Cue the countdown!! Your baby is coming home soon!!
Even though your baby isn’t crawling around the house just yet, it might be time to start investing in some baby proofing products and ensuring safety around the house for your curious baby.
It’ll take a few months for your baby to be wandering around your house, but there are some tasks that you should tackle before this happens. You never know when your baby is strong enough to take his/her first steps and adventure around the home.
Welcome to baby proofing 101! We’ve got you covered with the ultimate baby proofing ideas that you need around your house to keep your baby safe.
Start Early!
It’s never too soon to start taking action and incorporating safety precautions all around the house. It may seem odd to start baby proofing your house before your baby can take their first steps, or even before they are born -- but time flies and having these changes around the house may take some getting used to.
Also, no matter how prepared you are, you may be faced with some surprises as you get introduced to some safety measures that you never even thought of initially. As your baby grows up and they reach different milestones, you may need to make more adjustments around the house.
You’ll start viewing your house with new, fresh eyes and realize things that you want to change to ensure the safety of your baby.
Baby Injuries to Watch Out For
The safety and wellbeing of your baby is at the utmost importance! And even though seeing your baby get hurt around the house is the last thing you would want, accidents can unfortunately happen.
The smartest thing you can do is be aware of these common injuries and baby proof around the house to reduce the risk of these injuries happening:
Falling and tripping: After your baby is crawling around, they will eventually take their first steps! They’ll feel so free that they’ll start wanting to explore around the house by themselves. Oftentimes, babies can lose their balance and falls can be a threat for babies. It’s a good thing that babies are stronger than they look and most falls under two feet typically don’t cause any serious injuries.
Burns: From burning their tongue on scolding food to hot surfaces around the house, babies are exposed to some risk of being burnt. Make sure your baby or toddler is nowhere near a hot stove, pots, pans, or a curling iron. They can be curious and want to lend a helping hand without knowing the temperature of the objects they are reaching for.
Choking: Babies are constantly putting things in their mouths, whether they think it is food or not! It’s important to make sure there are no small objects lying around the floors or counters that can be a serious choking hazard.
Poisoning: Many households have the basic cleaning supplies around the house or in cabinets that are reachable for small children. These products can be confused for something else in the sight of small babies.
5 Ways To Baby Proof Your Home
Use safety latches and locks: There may be a lot of dangerous products around the house that are stored in different cabinets. Using drawer locks may be something you want to consider, especially on drawers that are near the floor, easy for babies to get to.
Rethink your Supplies: You may want to reconsider some of the products you have altogether. Maybe you want to invest in products that contain less harsh chemicals. Natural products will be better to reduce toxicity around the house and keep your baby less exposed to this harm as well.
Potty Proof: Toilets can look fun for some babies! You may want to invest in a toilet lid lock to make sure your baby keeps their hands and the rest of their bodies out of the toilet bowl, and keep the toilet water away from your baby’s mouth!
Watch The Floor: Make sure the floors are clear of any small objects that babies can get their hands on. Make sure you don’t drop anything when you’re walking around the house. Another thing to be aware of is making sure you have non-slip floors -- in the kitchen, the bathroom, and everywhere else in the home! Adding mats in the bathroom is specifically important to prevent any falls or accidents.
Keep Doors Closed: Properly closing the door will make sure your baby isn’t wandering around unsafe areas of the house without any supervision. You may want to invest in door knob covers or baby gates to make sure your baby doesn’t have any access to particular areas of the house. A good idea is to place them at staircases around the home.
There can be many dangers lurking around your house that you will notice. It’s a good idea to make a checklist of the things around the house that you want to baby proof and ensure that you make everything safe for your baby girl or boy.
Soon enough, your baby will grow old enough to know the difference for themselves, and be able to know what is safe or not. But in the meantime, it’s up to you to protect your baby and keep them safe!