The baby’s safety is always a priority for parents, first timers included. To tackle this they seek advice from their families, friends who have kids, or refer to books to gain more knowledge.
Some would-be parents also get advice from professionals. Now how to put it in practice is the challenge. Visit each room in the house to spot potential dangers for your baby and think of ways to rectify them. Think how a baby would and this whole process is easier. Get down on your knees.
Making Living Room safe
Most of the activity happens in the living room apart from the nursery and since the living room is the center, care should be taken to baby proof. You can also think about buying a play den for the baby. All doors leading to other rooms from the living room should be secured with baby proof latches and locks to avoid baby accidentally wandering off.
Cover door knobs to prevent baby from turning them and opening doors. Do not use rubber stoppers for doors as babies can choke on them. Give soft padding to all hard corners like coffee table or concrete edges to avoid baby hitting against hard corners.
Nursery
Start planning the baby room much ahead of the time. Plan where to place the crib and other furniture as safety is important. Keep the crib away from windows and cords dangling as babies pull at them. Also when the baby moves make sure heavy furniture does not topple on them if they climb. Keep diapers, creams, and baby medicines out of reach of baby.
Unplug Wires and Seal Sockets
A house has number of electric sockets and wirings. When your baby crawls, they will explore each of these. So before any mishaps, seal all the sockets which are near the ground and remove all wires within reach of the baby.
Blinds and Cords
There is serious choking hazard with dangling window cords or screen fasteners if they are near the baby’s bed. Having wireless cords installed would be prudent. Put a wedge in the window so it cannot be opened wide.
Make the Stairs inaccessible
It is very important that gates are installed both at the top and bottom of the staircases of the house. For the top use a wall mounted gate with a frame and take care it does not open to the stairs. For the bottom chose amongst pressured or wall mounted gate. The distance between railings of the stairs should not exceed 3½ " and for preventing falls from between the rails fix nets.
How To Make the Kitchen Safe
Most babies like kitchens as they can explore a lot here. Remove all sharp objects from the bottom cabinets. Place baby proof latches on all cabinets and appliances or your baby could get hurt. Also be sure to remove and put the cleaning supplies away in the garage or some higher shelf in the kitchen.
