Tips for childproofing your home

Tips for childproofing your home

A new baby is an exciting time for any family, and watching that small helpless baby grow into an inquisitive and mischief filled toddler is one of the joys of the whole family... But sometimes it is easy to forget just how mischievous these little people can become in their investigations of their new world and how much you need to childproof your home. Everything is so exciting and wonderful even the simplest places are a world of wonder for your toddler – nowhere is out of bounds to their young enquiring minds. On this page I hope to compile a helpful guide to the sort of things you should be considering to make this Aladdin’s cave of discovery the safe wonderful place you want it to be for your child.

One of the first things to remember, is one of the ways children, especially babies learn is by “testing” everything they find with all their senses, which includes taste… everything they lay curious hands on will end up in their mouths – whether it is a good idea or not! They simply don’t know any better and no matter how carefully you may watch them, or think you have gotten everything out of reach, they will always be faster then you.

There are two main rooms that provide the greatest of dangers, the kitchen and the bathroom. As well of as the more obvious danger of letting your child wander around the kitchen be aware of your kitchen cabinets – although it is annoying having your little angel turn your best pots and pans into a makeshift drum set, it isn’t as dangerous as them getting into the cupboard where you store your cleaning products. Where possible keep these in a secured place – whether that is in a higher cupboard then the one under your sink (though bare in mind that babies grow and where they can stretch to reach can sometimes be amazing) or with a simple and cheap child “lock” available from most leading child suppliers.

This is also true of shampoo and the like in the bathroom – with the bright colours and nice smells – many of which mimic foodstuffs like fruit or chocolate, are an almost irresistible draw. Another potential hazard in the bathroom is medicines, which again need special care in ensuring they are either well and truly out of reach, or locked away. If, somehow, the worst happens and they do manage to get into the cleaning supplies, follow the directions on the label and then seek medical assistance as fast as possible – taking the bottle or container with you to speed the process will help the doctors no end.

Electricity is also another danger in the home, be it direct from the socket or through power leads to appliances. To help minimise this, you can buy the specially designed cable guards to group and protect the wires – making them a safer “teething ring” should they manage to get behind a unit and make sure that the unit is as blocked off as possible, no gaps that may be sneeked through. It is also worth investing in the socket guards – these simple pieces of plastic fit into the socket like a plug – preventing little fingers from probing into the small holes.

Windows are another irresistible draw so never leave your child in the room where there is an open window they can reach. This is especially important if the windows are on the first floor or higher.

All this is may seem to be simple common sense, but trust someone that learnt the hard way - it is the sort of thing easily missed in the excitement of a new baby. I hope that by reading this, both you and your bundle of joy can enjoy a safe and happy introduction to their new environment in their childproof home.

Baby Monitors

Monitor your baby while in another room

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