8 Tips to Baby proof your Home

8 Helpful Tips in Babyproofing Your Home

For many new mothers, those first few months of motherhood are a blur of glowy, fatigued, loving protectiveness and fulfillment. Baby proof the house, you say? The need to do that seems so far away. That is, until one day that cuddly cutie that would more or less stay put where you placed him or her (minus the occasional rollover), now can crawl over to that basket of laundry and cause utter disarray in seconds. You come to the abrupt realization that there are some changes that need to be made to your environment to keep your baby safe, and those changes need to happen now.

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Here are some must-do tips for babyproofing your home to help keep your little one safe and help preserve your sanity:

1. Cover those outlets

Covering electrical outlets is one of the first things most of us think about when we think about babyproofing, and with good reason: most accidents, those that involve electricity can easily be very serious with a higher than usual chance of morbidity. Thankfully, there are numerous products out there geared towards preventing little fingers or objects from being poked into outlets. Here are a few examples:

The self-closing outlets automatically close up once you remove the plugged-in item. There is no worries about lost caps or forgetting to put it back in.

The total outlet plate cover is virtually invisible as it blends in with the wall and looks uninteresting.

One of these being socket inserts. These inserts plug into the holes of the socket, creating a flat, hole-less surface that can’t be poked. They are not easily removed by children, or adults, for that matter.

2. Ditch the cords.

Things you may need to think about are do you have cords that are loosely hanging that can be contained. There are simple cord covers to keep them contained. Not only do they keep your baby safe but it looks nice as well.

Do you have curtains that operate by cord-pulling? Unfortunately, these are considered highly dangerous to our tots. Cords can easily get wrapped around their necks and cause suffocation. Instead of using curtains or blinds with cords, use those that have shorter pull rods, or even just buy curtains that can be open or shut manually.

3. Secure the furniture.

Kids are natural climbers. That’s what they do. Secure your furniture, like your dresser, your bookshelves, and your tv, to the wall with straps to prevent them from tipping and falling onto your child.

There are several different furniture straps and anchors to choose from. Here are a couple of options.

4. Safety latches are your friend.

Safety latches are another must-have for every babyproofer. We all have drawers and cabinets that can contain risky items (forks or knives, anyone?); simple latches go far to keep babies and toddlers out of these places. Just don’t forget to relatch your drawer after using it! There are so many to choose from these are just a few.

5. Use the height advantage.

Mother nature has given us a helping hand when it comes to child-rearing because thankfully, our youngsters usually can’t reach things that are very high up without adult assistance. For this reason, it’s a great idea to store cleaning products and other potentially dangerous items in cabinets that are up high out of their reach.

6. Baby gates all the way.

Stairs are simply unsafe for our littlest ones. This is where baby gates are essential. Baby gates completely block off an area for babies and toddlers while allowing others to get through. It’s very important to find secure ones- preferably those that are attached to the wall, if possible- so that the gate doesn’t fall over and create another safety hazard for your baby.There are gates that are more of a permanent attachment to the wall. Gates that are easily removed from one door to another and a gate pen that can be set up with no limitations of a doorway and can be set up anywhere in a room.

7. Think like a baby.

What would you reach for if you were a baby? What would you want to touch or pull or poke? When it comes to knowing what to babyproof, anticipate their next moves and prepare accordingly! That vase that looks uber cute on your side table, but is also uber breakable? It’s best to put it higher, out of reach.

8. Nothing beats your eyes and ears

There’s no way to get around it- children need to be monitored. It’s guaranteed that even the most angelic tot can somehow get into mischief in the most sparse “babyproofed” room if they are in there by themselves long enough. Baby monitors and childproofing tools can help buy us a little time in the event we have to momentarily take our eyes off of our little one, but they are definitely not a replacement for a parent’s watchful eyes and ears.

There are only about seven or eight months of “stay-put” bliss before our cooing cherubs become trapeze artists and daredevils. Don’t delay in the inevitable- start babyproofing your house now and give your future self more peace of mind. If you need help getting it ready and would like us to help, give Handyman Larry a call at 480-294-1915 or we now offer Virtual Handyman Assistance so if you would like to babyproof your home with some more permanent fixtures and are not sure how to attach them but would like to do so your self then give Handyman Larry a call to see if a virtual call would be beneficial. Not only will Virtual assistance save you money but give you the assurance you are doing your DIY projects correctly and safely.