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Childproof Your Home to Keep Your Little One Safe
Brought to You By: http://www.babynamebox.com
Parents and caregivers want to provide a safe place for their
children to live and play but too often child proofing these
areas gets put off. This has caused thousands of household
accidents that could have easily have been prevented. The good
news is that child proofing is not difficult and can easily be
completed in one day.
It is important to protect your child from common household
dangers before you bring your newborn home from the hospital. If
you wait, things can become hectic and easily get put off until
later. Below are some of tips on how to childproof your home.
On your first visit to the store you will likely be overwhelmed
by all of the products on the market designed to child proof or
baby proof your home. There are literally hundreds of different
choices.
Some child proofing requires no devices, just common sense.
Other areas definitely require the use of a child proofing
device. Not all children are the same. If you feel a certain
product would help protect your child from a situation they are
more likely to get into, you may consider adding that to your
arsenal as well.
Here are some basic steps for child proofing your home.
Move Cleaners, Medicine and Other Poisons
You need to move any poisonous substance out of the reach of
your children. A common mistake is to keep cleaners under the
kitchen sink or bath products on the ledge of the tub. While you
might think that child resistant caps will protect your
children, you should be aware that the requirements for a child
resistant package may mean that at least 80-85% of children
couldn't open them. That means your child might. All poisons and
medicines should be stored in a high cupboard or locked area.
Block Stairways
Not surprisingly, falls are one of the biggest causes of injury
to young children. Stairways are particularly dangerous and
should always be properly gated. Never use pressure mounted
gates at the tops of stairs since your child may be able to put
enough pressure on them to give way.
Despite having a gate it is important for parents to keep a
close eye on children around staircases. No safety device
outweighs the importance of adult supervision.
Keep Children out of Dangerous
Rooms
The bathroom, garage, and office can all be dangerous areas for
you child. To keep them safe, use door-knob covers and door
locks. Place a slide lock or hook-and-eye latch hign on the
door, out of child's reach.
Keep Windows Safe
Lock windows or use guards to prevent them from opening too far.
Screens will not keep your child from falling out of a window.
Make sure that blind cords are out of reach and the beds, cribs
and other furniture are moved away from windows where a child
could climb up and reach. You'd be surprised what they are
capable of.
Outlets, Drawers and Cupboards
There is a huge assortment of products aimed at protecting your
children's fingers from being caught in door hinges, slammed in
drawers or by closing cupboard doors. Test out several products
in a children's store that demonstrates how different products
are used. The main purpose should be to prevent an accident but
if you find the products difficult to use you may end up not
using them at all.
Small Toys and Other Choking Hazards
Another major cause of hospital visits for small children is
choking. Small toys, batteries, buttons, coins and other objects
go straight into the mouths of babies and toddlers (and even
some preschoolers). Prevention is the key. If you have older
children they should be taught to keep small toys out of the
reach of younger children. Keep a keen eye for objects on the
floor where your baby is present.
Monitor New Dangers
You will need to be constantly aware of what your child can get
access to. As you child grows and develops they may suddenly be
capable of reaching or pulling down items you didn't think of.
Don't forget that most child proofing devices you can buy are
temporary solutions to prevent the most disastrous accidents.
Your children should also be taught how to behave and where to
be especially careful. After all, your children will likely be
in many homes that are not child proofed like yours and their
safety will depend on understanding what's not safe.
About the author:
Alli Ross is the hip granmamma at BabyNameBox.com, where you
can find over 20,000 baby
names and their meanings as well as parenting info and
advice.
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