide locks or baby-proofing elements on cupboards, drawers, or anything else that a baby could get into.

Steady Your Furniture

Children quickly begin to climb on furniture, and they lack the ability to detect when furniture is unstable. You can help reduce the likelihood of injuries by purchasing furniture that can handle children clinging on from all angles. Another possibility is to use devices designed to keep furniture secure; fasteners and brackets can help keep a chair or table from falling out from under your child.

Extra Caution in the Kitchen

One of the most common injuries for toddlers is burns. Toddlers are just tall enough to climb onto stoves but do not understand how easily they can be burned. Purchase knob covers to keep your child from turning on the stove, and install a latch on your oven door. In addition, use the back burners whenever possible. Put all sharp objects in unreachable areas. Most importantly, never leave your child unattended with any choke hazards in the near vicinity.
While the process of baby-proofing your home will take time, it helps reduce the possibility of injuries. Take the time needed to secure your home, and always be on the lookout for potential dangers.
About Sensory Edge 540 Articles
At SensoryEdge our focus is to educate, inform, and inspire each person caring for children to be and do their very best. It is not always easy and sometimes we don't take action (or we take the wrong action) because of a lack of understanding the real issues. We hope that the conversations that occur here will help in some small way better the lives of children, their families, and the professionals who work with them. We are always looking for valuable contributions to our site so if you are interested in becoming a contributor contact us.