Childproofing your home is undoubtedly one of the first factors to consider as expectant parents, with emphasis on the word ‘expectant’. You do not need to wait till the child is born before childproofing your home.
After a child is born, it takes at least 6 months before the toddler starts to crawl. While 6 months may seem like a lot of time to childproof your home, anything can go wrong. For starters, you will not have a lot of time on your hands like you used to before the baby came along. The ideal time to start childproofing your home is once you realize you are about to have a baby.
Why Childproofing Your Home is Important
The best way to refer to toddlers is little explorers without boundaries. Toddlers are curious and always ready to explore anything that interests them. With this little information, you can deduce why it is important to childproof every part of your home. Most parents have agreed that the more dangerous the adventure, the more appealing it is to the toddlers. As funny as this may sound, it is sadly not arguable. So, as parents, it is crucial to ensure the safety of your home before the baby even arrives.
Guidelines For Childproofing Your Home
You must follow certain guidelines to ensure your home is completely safe for your toddler. These guidelines will guide you through the process of childproofing your home.
Childproofing the living room
The living room is always a favorite place for toddlers, as there are many items to explore there. We recommend you start with this room first because it requires more work than the other rooms. Corner protectors should be used on pieces of furniture with pointy edges. Electrical outlets should be protected with childproof coverings. A good example is using a socket guard. You should also ensure there are safety locks on the windows and doors.
Childproofing the bedroom/nursery
- For the bedroom
It is a known fact that toddlers prefer their parent’s bedroom to theirs, meaning they will spend a lot of time in the bedroom. Most beds have pointy edges, if yours is that way, you need to use corner protectors on all the edges. Try not to keep anything that has the potential to lead to a disaster on the floor.
- For the nursery
This room requires carefulness, thoughtfulness, and the willingness to go a little higher than the budget. Unlike other rooms where you can work with the older furniture pieces, having a child for the first time means you will decorate a room for the baby. When decorating the nursery, all items and furniture purchased should be carefully scrutinized to guarantee their safety. Lastly, if you are going to be spending so much money on your home, you need homeowners insurance. There are many competitive homeowners insurance prices out there, meaning that it is affordable.
Childproofing the kitchen
If you are having doubts about childproofing the kitchen because you feel that it is unlikely for your toddler to go in there, you should think twice about it. Once a child starts crawling or walking, they will explore the whole room in your home. The safest way to go about this is childproofing all the rooms in your home, including the kitchen. The kitchen is the room with the most dangerous items, hence the need to ensure that it is safe for a toddler.
Childproofing the bathroom
The bathroom is probably the most dangerous room in a home for toddlers. You have to restrict your toddler from going to the bathroom without adult supervision. Preventing your toddler from going into the bathroom is just a part of the job. The main job includes ensuring that the bathroom is safe for your baby.
- Ensure that the floor of the bathroom is dry at all times. Even adults can slip and fall in the bathroom.
- Avoid filling the bathtub with water. This kind of mistake has led to many cases of toddlers drowning in the bathtub.
- Tuck all your cleaning products away. Most of these products may contain hazardous chemicals that can lead to critical health conditions when consumed
The ultimate childproofing guide for your bathroom is ensuring that the door is always locked.
Repair all the damages that can lead to disasters in your home
Repair the cracks in the wall, the broken windows, and the door latches, fix the small detector, repair the leaking water heater, etc. Double-check every part of your home to ensure that the entire house is safe for your toddler.
Conclusion
Ensure that while childproofing your home, you allow the professionals to handle any aspect that requires their services. Do not attempt to do anything that requires the assistance of experts yourself to avoid jeopardizing the life of your toddler.