If you have a baby on the way, you’re probably already thinking about baby proofing your home. Welcoming your baby home is truly an exciting experience, but you’ll soon face lots of challenges. Once they take their first steps, babies quickly turn any household into a vast playground. Suddenly, everything from bookshelves to outlets and kitchen silverware will start looking like a potential threat. In such cases, it’s best to act first rather than wait till something happens to your beloved one. Here are a few tips and ideas that will help you make your home baby-safe.
Baby Proofing the Floor
Perhaps, you already have some ideas on how to babyproof the electrical outlets and the medicines. However, many parents forget that most problems happen on the floor. Take the following steps to ensure your littlest member of the family is safe whilst there:
Get Low Pile Carpeting – When babies first start walking, they tend to ignore the obstacles on the floor. That’s why it’s a good idea to have low pile carpets at home. They are less likely to hide small objects, which will eventually save your baby from tripping. Typically, most families choose Berber or loop for their little ones’ nurseries.
Protect the Stairs – Undoubtedly, the stairs are the number-one danger zone for toddlers. Usually, baby gates will do most of the job, but you shouldn’t stop there. There are plenty of other precautions, such as carpeting and carpet runners. You can use nonskid step pads that will further increase the safety of your stairs. As a result, they’ll become less slippery and reduce the risk of trips.
Make Sure Your Rugs Aren’t Slippery
As you may already know, babies don’t pay much attention to what’s going on on the floor. Therefore, you must be extra wary if you have area rugs that easily slip and slide on your ceramic or tile floors. Your carpets must be safe for regular child’s play, so you should get nonskid rug pads.
Another way to babyproof them is to turn each rug over and apply caulk lines every 6 inches. After it dries up, the caulk will keep the mat from slipping. Don’t forget to use double-sided carpet tape to keep the edges and corners of your rugs flat to the floor. That way, you’ll prevent unexpected trips caused by slight upturns.
Rubber Soles are Crucial
Don’t forget to load up your baby’s drawers with lots of sandals and socks with rubber soles. This is an essential feature that will prevent lots of accidents. Rubber soles are great at minimising the risk of slipping and tripping.
Baby Proofing the Furniture
Once you’ve babyproofed your floor, it’s time to take care of your furniture. Your drawers and cabinets will be an excellent attraction for your curious toddler. Unfortunately, such places often pose a risk that may hurt your child. Here are some of the critical areas and tips to babyproof them:
Soften Up the Hard Edges At first, all the edges and sharp corners of your furniture may go over your head. Little you do know that these small details can actually harm your child. Luckily, there are lots of solutions in your local baby store or hardware store. For example, you can invest in some edge guards or simply buy some corner protectors. If you’re a DIY enthusiast, you can try dealing with the issues using plumbing foam pipe or hollow pool noodles.
Keep Breakable Items Out of Reach Sometimes, the best way to keep things fixed up for a baby is to place them somewhere out of their reach. Of course, your littlest one won’t be small forever, but you can take advantage while you have the chance. In this regard, you can start by storing your floor lamps and breakable stuff like vases or plants away. After all, the more clutter there is, the more your baby will want to explore them.
What’s more, coffee tables with open cups or other easy-to-reach stuff like electronics is also dangerous. Luckily, you can beat the odds with a bit of organisation and cleaning your home clean and neat. That way, you’ll minimise the risk of having to chase your kid around. Move your items higher out of reach or find an alternative storage place for them.
Keep Your Drawers and Cabinets ClosedWhen it comes to drawers and cabinets, you just can’t keep your baby away from them. Since they hide lots of potential “toys”, you need to babyproof them at all costs. Perhaps, the easiest way out is to use some safety locks from your local baby store. Still, you’ll want to keep anything that you don’t want your baby to reach out of your drawers. Sooner or later, your kiddo will be old enough to remove the safety locks without your help.
Additional Ideas to Create a Safe Playing Space
Babyproof the TV Area
Arguably, your TV area has to be one of the most dangerous zones for a toddler. The ultra-large flat-screen TV display is both an attraction and a dangerous place that you need to babyproof. Typically, the more objects out in the open may tempt your child. That’s why it’s best to reduce them by getting a TV stand with closing cabinets for storage. If you’re on a low budget and can’t afford such a TV stand, simply get a basket or two. These amenities will serve as out-of-sight storage, where you can store your personal items or electronics. As for the TV itself, it’s best to have it mounted on the wall.
Use Baby Gates to Prevent Access: Of course, being constantly on the run isn’t the best option. In such cases, baby gates can be of great use. They will help you prevent access to entire areas of your home. While they will make everything a bit uncomfortable for you, they’ll be more effective than annoying.
Babyproof the Hanging Cords: Hanging cords are yet another major attraction for adolescents. The more exposed they are, the more your baby will want to tug at them. But the main issue isn’t only the cords, but the objects that your little one can drag down with them.
You can start by pinning your cords to the walls or buying a cord manager device to prevent this. Also, you should test your creativity to find some practical ways to position or mask your cords.
Final Thoughts
Babyproofing is a vital part of welcoming a newborn home. As soon as your baby starts rolling over, your home will turn into a danger zone. But when you take the required precautions, your child will enjoy playing in a safe and beneficial atmosphere.