Child Proof

As your baby begins to grow they will quickly begin to move around the house. Some babies will crawl, some will roll, while others will scoot. Whatever way your baby chooses to get around, you now need to start looking for dangers that may harm your baby. It is best to start in the areas most used by your baby such as the family room, living room, toy room, and kitchen. Your baby will most often be where you are.  Although accidents are often inevitable, it is best to do everything you can to prevent them.

One of the best ways to see what could possibly harm a baby is to act like a baby.  Get down on all fours and look around. Look up, look down, and all around. Here are a few basics to remember:

If your baby touches it, throws it, or eats it will it damage the baby or the item in anyway? This includes break-able items such as glass, ceramics, candles, decorations. Also watch heaters and fans that can cut little fingers. There are several thousand different kinds of poisonous plants also, so get those up off the floor if possible.

• If it falls, will it hurt baby? Could the baby easily knock it over by climbing on it? Can your baby use it to climb up to things he’s not supposed to reach? It won’t be long before your baby is into everything and on top of even more. Things such as bookshelves, tables, irons, and ironing boards can easily be knocked over by a child. Blinds, curtains, and their cords can also be dangerous for choking.  Decorations and fireplace covers can also be dangerous for a child.  My child once knocked over a vase-shaped large plant holder with a hole at the bottom that got stuck on his head at about 6 months old.  Needless to say he wasn’t happy.
• Strollers can be a source of danger too. Having too many bags or too much stuff could easily tip a stroller backwards. Check out this diaper bag that is meant to go on strollers. If you have a jogging stroller, be sure to read all the instructions so that all the wheels are locked properly for all the proper activities. The stroller can also tip forward, especially if you hit a bump of any kind. This could then dump your child onto the ground if they aren’t properly secured. Check out this great single stroller and double stroller with harness and all-terrain capability.
• Stairs are always dangerous. It is best for your child to learn to go up and down them while being closely supervised by their parents or other adult. To maintain this control install a safety gate at the bottom and top of every stairway.
• Get a fire extinguisher and put smoke alarms in every bedroom.
• Pad the corners of low tables, chairs, fireplace hearths.
• These safety locks are also meant to safeguard your child from doorstops. Doorstops easy come off the wall and have a pad that could be swallowed.

Kitchen Safety

• Install locks on all of your low cabinets and drawers.  It might be a good idea to have on drawer or cabinet of non-breakables that is ok for baby to play in while you cook. Another idea is to have a special kitchen basket of toys to help keep.
• Keep baby’s high chairs away from the walls. His strong little legs can push off and knock the chair over. More high chairs can be reviewed here.
• If you are investing in a new home or stove, look for models that have knobs up high away from the reach of babies and toddlers. That baby will quickly grow. Stove knobs will also be helpful on a stove you already own with knobs down low.
• Use the back burners on the stove whenever possible and keep the handles turned toward the back of the stove. Children can easily grab the handle and dumb boiling food or water onto them.
• Never hold your baby while you’re cooking. Teaching him what steam is or how water boils may seem like a good idea, but bubbling spaghetti sauce or hot oil hurts when it splashes.
• Put mouse and insect traps in places where your baby can’t get to them.
• Use plastic dishes and serving bowls whenever you can — glass breaks and, at least in my house, the shards seem to show up for weeks, no matter how well I sweep.
• Post the phone numbers of the nearest poison control agency and your pediatrician near your phone.

Bedtime Safety

• Don’t choose homemade or antique cribs. They probably don’t conform to today’s safety standards, which includes a smaller distance between bars to prevent getting their head stuck.  A great selection of cribs can be found here at barebabies.com.
• Remove from the crib all mobiles and hanging toys. By five months, most kids can push themselves up on their hands and knees and can get tangled up (and even choke on) on strings.
• Keep the crib at least two feet away from blinds, drapes, hanging cords, or wall decorations with ribbons
• Check toys for missing parts. Throw away any broken toys or toys that could lose pieces that can choke a baby.
• Toy chest lids should stay up when opened (so they don’t slam down on tiny fingers). See our models for a boy or for a girl at Barebabies.com
• Don’t leave dresser drawers open. From the baby’s perspective, they look an awful lot like stairs.
• Keep crib items to a minimum: a sheet, a blanket, bumpers, and a few soft toys. Babies don’t need pillows at this age and large toys or stuffed animals can be climbed on and used to escape the crib.
• Don’t leave your baby unattended on the changing table. Many changing tables now have straps to buckle your child in so even if you are standing right there but get distracted, they can’t fall off.

In the bathroom

• Adjust your water heater temperature to 120F degrees.  Babies love to grab the bathtub faucet and will scald themselves.
• Never leave water standing in the bath, a sink, or even a bucket. Drowning is the third most common cause of accidental deaths of young children, and babies can drown in practically no water at all. Especially if the child falls and is knocked unconscious by their efforts. Check out this great toy storage for any bathtub. It has holes to allow water to drain and spots on top to hold all your baby needs for quick clean up at bathtime.
• Keep medication and cosmetics high up.  Babies love to investigate and their mouth is the first place it goes.
• Make sure there’s nothing your baby can climb up on to raid the medicine cabinet.
• Keep shavers and hair dryers unplugged and out of reach.  Even if you like to take a bath, put your razor up high because a baby could climb in an empty bath or shower and grab your razor.
• No electrical appliances near bathtub.
• Use a bath mat or stick-on safety strips to reduce the risk of slipping in the bathtub.

See You On My Next Post..Hope these tips helps you…chow