Having a newborn is an exciting adventure. But it doesn’t take long before parents realize the many potentially dangerous objects in their house! From electrical outlets to the corners of your end table, it seems as if everything in your house could hurt your new precious bundle.
Many parents “baby-proof” their house to ensure a safe environment for their growing little one. But when do you need to baby-proof your house, and how do you know the job is done?
When Should I Babyproof My House?
Some excited or anxious parents begin babyproofing their house as soon as they learn they’re expecting. This isn’t necessarily wrong, especially if you have valuable or fragile items or have a very busy life and need to take babyproofing at a slower pace.
However, it’s generally not necessary to begin baby-proofing until your baby shows signs of being mobile. If your baby is beginning to roll belly to back (or back to belly), you should have everything up to about 12 inches off the floor checked for safety. Once your baby can roll, you will start finding them anywhere but where you set them down! They can roll over to your end table and pull books or knick-knacks off the lowest shelves.
A parent’s job is never done when it comes to baby-proofing! For a few months, the lowest shelves and outlets will be your primary concern, but then your baby starts to crawl, and then pull to standing, and then to toddling! Every delightful new stage comes with a new set of baby-proofing. Every few months, take stock of what might need to be relocated to ensure your child’s safety.
How Do I Baby-Proof My House?
Baby proofing isn’t something to take lightly; your baby’s life is potentially at risk if you skip over an area of the house. Take your time!
Each room in the house has its own unique baby-proofing needs. Take each room individually. But in general, you should check off these safety items for each room.
- Electrical Outlets: Cover any unused electrical outlets with a plastic covers
- Electrical Cords: Conceal or secure any electrical cords, as these can cause strangulation or electrocution
- Furniture: Secure all furniture that could fall over on the child. This would include but is not limited to dressers, bookshelves, TVs, cabinets, and lamps.
- Choking hazards: This is a broad category, so take your time evaluating all choking hazards. Generally, if an object can fit down a toilet paper tube, it is a choking hazard. All small items should be removed from the child’s reach! However, items like potted plants, pencils (the child can bite off the eraser), magnets, and more, could also be choking hazards.
- Door latches: Closed cabinets are like a present waiting to be opened for a baby–except they often conceal things like toxic cleaning supplies and heavy appliances that are dangerous. Door latches keep cabinet doors from opening so a baby can’t get what’s inside.
- Safety gate: Baby gates are an excellent way to promote your baby’s safety by blocking off certain areas of the house. That way, you don’t have to rearrange your whole home office or laundry room.
- Batteries: Ensure all batteries are put high out of reach in a baby-proof container.
- Alarms: Ensure your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms have new batteries and are in good working order.
When You Can’t Baby-Proof the House
Realistically speaking, you can’t move everything out of your child’s reach, especially as they grow into climbing toddlers. Outlets, TVs, gaming consoles, and other appliances often can’t be relocated. In this case, you need to “house-proof the baby” instead of baby-proofing the house.
Parents have the responsibility to make their living space as safe as possible for their children, but children also need to learn about the potential dangers around them. Someone else’s house might not have outlet covers or might have their fragile possessions temptingly on the edge of a table. Parents must be equally diligent in baby-proofing the house and teaching their children not to touch dangerous objects.
Begin teaching your baby to avoid objects once your baby is mobile. As they reach for something you don’t want them to touch, say a firm but gentle “no” and pull your baby away from the object. Then cheerfully give them a toy they can have with encouraging words like “This is what you can play with!” Further reinforce these concepts by praising your baby for playing with their own toys.
Training your baby early to respond to your directions can save you some major apologies from broken items, or even save your baby’s life!
Take Baby Proofing Seriously
Baby-proofing your house is a big job, but it’s vital to your baby’s safety and your peace of mind. Take your time to wiggle each piece of furniture, check the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, crawl down to your baby’s level and see your house through their eyes, and be diligent in keeping locks and gates closed at all times.