Disclosure: This is a sponsored guest post.
Seven Ways to Baby Proof Your Home
Having a baby forces you to reconsider the way you live. Your entire lifestyle and routine is uprooted and re-arranged, and in the midst of learning to juggle another human being’s needs alongside your own, it’s only natural that other things may slip – including baby-proofing your home.
The newborn stage is arguably the easiest stage because your child is restricted and can’t move around freely. The real trouble comes when they get a bit older and begin to toddle around. In the USA, around 2,000 children under the age of 14 die at home as a result of unintentional injuries. This is why it’s essential that you prioritise making your home safe for your new arrival.
It’s impossible to watch your child every second of every day, and accidents are inevitable, but you still need to minimize the risk of serious injury should the worst happen.
Here are seven ways to prevent the potential for an accident or harm when your baby starts to become active and mobile.
Blinds
Choking is one of the most common forms of unintentional death amongst children, and blinds are a leading factor. Cords that operate blinds tend to be in a loop for easy use. Whilst convenient, this could be deadly if your child was near the window or playing with the cords and fell or got the cord wrapped around their neck. You don’t need to replace your blind system; installing a hook near the top of the window to wrap the cord around and stop it from dangling down in the reach of small hands is sufficient.
Plugs
You can’t move the electrical sockets in your house to be out of the reach of children because not only is it expensive, it’s not practical either. Instead, you can buy safety covers to put inside empty sockets and to put over sockets that are in use. They’re an inexpensive solution to a potentially deadly problem as they prevent little fingers and other objects being inserted into the plug port.
Furniture
Adults and children alike are at risk of falling and bumping their heads, but the damage to a child’s developing skull could be devastating. You can substantially minimise the threat of a life-changing injury by covering the sharp corners of tables and counters with corner and edge safety bumpers. You can get clear ones that blend in with the surface, so you can babyproof your cornered furniture without compromising on the look of it.
You will also need to think about the risk of furniture falling. Children often pull on things, and a big bookcase or wardrobe isn’t something you want to fall on your child. Invest in furniture straps which keep the furniture secured to the wall and prevent it from tipping over and causing injury.
Cupboards
You more than likely store your washing detergent and cleaning supplies in the cupboard under the sink which is completely normal, but when a child comes along, this could be fatal. If you don’t have a lot of cupboard space and the option to move your cleaning chemicals, you can babyproof the cupboard they’re stored in by purchasing cupboard locks. No matter the type of handle you have on your doors or drawers, there’s a solution that will work. These are also essential in the bathroom.
You can purchase covers for your oven dials to prevent small hands from switching the oven on. If your oven is freestanding and low down it’s also worth buying an oven lock. These simple buys will further increase the safety within your kitchen beyond under the sink.
Doors
You will more than likely have stairgates at every door to stop your baby crawling through, but as they get older, they might be able to operate the stairgate. It’s worth doubling up on security and safety with a door handle guard. This will stop children reaching handles going into rooms they shouldn’t be. You can also purchase foam finger guards which stop doors slamming and fingers getting trapped.
Stairs
The most basic yet effective babyproof tool is a stairgate. Placing one at both the top and the bottom of the stairs will prevent injury on both levels on your house. It’s also worth putting them in kitchen doorways and bathroom doorways, as well as near front and back yard doors if possible.
Garden
If you have a paved back yard, it’s well worth installing some turf to make it more child friendly. Alternatively, if you want to childproof your garden and protect it from being dug up and muddied, artificial lawn is a great solution. It’s practical and longwearing which makes it ideal for creating a safe playground for your child without the risk of them hurting themselves (or ruining the look of your lawn).
Implementing the above solutions will go a long way to keeping your child safe and sound within the home and give you extra peace of mind that the risk of substantial injury is significantly reduced.
These are so helpful. Surprisingly I wasn’t aware about blinds. Good to know!
I’m glad they were helpful.
Stairgates really are so useful and add peace of mind for sure. This article has a lot of really helpful info and is a wonderful resource!
I’m very glad it was helpful.
These are some great ideas. It’s been a while since I had babies in the house, but I did many of these.
I did a lot of them as well. It’s always important to be safe.
These are great tips for parents. The blinds are one that most people forget. I had my husband install hooks to wrap the cord around when my kids were little
I completely agree. We have all cordless blinds in our home. Those corded ones are so dangerous.
Every new parent needs to read this! When we were preparing our home for our baby, we overlooked a few of these at first. Luckily, we figured it out quickly.
Yes! It’s so important to keep your home safe.
This is going to help a lot of new parents. It’s easy to overlook things when you’re baby proofing. Outlets are obvious, but you can easily forget things like pantry doors.
Agreed. Outlets are a must to keep covered.
When we baby proofed our home for the (now) 4-year-old I put child locks on the cabinets. It’s amazing what they can get into when you take your eyes off of them for a second!
Right! It only takes a second before they’re in to something.
Babyproofing one’s home is a must. You’d be amazed at all the potential dangers around the house. We still have plug covers on some of the outlets in our home
I completely agree. You never know what they can get in to.
This post brings back so many memories of our kids when they were young. We still have locks on our cabinets even though my youngest is 15 now.
Right! I always had locks on ours too.
This post is so good, any new mom needs to read it. I remember how eager I was to learn more about every area of baby’s life and growth.
I agree. New moms could really benefit from it.
Many people do not realize jow dangerous their homes sre until they have children.
Right!
I remember these days. I actually never really baby proofed my house at all. We just taught the girls not to touch things.
I usually baby proofed some things so that the younger ones wouldn’t get in to anything.
I need to pass this along to my brother! He just had his first kid and she is about to be on the move!
I’m glad you’re able to share it.
I’ll have to baby proof my home again pretty soon. We have a granddaughter that will be walking in a few months.
That’s wonderful! I’m glad you’re keeping them safe.
This post is really informative. Thanks for sharing these tips.
Of course!
This is really helpful! Safety should always come first! Thanks for the tips!
I completely agree. Safety is always first.
These are great tips to implement in your home to keep your baby/babies safe and secure.
Yes, for sure!
This is so helpful. I love the tips you shared.. all practical and inexpensive.
I’m glad they were helpful.
All great ideas to keep on mind.
Yes, for sure.
I love all the tips you shared.. affordable and easy..
I’m glad they were helpful.
I totally agree with all of these ideas. This is a great guide for new moms. I need to send this to my friends.
It sure would be great for new moms.
Nice tips. I do buy baby proofing stuffs before. I’m so greatful for these kinds of products,so convenient and thoughtful.
I’m glad that there are all these great baby proofing items out there too.
It’s very important to baby proof the house. I did just that when my son was a baby.
Yes, it sure is.
There are so many things to think about when babyproofing a home. These are useful tips for new parents.
Yes, for sure.
What great tips. When my girls were babies we took many precautions to keep them safe.
I’m so glad to hear that.
Such great tips any parent would appreciate to read. When my girls were babies we took many precautions to keep them safe.
Right! It’s always great to be safe with little ones around.
Thanks for these tips. They are essential when you have a baby and don’t know where to start to make the place you live safe!
Of course!
There are a lot of hazards people don’t think of. This is an awesome starting point for most.
Right. It’s crazy how much kids can get in to.
You have definitely covered all the important points here. This was essential when my son was little so we can feel safe at home
Agreed. It’s always best to be safe.
These are really cool stuffs. Yes little babies requires extra care. yes plugs and furniture are really need to watch as babies moves around a lot.
Yes, for sure.
Those are wonderful tips to keep in mind especially for those who are new to motherhood and are having their first child. As a mom of 3 kids myself, I can totally agree with these and it’s important to make sure of your baby’s safety inside your home.
Yes, for sure!