Childproofing 101: How to Make your Home Safe for Baby

Nothing compares to the feeling you get when bringing a new baby home for the first time. You are probably excited, happy, and maybe a bit anxious. Is your home ready for your new addition? What do babies need in their home? Fortunately, newborns don’t need very much to be happy and safe. But once that little one is crawling and walking, all bets are off. There are a few things you should be ready for when your new baby starts growing up.

Your space

Crawling babies love to exercise their newfound abilities to explore their surroundings. They don’t, however, love to stop adventuring due to inconveniences like stairs and sharp corners. The best thing you can do is get down to your baby’s level and see what potential hazards are in their path. Pay close attention to electrical outlets, power cords, and the corners of hearths and tables.

Electrical outlet covers are the first thing you want to install. You can protect your child from sharp corners with adhesive padded corners. Furniture securing straps are another important thing to include in your plan, especially if you have any top-heavy bookcases or furniture that may tip over.

Your stuff

Once your home is safe, you’ll want to go a step further and look at what you have in cabinets. Your home is more than just the four walls that you purchased. Kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms have the most potential hazards, with cleaning products and medicines being the two biggest items. Make sure that you have child-proof locks on your cabinets. You can pick some up and install them yourself. You can also put hazardous items up on a higher shelf, out of reach of curious hands.