Make your house safe for your baby’s first steps – it’s time to baby-proof!

One thing you can say for sure about your baby is that they are born explorers, and since the day they started crawling, they wanted to wander around the entire house. However, while they were still in the crawling period, you could somehow control the areas they could access, but now that they are taking their first steps, you know they won’t have any boundaries, and you worry they might get hurt. This developmental stage might come with more challenges than ever because you need to baby-proof the entire house and handle aspects you didn’t even think about until now. 

This is the age when your baby becomes more mobile, and it’s paramount to secure the furniture, install safety gates, remove all possible hazards, and cover outlets. You also have to keep in mind that they are exploring the house from a different vantage point than yours, so you have to safe-proof the house by putting yourself in their shoes. 

Why is baby-proofing important?

Baby-proofing aims to make every room of the house safe for your baby. This means that you have to view each one through their curious eyes and ensure no sharp utensils, potentially toxic products, or hot surfaces are left around in the kitchen. You need to lock all cabinets that contain things that might hurt them, put hazardous items away, and install stove guards. 

Besides the kitchen, the bathroom is another area of concern because there are so many dangers for a baby. You apply the same principle of checking for hazards and removing them from all rooms of the house. Baby proofing implies taking a wide range of measures to anticipate and eliminate danger and ensure your little one can navigate their surroundings unbothered. 

Let’s discover what the process of baby-proofing implies

As mentioned earlier, you should assess the home from your baby’s perspective to ensure no danger is left. This implies getting down on your hands and knees and wandering around every room to identify hazards. 

Once you have a list of risks, you can search for solutions for each one. Keep in mind that as your kid grows, you will have to make adjustments because their abilities also change. 

Start with the nursery

It’s best to start with the room they spend most time in. Now that your little one is engaging in more activities, ensure they have plenty of age-appropriate toys in the nursery because they can reach almost every item placed around. You can no longer keep some items there solely for decorative purposes if they pose a danger to your child. Secure all furniture items to prevent tripping accidents and remove all heavy objects from the room because your baby might try to grasp some of them and hurt themselves. It’s also time to remove the electronic devices from the room and replace the fluffy carpet with a non-toxic play mat because kids tend to chew on everything, and the rug will be no exception. 

Move to the living-room

If you used to spend time in the living room, your baby will also do it, so you should also pay great attention to the way it looks. Anchor all heavy items so they don’t fall, from furniture to TV stands and bookshelves; they all could pose a danger to your kid. And while you might love small decorations, they can definitely harm your baby if swallowed, so put them away in a closed drawer until they’re old enough to set apart toys from decorations. If any electrical outlets are left uncovered, it’s ideal to shield them away with special solutions to prevent your child from reaching them. 

Pay greater attention to the kitchen

The kitchen may be the most dangerous room for a baby because there are many sharp items in there. Place all cleaning products and sharp objects out of reach or in childproof locked drawers. If your cabinets feature protruding handles, you might want to swap the doors with handleless ones to prevent your kid from getting hurt in one of the corners. Handleless cabinets are also in trend these days, so this adjustment will also bring an upgrade to the room. It would also be great to install knob covers to ensure your child won’t turn on the oven or stove by accident. And don’t forget about the trash because small children act like little raccoons who hunt every piece of trash. So, place the garbage lid in a cabinet with a safety lock; they can’t open. 

The same goes for the bathroom

The toilet might become the point of attraction for a baby with its running-coloured water, so keep the lid closed to prevent them from getting in touch with dirty water. Remove the medications and toiletries from the lower shelves to the higher ones and ensure they’re out of reach even if they use a chair. Swap the bath mats with non-slippery ones because while you might be able to ground yourself when getting out of the shower, your baby is learning how to walk right now, so they’re pretty wobbly on their feet. You might also want to adjust the water heater temperature to prevent burns if they turn off the water. 

Don’t neglect the bedroom

You might have the misconception that the bedroom is a safe space, but its heavy furniture makes it far from safe for a baby learning to walk. Secure all items to the wall and floor before allowing your kid to spend time in the bedroom. Also, make sure all blinds and curtain rods are out of reach, as they are some of the most dangerous items for a baby. If some furniture items are light and your baby could easily tip them over, removing them from the room might be a good idea. 

Last words

When you navigate the process of securing your house for the baby, keep in mind that you want to create a safe environment where they can explore confidently and grow. Try to be vigilant and anticipate dangers.