When kids enter your home, your life changes drastically. You need to adjust your lifestyle according to the little one’s timetable. Also, as soon as your baby starts crawling you have to make sure that they are away from harm’s way. Hence, you need to babyproofing your house to keep your baby away from harm’s way. Your adult-friendly home has to be worked on and has to be made child-friendly since there might be possible hazards for your child. And as a parent, you can’t let your child get hurt, or you can stop in their movement. For your baby to grow physically and mentally, you need to give them the freedom and space to crawl, walk around, unchaperoned.
Major accident-prone situations or areas
It will be never enough for your baby. You need to safety-proof your house with all the equipment available in the market.
Before you get down to safe proofing your home for your little one, it is better to know the hazards that your child might come across.
Preventing your child from falling off- A child can fall off from anywhere. The intensity of getting hurt depends on the height from where the child is falling from, the surface they are falling into it, and what they might have hit. Depending on those, you need to work out the different hazards that might cause the fall.
Falling off from the window- See to it that your child is unable to open or close the window. To prevent an accident, you can keep away the furniture from the window, installing window locks and window guards
Preventing your child from scalding or burning- Install a smoke alarm, and try to keep away from all hot surfaces
Poisoning- Another most common accident is poisoning. Young children develop their sensory things by putting everything in the month. Hence, it needs to be monitored.
Home safety for your child
There can be many potential hazards, however, you can keep your little one safe by identifying those hazards, and then preventing or removing them. By putting up a safety corner protector or baby safety doorknob, you can minimise the risk of possible accidents. But then you need to supervise and monitor your child’s activities at home. This is when your child is crawling or trying to reach out for things. Gradually, your child will grow and he/she will try to climb over things or may try to open new things, this is when you need to alert for more possible hazards. You get to identify and make changes with various other equipment or maybe use a protector or a guard to keep your child safe from hurting himself or herself.
As a parent, you will try to make your home a haven for your child. In addition, your child too needs to learn about what is safe and whatnot. Because you can’t go on securing every corner of your house to keep your kid safe. Learning is a process, and you will know that children learn at a very young age. Though as a parent keeping them safe and away from harm is your priority but teaching them the do’s and don’ts will imbibe in them a sense of responsibility. There is a common saying that “practice as you preach”. Yes, little ones imitate our actions. While it is very difficult to make your little one understand through words sometimes, you can make them learn through your actions. They will follow your behavior and follow accordingly. Introduce the safety activities through actions, small words, and enacting.
A good way to make your little one understand is using various props or their toys to make them learn. Let them watch you, don’t impose on them. The child has their mind, introduce the safety learning through play-way method. As your little one participates in the safety activities, they learn to avoid hazardous objects. As your child grows older, engage them in conversation to avoid things that can harm them. Animation programs can help your child learn faster. Children of any age group love watching cartoons, indulge them in those shows and make them learn. Slow down, do not make it monotonous and repetitive, and make learning an interesting one. Take ample time to expand the activity and make learning interesting. In this way, you not only spike their interest, but they remember things.
Steps you can take to keep your little one away from harm
- Always look for baby furniture and equipment that comes with detailed specifications, age groups, and which will aid in keeping your child safe.
- While using things that are in the category of fire and hot surfaces, keep an eye on your child whenever they are near the hot surface. To ensure safety you can get a baby oven door lock to avoid any mishaps. Even hot food and water can scald your babies and children. So avoid holding your child while having anything hot. Also, keep away anything away from the reach of the children. Before bathing your child, keep in mind to test the temperature.
- Most accidents happen due to loose electrical wirings or when your child tends to put their fingers in it. Getting a 10 Pcs EU 2 Hole Sockets Cover Plugs will keep your child safe.
- Falls are the most common mishaps. Closely follow the antics of your child while they are crawling or taking their first step. While they are crawling use a safe crawling elbow cushion so that their knees are not hurt. To stop your child from climbing out and falling from bed, use a baby bed fence to protect them.
- Ensure that the furniture is sturdy and is fixated in the proper place. Or they can hurt themselves at the edge of the corner of the furniture. Using a safety corner protector protects your child from getting from the edge.
- Keep your household tools away from the reach of your little one. Avoid using them in front of your kid, and after use stow them away properly.
- Another quite common accident is poisoning. Children tend to put everything and anything in their mouths. Keep the chemicals and essential medicines away from the reach.
- Soft toys, boxes, packaging, cords and ropes, bags could strangulated or suffocate your child.
- Keep your child under supervision while bathing or even near the swimming pool. Never your child alone while bathing or leave them with any older siblings.
Keeping the emergency numbers handy
Even after all necessary precautions or closely monitoring if there is a sudden mishap, then you might need to rush to the hospital. In the event of such mishaps, keep all the emergent numbers within reach. Being a parent comes with responsibilities, and one of those is getting trained in the basics of CPR and stocking up First-Aid.
Safety equipment that you need to keep handy
Though different homes have different hazards, however, there are few safety equipment that is must-have at every home
- Smoke detectors for every home. While installing, follow the instructions properly and have it installed
- Getting a baby safety door knob keeps your baby safe from getting hurt
- A sturdy gate keeps your child away from any hazard
- Anti-Electric Shock plugs are must-haves to save your child from electrocution
Did you know?
- Children die every year not because of any fatal disease but because of accidents happening at home
- Most children who land at the hospital up after an accident are due to accidents that happened at home
- It has been found that safety equipment have helped children to be safe
Tips to babyproof your house
- Use a safety corner protector or baby safety doorknob or fridge freezer door lock to keep your baby safe from getting hurt. Things that are harmful and dangerous should be kept away from the reach of the children.
- Installing toilet seat lid locks since kids love playing with water
- Under no circumstance should you leave your child attended in the bathtub
- Put the crib away from the window
- Keep detergents out of reach of the little ones.
- Since safety standards can rapidly change, it is better to get the latest gear for your child
- Protect baby from sun and heat and keep them well-hydrated
- Closely monitor devices for fever, and also before providing medicine consult the doctor.
With all those activities and interesting learning processes, it might be difficult to still protect your baby. Safety equipment does help in creating a safe and accident-free area for your child. But that means that it will replace your supervision, but does help in protecting your child from possible hazards. Why not make their childhood interesting and fun? Provide them ample space to play, remain involved with your kid, and make sure that you provide your child with plenty of interesting things to play, work and look at. In this way, your child will less likely to seek their stimulation by walking into those areas that you want them to get into.
