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The Sue Adler Team Blog

Baby Proofing Your Home

by: Sue Adler
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When? Before the Baby exits the Womb – It’s never too soon!

Where? Far and Wide – Inside and Out

What? The Whole Kit and Caboodle

Why? Do you really need to ask?

How? Read Below …..

Doors

  1. Use doorstops and door holders to prevent your babies fingers from getting jammed. But, check the doorstops to make sure there are no removable caps that can pose a choking hazard.

Electrical Outlets, Cord and Appliances

  1. Place safety plugs and outlet covers over all unused outlets unless it is hidden behind furniture.
  2. Keep irons, blow dryers, toasters and other appliances unplugged and out of reach. Keep all dangling electrical cords out of reach so that your baby doesn’t tug on them or choke themselves. You can purchase electrical tape to secure the cords.
  3. Batteries, which can leak acid and cause serious burns, should be safely stowed away.

Windows/Decks

  1. Try to keep your windows closed. If you have double hung windows than open the top only.
  2. Use window guards, window stops, and safety netting on windows, decks, and landings.
  3. Cut looped window-blind cords and use safety tassels and cord stops.
  4. To avoid splinters, outdoor decks should be well sanded.

Stairs

  1. Install safety gates at the bottom and top of all stairs. Plus, consider carpeting and installing extra lighting in the stairway.

Fireplace

  1. Purchase a fireplace safety fence and keep it in place whenever you have a fire burning. Remember, the glass or metal can get very hot, so always monitor your child.
  2. Keep gas fireplace keys out of reach and make sure that matches, tools and logs are kept out of reach as well.

Kitchen

  1. Put locks or latches on all accessible cabinets and drawers.
  2. Keep trash cans in inaccessible cupboards or use cans with child-resistant covers.
  3. Secure the refrigerator with an appliance latch. To keep your child from chewing or swallowing small magnets, keep them off the refrigerator
  4. Knives, breakables, heavy pots, and other dangerous items should always be kept out of reach.  Put these items along with dish detergents and cleaning supplies on higher shelfs or cabinets that the locked or latched.
  5. Cover the knobs on your stove to prevent your baby from turning on the burners. Since children may be tempted to use an open oven door as a step, all standalone ranges should be secured with an anti-tip device.
  6. Be careful of your stash of plastic bags – they can be a suffocation hazard for babies.

Living Room

  1. Coffee tables often have sharp corners that can cause great harm to your baby, especially when she falls and hits her face or teeth on them. To protect against this, attach corner and edge guards to sharp corners (or any sharp pieces of furniture).  Better yet, consider a fabric ottoman.
  2. Tall, top-heavy furniture pose the biggest danger to crawling babies. Be sure to walk around (or crawl around) your home and try to pull the item down from the top to test the furniture. To Hayes against this, consider installing furniture or L brackets to secure wobbly furniture.
  3. Babies and children love to watch television and are often tempted to touch the screen. Consider anchoring a flat-screen TV with safety straps or mounting it on a wall so it can not fall on your baby.
  4. Secure tall, unstable lamps behind furniture.
  5. Move everything away from your windows so you child can’t climb up it and fall out.
  6. Purchase non-skid pads for rugs.

Bathroom – Poison Proofing

  1. Like in the Kitchen, move cleaning agents, medicines, hand sanitizer, vitamins, toiletries  and other potentially toxic items out of reach or lock them up. Consider using a lock box for these items.
  2. Put latches on your medicine cabinet.
  3. Remove curling irons, hair dryers and other electrical appliances from east to access locations.
  4. Install a toilet-seat lock to prevent your baby from drinking the water and avoid using toilet cleaner just in case they do.
  5. If you shave in the shower, keep your razors out of reach and Consider adding a non slip matt in the bathtub.
  6. Keep the bathroom door shut and locked when possible.
  7. Invest in a bathtub thermometer to avoid burning your baby during bath time.

Nursery

  1. Make sure garbage cans are covered.
  2. Be careful of toy chests since it’s easy for children to get their fingers caught when shutting the top
  3. Consider owning a glider instead of a rocker for safety purposes.

Misc

  1. Some plants are extremely poisonous, so make sure all of your houseplants are nontoxic.
  2. To prevent your child from accidentally running through them, mark any sliding doors and other expanses of glass with colorful stickers.
  3. Install a door alarm so that you are aware if your little one has exited the house.

 

 

 

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