Safety first. That is the key rule when having a baby. Once they start crawling and walking, there are so many hazardous places that the little child can get into. Here are some helpful tips to focus on when baby proofing a house.
Babies are very curious and love to get into any place that they can. It is important to make sure cupboards are locked and unable for the child to get into. Not only are chemical containers with toxic materials a very important thing to be careful of, but there are many other everyday items that can provide serious injury to the child through choking or and suffocation. Such items could include small pieces of plastic, cloth, writing utensils, bags, and practically anything and everything.
Once the child becomes really active and starts climbing things, you will have to make sure higher places are not full of dangerous items too. Such places could be draws or racks with shop objects like in the kitchen, bookshelves and desks with heavy objects, and an assortment of places like this.
Electricity is another important thing to keep an eye on. You want to make sure the child cant get to electric chords and sockets. It is also important to be aware of what buttons on certain devices a child may be able to reach. Some could be harmless like a TV, but a few devices might pose a serious risk to a child once turned on or put on certain settings.
Keep an eye on items that have strings and chords. Make sure they are not in reach of the child and make sure no toys have dangerous strings. They could be swallowed or get stuck in the throat, or even more dangerous of a possibility is getting wrapped around the childs neck and strangling them.
Another key item is safety gates to prevent a child from accessing dangerous areas. These areas might be rooms that have too many hazards to the child and cant be properly child proofed otherwise or stairways. Make sure they are installed correctly, firm, and dont have large holes for the child to get stuck in.
Be careful of furniture placement. This is to prevent your child from getting stuck. Children are very curious. Dont put it past your son or daughter to try to squeeze themselves between two pieces of furniture, or even stick their head into the gap to look for something. It doesnt always have to be between two pieces of furniture. It can be between furniture and the wall, furniture and a radiator, furniture and any other large object.
Above all, it is important to keep an eye on the child. Even the best child proofed room can still hold many hazards that are just temporary. In other words, objects that are left behind by other people that cant be child proofed but still dangerous to the young child. Children should be watched at all times. You cant possibly know or remember every single way they can get hurt in each room. But keeping an eye on them not only assures that you will be there to prevent serious injury, but you will also be able to notice places that were overlooked and need childproofing.
Children are very curious and constantly on the go. They are a great responsibility but a joy to the world. Dont overlook anything when it comes to child proofing a house. When it comes to a childs safety, it is better to be too safe than sorry later on.
Jake Rose is an artist and an author from Massachusetts.
This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.BabyNameVote.Com which is a site for Baby Names.
