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Front view of a little girl standing on the other side of a baby saftey gate. The little girl is holding onto the top of the saftey gate and looking at the camera over the top.
Compare babyproofing your house to slowly climbing a ladder. The first rung is lowest to the floor and represents a no-worry window when your baby just nuzzles you and sleeps in one place for the first months of life. Then, he or she begins to roll, scoot, reach and pull up. That is when the second rung of the ladder becomes important. This means you begin moving certain things up a little higher, such as glass vases, extension cords, anything within that second-rung reach. Cord holders are great to keep cords against the wall. As your tot stands up and climbs farther “up the ladder,” more comes into grab range.
For a fun reminder, post a picture of a ladder on your fridge and on the rungs list things you need to move up as Baby becomes more mobile. That autographed bobblehead of Patrick Mahomes on the coffee table? Up it goes onto your mantle! The pretty flower arrangement in the corner? Perhaps you place it behind a baby gate or outside.
This is a process, and you will react as you go. Watch your child for all the clues you need to adapt and rearrange your home. The best way to babyproof is to see things the way your baby does. Get down on your hands and knees and crawl around. Kids can be curious about anything they see, like food in the dog’s dish and trinkets on low shelves. You might not notice breakable or hazardous items when you tower above them.
Ellen, local mom of 1- and 3-year-old boys, says, “My youngest son is barely starting to walk, and he is all over the place! I can’t take my eyes off him. We even had to secure our toy kitchen to the wall because he kept knocking it over somehow!”
Like Ellen, many parents deal with little speedsters, so beginning the babyproofing stairstep early can be a good idea—even before you bring your little one home. Here are some common problem areas to check.
Take time to secure your televisions and furniture. Use furniture straps to hold those TVs, bookshelves, dressers and other heavy furniture pieces in place in any rooms where your child might be left alone, even for a second. Never put that TV on top of a dresser, as the drawers can be used for climbing. Put corner or edge bumpers on any furniture with sharp edges. Make sure your baby’s bed is comfy and safe, and test the crib to make sure your baby cannot fit his head between the slats. If you can slide a soda can between the slats, they are too wide. Always keep soft items like blankets, pillows, stuffed toys and bumpers out of the sleep space.
Secure cabinet doors so little hands don’t find lotions, cleaning products or medicines. As we know, those detergent pods and medicines look appetizing to little ones, so keep them locked up high, completely out of reach. And get a lid lock for your toilet. Make tub time fun but safe for your little one. Prevent scalding by adjusting your hot water heater so the water gets no hotter than 120 degrees. Install no-slip strips on the bottom of your tub and a soft cover on the faucet to protect tender heads. Most importantly, never leave your baby or toddler alone in the tub.
Outlet covers are a simple way to keep fingers from shock danger If necessary, you even place heavy furniture in front of sockets. Another danger to address is blind cords; keep them stowed safely in any room your baby will be in.
In the end, babyproofing is an ongoing climb up that ladder. Just when you’ve gone over every square inch of your home, you’ll realize your always-growing and more mobile baby can reach more—so you begin again. Soon enough, your little explorer won’t be grabbing keys to put in his mouth. He’ll be grabbing them to drive his friends to the ballgame.
Judy Goppert lives in Lee’s Summit. She enjoys drawing on her personal experiences to write about the nuances of everything wonderful about life.
Sources: WebMD.com, BabyCenter.com, GlowingNest.com.