5 Simple Tips for Childproofing your Home

As your baby begins to crawl and move around your home, the rules all change. Things that used to be safe are now an accident waiting to happen. Baby proofing your home does not have to change the way you live. There are simple ways to keep your baby safe and give them the freedom they need to explore their surroundings.

Get down on your baby’s level and see what they see. You will notice different things when you look at your home from your baby’s point of view. Look for small objects that your baby can put in their mouth. Corners can be a hazard for newly mobile babies and can easily be padded or removed from the room.

Clean out cluttered spaces in your home. Chances are, your baby is going to go wherever you do not want him to go and who knows what is hiding in the piles of stuff around your home that is waiting for you to sort through it.

Put outlet covers in any electrical outlets that are within you baby’s reach. Be sure that you choose a cover that will not attract your baby’s attention and is not easily removed. This can be frustrating when you want to use the outlet for your own use but if your baby realizes that the outlet covers come out easily it will quickly become a favorite thing to play with and will encourage your baby to put other objects in the electrical outlet.

Secure heavy furniture to the wall. Hardware stores sell kits to secure tall bookshelves or other heavy furniture safely against the wall. As your baby begins to pull themselves up on furniture and eventually learns to climb the furniture this safety precaution will be well worth the time investment.

Install child latches on cabinets that contain hazardous materials. The cabinet under the kitchen sink usually contains cleaning products that can be dangerous if your baby gets into them. A simple latch kit can be installed in under 10 minutes and is simple for adults to open and close. Any cabinets that include sharp objects, cleaning supplies, or other harsh chemicals should be secured with a child latch.

It is important to remember as you childproof your home that the goal is to say yes to your toddler more often than you say no. Create an environment that allows your toddler to explore without getting into things that they are not supposed to.