Childproofing Your Home

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Category: Baby

Published on Wednesday, 16 September 2009 19:36

It's often hard to teach your children things that they can't really see to understand. There are many things they should know, but unless you can demonstrate them to them, they often can't quite understand what you are talking about.

• Electrical Outlets - You can buy inexpensive covers to keep little fingers out of your outlets, or simply put a piece of furniture in front of them. Safety 1st Outlet Cover With Cord Shortener

• Cords - Be they electrical cords or cords for blinds or draperies, they are a risk. Cords from blinds or draperies are a choking hazard, and electrical cords can cause a shock, or can cause baby to pull something heavy (such as the lamp at the other end of that cord) down on top of them.

• Gates - Gates are an essential safety item in your home. Babies find a way into everything and baby gates protect both your baby and your personal belongings. Make the investment in Baby Safety Gates - Shop Baby & Toddler Safety Essentials at BabyCenter Store

• Rickety furniture - Be certain that you don't have unstable furniture around. When your baby begins pulling up, he could pull the furniture right down on top of him. Sometimes it's necessary to attach furniture, such as top heavy bookcases to the wall.

• Plants - Some houseplants are poisonous. Keep plants out of baby's reach. Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants

You may hear that you should never use artificial plants as a part of your home décor, but that is a myth. This might have been good advice ten years ago, but it doesn't make sense for today. The main reason for this is that the ones they make today look so good, you would never know they were not real unless you gave them a really good inspection. Most will never know, but will enjoy the look they give any room. Simplify your life and get an easy to care for Artificial Mini English Ivy Bush!

The good thing about artificial plants is that they don't have to be watered. Real plants are nice, but can be dangerous and even poisonous for small children. Artificial plants don't harm pets or children. Artificial plants never need trimming or transplants. Just dust them now and again to keep them looking fresh and new. Artificial plants can do things that real plants can not do when it comes to décor and room design.

• Fireplace - Be certain your fireplace is equipped with a grill or glass doors to protect your child's little fingers.

• Stairs - Install baby gates to keep your little one from tumbling down the stairs.

• Cabinet doors and drawers - Install childproof latches so that your baby is unable to open drawers and doors, particularly those where you store sharp objects or cleaning supplies.

• Railings - Be certain that any railings in your home, such as those on your stairs, have no more than a five inch gap between any vertical posts. You'd be amazed at how easily a baby's head can get stuck.

All of these are important steps to readying your home for those days when baby starts crawling around. But, probably the most important thing you can do is to learn to keep your everyday things put away. Take the time to secure items like scissors, pins, coins, buttons and other loose objects that can all be very hazardous to a baby. It's going to take some work at first but will be worth it in the long run.