Kid Proofing: Safety Updates to Prepare for a New Baby
It might seem that your kids grow up way too fast. For new parents, the time before their toddler starts crawling may be gone in the blink of an eye, which is one reason to start essential prep like kid-proofing your home as soon as you know it’s going to be needed.
Basic baby necessities, such as diapers, clothes, and bottles are just one aspect of preparing for the new member of the family. You’ll also need to make updates to your home to keep your kids from hurting themselves. Unsecured furniture and objects, electric shock, open pools, and unsecured chemical products contribute to some of the most common, yet dangerous injuries your child could encounter in your home. But the good news is that preventing these accidents can be easily done with a few changes.
Updates to Secure Objects & Furniture
Households are filled with all kinds of loose objects, from bedroom furniture to art hanging on the walls. As soon as your little one starts to crawl around, they will curiously start to pull and push on everything they see. You’ll need to secure everything in sight that’s potentially dangerous.
Lock cabinets and doors with wide grip latches. Place sharp objects or toxic products up high and out of reach. Securing furniture that might tip over or fall on a toddler as they try to climb it with tip kits. You can also look into magnetic locks, window and door restrictors, table edge protectors and foam bumpers.
Updates for Electric Safety
Young children can easily sneak out of sight, and it doesn’t take more than a few seconds for them to get into trouble. Their small size, even smaller fingers and wide-open minds of children tend to lead toddlers to electrical outlets and loose wires.
Look for outlet covers that require two hands to pry off and devices to cover up cords, such as power strip covers and cord boxes. You can also find self-closing outlet covers, stove guards & knob covers, cord shorteners & wraps, and washer and dryer locking straps for extra electrical protection.
Updates for Pool Safety
Waiting until a child can walk or even crawl to begin protecting the pool area can be too late for some families. The most common cause of death in children age 1-4 is accidental drowning.
Along with teaching children water safety, installing pool safety fences, alarms, and covers are great affordable options to keep your little ones safe in and around the pool.
Updates to Clean & De-Clutter
Having too much clutter is more than just a hassle, it can be unsafe. An instinctive way that babies explore their environment is by putting things in their mouth. Over-cluttered bathing and sleeping environments can lead to choking hazards.
As cute and cozy baby blankets are, large and heavy ones should not be kept in a crib with the baby. Because babies may toss and turn while sleeping, excessively large blankets and too many stuffed animals can be a suffocation risk. Instead, keep these items stored away until you can supervise your baby’s interaction with them.
Over-the-door storage hangers, bathtub toy organizers, hanging storage bins, and childproof storage boxes are great ways to keep toys, blankets, and other potentially hazardous materials out of your baby’s reach. It may take a little extra time for the extra steps, but doing so will make sure you and your newborn can get some much-deserved rest.
Put Safety First For Memories That Last
Regardless of whether parents are welcoming their first child or their sixth, it is never too late, nor too early to tighten the safety reigns around the house. By organizing and updating your house with the latest child safety innovations, you can spend less time worrying about your child exploring the house and more time creating blissful memories.
About the Author: Josh Fredman is a writer and content strategist, specializing in forward-looking design and renovation ideas.