Posts Tagged ‘proof’

How to Child Proof Your Home in Easy Steps

Parents are often worried about the safety of their little ones from the moment they are born. Keeping children away from danger is not an easy task. Many items that pose great danger to the child surround the house. One way to ensure that a toddler is kept safe within the precincts of the home is to childproof the home and this will require few alterations be made to the home. By following simple childproofing measures, house accidents experienced by children can be reduced tremendously.

How You Can Start Childproofing Your Home

The best way to baby proof is to get down on your knees and hands and survey the home in the child’s perspective. Find out what the little one can or cannot access. Cleaning materials that are usually stored under the sink and bath products on the tub’s edge pose a grave danger. These items should be kept as far as possible from the reach of toddlers.

How to Baby Proof Stairways

One of the best ways of baby proofing is keeping the child away from certain rooms. As much as the child requires space to play and move about, you should realize places like the stairs are accidents waiting to happen. Gates should be installed on the stairways and at the front of the baby’s room. Gates that are bolted and pressure locked are more permanent and stronger thus, they make a good choice. They should be low enough for an adult to jump over and high enough for a child not to climb over.

Simple Way to Ensure Windows Are Kept Safe

The easiest way to keep widows safe is by locking them or using guards to make them not open too wide. Using screens will not guarantee that the child will not fall off. You should use the keyed sash lock to be able to control how the window is raised. It ensures that the baby is not able to open the window. The child’s bed and the cribs should be located away from the window and blind cords kept out of their reach.

How to Child Proof Drawers, Cupboards and Outlets

There are several gadgets that are manufactured specifically to ensure that toddlers are not caught up in door hinges or slammed by cupboard doors or drawers. Use safety latches to ensure that the drawers are locked to prevent toddlers from accessing their contents. You should install safety plugs to cover outlets if they are not being used. The outlet’s end should not be accessible and when using extension chord you can put it safely behind the furniture.

Why You Must Keep Small Items Out of their

Children are susceptible to chocking and it can become fatal. They usually take small items such as coins, toys, buttons and other items into their mouth. You should do everything possible to ensure that the child is kept safe. Always be alert and watch the objects lying about where the little one is. Ensure that older children are taught to keep their toys away from the babies. 

It is important to remember that the gadgets for child proofing cannot offer a permanent solution to protecting babies. Train the child to be cautious and be careful around potentially dangerous items.

How To Baby Proof Your Home

Injury is the leading cause of death in children under 14 years old, and over one-third of those injuries occur at home. 70% of children who die from home injuries are under four years old. Your child doesn’t need to be part of that statistic, if you prepare.

Adult Supervision Required

Unfortunately, there are many parents who wish they could just go back and re-claim the two or three minutes they left their child alone and he was seriously injured. Answering the telephone while baby is in the tub, or leaving a crawling baby in a room unattended even for a moment can have disastrous consequences. If you need to attend to other things place your baby in his crib, a playpen or other confined area where he can’t get into trouble.

H20 Hazards

Drowning is all too common with small children. If you have a swimming pool, make sure that it is fenced and has a locked gate at all times. However, children can drown in even a few inches of water. Because children’s heads are often bigger than the rest of their bodies they are pretty “top-heavy.” If they lean over too far, they’re apt to fall into buckets or toilets, lifting their little feet off the ground. Then they’re stuck, and can easily drown. Never leave buckets of water or cleaning solution sitting around, and keep bathroom doors closed. You can purchase an inexpensive toilet lock to keep inquisitive toddlers out of the commode.

Scalds are another typical injury seen at the ER. Make sure to set your water heater no higher than 120 degrees, and never leave a small child or infant in a bathtub unattended. When cooking on the stove, keep pan handles turned to the side so little ones can’t reach up and pull a hot meal down on top of themselves.

Suffocating/Choking Hazards

Babies love to put things in their mouths – it’s one way they learn about their environment. Of course, there are many things that simply don’t belong in baby’s mouth! Make sure he can’t get hold of plastic bags. And latex balloons, whether inflated or not, pose a huge choking hazard.

Small infants should not have pillows or stuffed animals in their crib or anyplace else they sleep.

If you have older children, make sure that they keep small toys and puzzle pieces picked up and out of baby’s reach.

Electricity

Cover all outlets, and make sure any cords to appliances are tucked away. Crawl around on your hands and knees to find all the dangers – your child is sure to find the one outlet you don’t cover!

Secure Heavy Furniture

Heavy armoires or dressers should be secured to the wall, so that a baby pulling himself up to them doesn’t tip them over. You can purchase special straps for this purpose. Televisions should only be placed on top of furniture specially designed to hold them – otherwise there may be a tipping hazard.

Pesticides and Poisons

Install latches on all cabinet doors, and keep pesticides and cleaning products stored up high where baby can’t reach. Medication should also be stored far from children’s curious little fingers.

Keep carpet vacuumed, and hard floors cleaned regularly, and remove shoes upon entering your home. Shoes can track in pesticides and fertilizer, or pet feces.

Keep houseplants away from baby, too. She may be tempted to have a little nibble, and some are poisonous. And the potting soil is never a good dietary supplement!

Enjoy a Gated Community

Install gates on all stairs – a tumble can cause everything from a nasty bump, to death. Infant walkers should never, ever be used in any home with stairs.

Sharp Edges and Hard Spots

Remove or install padding on coffee tables with sharp edges or corners, and baby-proof your fireplace and hearth.

Hand-Me-Down Hazards

Second-hand clothing or toys can be a godsend when trying to save money, but make sure they’re safe for your baby. Clothing shouldn’t have loose buttons or snaps, or strings of any kind. Toys should be free of lead-based paint or loose parts. And crib slats should be no farther than 6.1 cm apart.

With a little planning and a tour of your home on hands and knees, you’ll be ready for baby to go exploring safely!

How to baby proof your home?

Keeping your baby safe at all times is one of your greatest concerns and responsibilities. There is so much to consider and it is very easy to overlook something that might be fairly obvious to some but escape others.
 
Q. What is the best way to approach baby-proofing our home?

The best way is to see your home from the eyes of your child. It is recommended that you get down on your hands and knees and crawl around your home. This will enable you to see hazards you might not have recognized at your full height. Are electrical outlets in baby’s reach or are there electric cords hanging down that your baby can pull on or get tangled in? Does your furniture have sharp corners? Are there precious items at your baby’s level that should be put up out of reach?

Q. What is the most hazardous situation for my baby?

Any situation that places your baby in harm’s way is the worst situation for your baby. The most hazardous situation for your baby is choking or anything that might cause him to stop breathing. The most hazardous situation for you baby is one that caused an injury that could have been prevented.

Q. What are some things I need to consider when I am baby-proofing our home?

There are many things to consider. Your baby is a quick mover so it is never safe to leave him unattended if at all possible. Consider putting up all valuables and breakable items out of reach of your baby’s. Anything that is small enough to fit in his mouth should be removed. If in doubt as to whether any one item is small  enough to fit in your baby’s mouth and pose a choking hazard take an empty toilet paper roll. If it fits inside the tube, it goes in his mouth and possibly harm him.

Q. Why do I need baby safety gates?

Baby safety gates can be placed in doorways or at the top and bottom of staircases. The gates can prevent your baby from getting into the kitchen or bathroom. They can also prevent your baby from tumbling down the stairs or climbing the stairs and falling. The mesh or the holes in the gate should not be large enough for your baby to put his toes through to climb the gate. Gates now are being made to operate hands-free or one handed. There are gates being made with the bars going vertical instead of horizontal reducing the chances of your baby being able to climb the gate.

Q. What are electric outlet covers or locks?

Electric outlet covers look like plastic plugs when they are inserted and prevent your baby from sticking his fingers or something else in the outlet and getting a serious shock. Electric outlet lock plates can replace typical outlets and in order to insert anything into the outlet the plug has to be inserted and turned.

Q. It was suggested to me that I have motion alarms on our doors and windows, why would I need them?

Some kids are very active and able to do things you would be very surprise about. Children have been known to open windows and fall through screens and become seriously injured. There are many news stories where toddlers have gotten up in the night and unbeknownst to their parents open the door and go outside. Some are found wandering around and others are not so lucky. Some windows now come with a mechanism to prevent the window from being opened more than an inch or two. The alarms will alert you to the door opening and you can intervene before something tragic happens.

Q. What kind of baby-proofing products are available?

There all kinds of baby products available and most are reasonably priced. There are motion sensors, corner cushions for sharp corners on furniture. There are electric outlet covers, cabinet and drawer locks of different types and cord retractors for window blinds.

Q. Is there anything available to protect my baby from getting in between banister posts?

There is netting available that can be attached with screws that will prevent your baby from getting between the banister posts. This product is similar to the deck netting available for outdoor decks.

Q. Are there baby proofing checklists available?

Yes, there are baby-proofing checklists available. You can locate them online and they are printable. Specialty stores, hospitals, and pediatricians are all possible sources for such checklists.

Q. How can I baby proof my nursery?

You can baby proof your nursery by keeping your baby’s crib away from windows and blinds cords. Put outlet protectors on all outlets. Make certain to dress your baby in sleepers rather than using blankets. When your baby begins sitting up place the mattress in the lowest position. Do not put stuffed animals or pillows in the crib with your little one, they could nestle up to them and suffocate.

Q. How can I baby proof my kitchen?

Put all cleaners or chemicals up out of reach of your baby. Make sure all drawers and cabinet doors. While cooking put all pot handles toward the rear of the stove. Do not allow electric cords to hang over counters where your baby can pull on them. Better still, if possible unless you are feeding your baby keep him out of the kitchen.

Q. How can I baby proof my car?

You can baby proof your car by making sure the car seat your baby will ride in is installed correctly and that it is the correct one for your baby. Remove all loose items that could become missiles in a crash or quick stop, and place them in the trunk.