Baby proofing your home is an important step that some parents choose to take before their baby has even arrived. Although it’s not entirely necessary to begin baby-proofing before the little one has left the womb, it is never too early to take steps to keep your baby safe.
Before you know it, your baby will be a toddler who runs all over your house and you’ll be glad you took some safety precautions in advance. Baby proofing doesn’t just keep your child safe, but it also gives you peace of mind because you can give your baby more free time to play alone without worrying about them hurting themselves. Below, we’ve listed some simple ways to keep your home safe for your new bundle of joy by baby-proofing your home.
How to Baby Proof Your Home
- Cover sharp corners.
A common fear amongst many new parents is that their baby or toddler will bump their head on the sharp corners of the coffee table or TV table. You can easily make your living room a safe play area with adhesive, rubber corner covers. If you unintentionally waited until the last minute to start baby proofing your home and you’re in a pinch to get those corners covered ASAP, you can even DIY this safety measure by using foam tubing or an old pool noodle, (seriously)!
2. Use safety latches to secure cabinets, doors, and windows.
It’s true, your kids really do grow up faster than you can ever imagine. It isn’t until they’re opening up the doors and cabinets when you realize that it feels like just yesterday when they couldn’t even roll over yet! One day they are just your small, innocent newborn baby and then, it feels like out of nowhere, they become a toddler — a very independent, unpredictable human! Instead of missing the days of infancy, you can just add some safety latches to keep cabinets, windows and doors secure. Safety latches are a great baby proofing product because they can be used to secure your home in a number of ways. Don’t we all love some versatility!
3. Lock cleaning products and medications in high up cabinets.
Injury and death caused by babies and toddlers accidentally ingesting cleaning products is surprisingly common, and avoidable! Reported by Healthline, laundry detergent pods are still one of the more frequent chemical cleaners that children ingest due to their colorful appearance. The squishy and colorful design of these pods attracts babies and toddlers’ attention. We all know babies and toddlers like to stick just about anything in their mouths, but detergent pods need to stay off limits.. Needless to say, this can turn into a slippery slope pretty quickly. (Pun intended!)
As a parent, it should be your goal to keep your baby as safe as humanly possible. So putting multiple safety measures in place to be extra careful is always a good idea. Even with safety latches on the cabinets, it is still smart to move any cleaning products and medications to higher areas that are more out of reach of youngsters. Why take the risk?! You never know when you might leave a safety latch unlocked by mistake —it’s just not worth the chance that your toddler learns to unlock those latches.
Ultimately, the safest recommendation is to store potentially dangerous items, like chemical cleaning products, bleach, laundry detergent pods and medications on high shelves that can also be locked up securely. Be sure to avoid keeping medications in purses as well because this is an easy way for toddlers and babies to get their hands on pills that they could easily mistake for candy.
4. Have a safe place to set the baby down when you need to step away.
A crib, bassinet, or playpen can all serve as a safe, secure place to set your baby down when you need to step away — whether you’re taking a phone call, doing chores, or you just need a minute to breathe, (or you need to tend to another child). You never know when you’re going to have to rush to answer the door or clean up a mess (this is especially a great idea if you have pets or older children as well).
5. Cover power outlets.
Toddlers will reach an age where they can become obsessed with household features that we adults take for granted. Sticking objects and even their fingers into power outlets can be extremely dangerous for young children. Covering up power outlets is a very easy step you can take to protect your baby or toddler from an electrocution injury. Some parents opt for individual power outlet covers but these can sometimes be taken out by the baby and may even be small enough to be a choking hazard. (Double no-no!) Ideally, you should look for a tight-fitting outlet cover that the baby won’t be able to remove on their own. Remember, it only takes one second for a tragic accident to happen, and it’s well worth the few minutes effort to baby-proof electrical outlets.
6. Adjust your hot water heater.
According to John Hopkins, one of the leading causes of accidental injury at home are scalding injuries that happen as a result of hot water. Adjusting the temperature of your hot water heater is the easiest way to prevent this type of injury from occurring. A good rule of thumb is to keep your hot water heater set to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Familiarizing yourself with the settings on your water heater is a super easy step you can take to keep your baby safe. Toddlers become very interested in turning knobs and if they are playing in the sink or bathtub, they can easily turn the knob all the way to the hot setting and burn themselves. If you have your heater adjusted, then the water won’t be able to get hot enough to cause injury, it’s that simple!
Pro tip: Never leave your child unattended in the bathtub or bathroom for any reason whatsoever. Not even for a moment.
7. Utilize a baby gate to prevent stair and kitchen-related injuries.
No matter the size of your home, a baby gate is always a great option. Baby gates can be utilized to keep your baby out of the kitchen while you’re cooking, which is another great way to prevent burns and scalding injuries. They can also be used around stairs to prevent fall injuries. Ultimately, a baby gate is the best way to keep your toddler or baby secured in one main area so you can know they’re safe and not wandering all over the house getting into things that shouldn’t.
Why Baby Proof Your Home? Because a Safe Baby is a Happy Baby.
Ultimately, baby proofing your home benefits everyone under your roof. Your baby will be free from injury and you will have peace of mind. It’s a win-win!
Your home is babyproof. Your baby is now safe. Next, check out these eco friendly baby toys so that the world they will inherit will be safe too!
At the California Beach Co., we’re obsessed with the safety of your babies and toddlers. That’s one reason we make the unique Pop N’ Go Playpen as a large spacious option that won’t make your baby feel cooped up.
