If you’re bringing home a baby within the next few weeks or months, one of the things you’re probably doing right now is baby-proofing your home. This process can be difficult and complicated, but it is possible. If you’re interested in baby-proofing your home more effectively, here are eight different things you should be doing.
1. Check Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
One of the most important things you can do in your home is have functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. All homes should have built-in smoke detectors, and many modern homes also have built-in carbon monoxide detectors. Check these detectors to make sure they’re working and check them again every few months.
2. Add Childproof Cabinet Locks
Cabinets can have things that children shouldn’t get into, and in the worst-case scenario, they can even have poisonous items in them. That’s why cabinet locks are a good idea. There are many different types of childproof cabinet locks, so choose whichever is simplest for you to install and use.
3. Keep Cleaning Supplies Away From Children
Many people keep their cleaning supplies underneath the kitchen sink. However, keeping these supplies, which are often brightly colored and may smell good, in an area more accessible to children is probably not a good idea. Instead, many people suggest storing cleaning supplies in higher cabinets so children can’t access them.
4. Avoid Corded Blinds
Blinds with cords can be a huge strangulation hazard. There are many different blinds that don’t require cords nowadays, and installing them can help you avoid this problem. If you absolutely can’t replace corded blinds, you can make sure the cord is as short as possible, and keep the cord up away from the ground when the blinds are open.
5. Keep Cribs and Changing Tables Away From Anything a Baby Can Grab
It can be extremely tempting to put home décor on the wall around your baby’s crib or changing table. However, while decorations are a great part of home design, you should avoid hanging anything on the walls nearby cribs and changing tables. Babies love to grab anything around them, and this can result in injuries if you’re not careful.
6. Add Safety Gates to Entrances, Exits and Stairs
Baby safety gates can be an amazing way to keep babies out of different rooms. Installing a safety gate for the bottom and top of staircases, as well as the entrances to any rooms babies aren’t safe in, is a good first step to keeping babies out of these areas. While you still shouldn’t leave a baby unattended around them, safety gates can help you keep things a bit safer.
7. Cover Sharp Edges Everywhere in the Home If Possible
Sharp edges are one of the most prominent issues for many children, especially those who are just beginning to learn how to walk. In general, you don’t have to put soft covers on every edge, just the edges that might be actually dangerous if a baby walks or falls into it. There are many covers you can purchase to keep these edges safe until your baby gets a bit older so you don’t have to fully replace things.
8. Look for Lead Issues in Older Homes
Lead was banned for residential use in 1978, but that means in homes built before 1978, there may be lead in the paint or the pipes. This can be extremely dangerous to a young child; lead exposure at any age can be damaging, but it’s especially damaging when it happens in the years just after birth. If you don’t know when your house was built, you can find that information with PeopleFinders.
With a PeopleFinders address search, you just have to enter your home address to learn more about the home itself. There are many benefits to using an address search, but one of them is that you can learn about the home itself, as well as when the home was last sold. That can provide you with information about whether you should be concerned about lead paint and piping problems.
Conclusion
The process of baby-proofing is certainly complicated. It can be very difficult to do properly, but baby-proofing is not as difficult as you might think. With these eight tips, including a bit of help from PeopleFinders, you can make sure your baby is as safe as possible when they start life in your home.
Image Attribution: DariaChich – stock.adobe.com
