back to school money tips

How To Baby Proof Your Home

The need to baby-proof your home cannot be overemphasized. In this video, two toddlers are harmlessly playing with their drawer and it topples over on one of them. They clearly do not know what to do and the other child is in distress. It is disheartening to watch how he struggles to free himself. There are a lot of things that could have happened as a result of this incident. However, we are thankful he was able to get out and there were no internal injuries.

This is just one example out of many. In another case, a little girl strangled herself by getting entangled with a window blind cord while playing at her grandparents’ home.

We pray that our children will always be safe. However baby proofing our houses should be a top priority for parents with crawling babies and toddlers. Asides from being aware of the dangers, what can we do to prevent them? Read how to babyproof your home below

Free Mum and Kids Playing Blocks Stock Photo

Baby-proofing your home is necessary to ensure a safe home free from hazards for your baby. Babies are curious as they take in their environment and are constantly watching you. They will very evolve from staying in one place to being eager to get around.

As parents, there are things you might overlook that might be safe for you but a potential hazard for your child who does not see the danger the way you do. It is useful to discuss with the other caregivers, especially nannies. This is a distracted generation, always-on smart devices, watching a quick youtube, texting or on social media. All it takes is a split second of not watching for a child to get into trouble.

As parents, there are things you might overlook that might be safe for you but a potential hazard for your child who does not see the danger the way you do. Learn how to babyproof your home here Click To Tweet
Objects should have their place

Put all sharp objects in a place where the child cannot reach them. Look at things from a child’s level, close to the ground. There are several other home items that can be very dangerous if they get into the hands of a baby; these include Screwdrivers and shaving sticks. You want to keep items like these in top drawers and away from curious hands.

Free Little Boy Trying to Climb Up a Stair Gate Stock Photo

 

Electricity

Keep all electrical fittings covered. They watch you every day charging your phone and laptop so they might want to try it as well by sticking something into the plug. In Nigeria with fluctuating light, this could be even more dangerous. Keep loose wires and cables away.

Store chemicals up and away

Commonly used household substances like detergent, and insecticides can be toxic to the baby. It is best to create a shelf away from the baby’s reach. For example, in one instance a child crawled to the kitchen, opened the storage under the kitchen sink, spilt insecticide on the floor and inhaled the dangerous fumes. As a result of this, the baby became lethargic and had to be rushed to the hospital.

Avoiding Burns

Another critical way to baby proof your home requires hot things. Disconnect curling irons, electrical irons, boiling rings etc when not in use and when in use keep baby or toddler away. Keep all pot handles turned in when on the cooker and keep baby out of the kitchen as much as possible.

Avoid suffocation

Store all the nylon bags, and dry cleaning bags away from the children. They are a common cause of suffocation when children put them over their heads or noses.

Keep baby secure

A diaper changing table can be dangerous if you leave the baby there for a moment to get a change of clothes or diapers. Baby can roll off and fall. Get everything you need before changing the baby, add keep the baby’s items inside the drawers on the changing table or close by.

Fire Resistance

Be sure to buy furniture that is flame-resistant especially furniture in the baby room. Install smoke detectors in all rooms and have working fire extinguishers in the home. Read how to fireproof your home here

 

Furniture

Furniture plays a big part when it comes to how you baby-proof your house. As a result, when purchasing furniture this needs to be done with safety in mind. In addition,  the furniture needs to be safely installed in the house. Remove or replace furniture with sharp edges or glass. Ensure that furniture will not easily fall as kids like to climb on things. For example, do not have a bookshelf that is unstable in a high-traffic area where the baby might try to climb up, there have been cases where such bookcases fell on a curious toddler.

Cribs

Do not keep cribs close to windows. As a baby grows she can stand and try to climb. If the crib is close to windows, curtains or blinds baby can climb on these and fall or worse get entangled in the ropes and risk suffocation.

Stair guard

Install a gate to protect the baby from attempting to climb the stairs by themselves and risk falling and getting injured.

Clips

Children while crawling can pull tablecloths and spill items on themselves. Use tools such as clips for tablecloths to protect.

Kitchen

Keep knives out of reach, and keep matches away. Cooker handles can look attractive to the baby so do not let her into the kitchen unsupervised.

Water

Whether you have a swimming pool or not, anywhere you have water be careful. Do not leave a baby or toddler unsupervised in the bathtub or around a basin of water.

Free Couple and a Baby Lying on Bed Stock Photo

Lastly, just be aware, babies are meant to explore their environment. So do not be more concerned about having a picture-perfect house that could be potentially unsafe for your baby.

Make sure an adult is watching your baby and toddler at all times. There are many distractions these days and a caregiver might be there but not there.

[Read: Expectant Mums Quick Guide]

It is safer to watch the baby and carry her around with you even when you want to do something that takes a quick moment. A moment is all it takes for them to decide to explore. There are many tools and products to make it easier to keep baby safe – baby carriers, good old backing your baby, a baby jumper and a playpen can also keep baby secure.

As you go through the extra steps to baby-proof your house, remember this phase will pass. A day will soon come when you can go to the bathroom without the baby in tow.

[Read: 11 Common Household Products that can Hurt your Baby]

Scroll to Top