When Baby starts crawling or walking, anything in your house is fair game. Babies love exploring, touching, and tasting all that your home has to offer. There are lots of things hanging around that you might not even realize are choking or safety hazards! Here’s a guide to keeping your home safe from the moment Baby arrives:
- Remember the basics: Make sure you have a functioning fire extinguisher, smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide detectors.
- Make sure some things are off limits: Cover electrical outlets, put safety gates at the top and bottom of your stairs, and put dangerous substances like paint, detergent, or medication on a high or locked shelf.
- Reorganize your kitchen: Put safe items like plastic containers, paper towels, and sponges on lower shelves and anything sharp where Baby can’t reach. Unplug appliances when you aren’t using them and keep cords on the counter. Consider plastic latches for cabinets or covers for stove knobs so they cannot play with fire!
- Watch out for food items: Food may seem safe, albeit messy, but food-related choking hazards are serious. Ditto for pet food!
- Secure your furniture: Any table or chair with a sharp corner should be covered with a cushioned guard. Mount any shelves, frames, and TVs so they won’t fall and make sure the cords for your window blinds are out of reach.
- Hide little items that Baby could swallow: Paper clips, thumbtacks, loose change, and more. Don’t forget to move liquids like shampoo, makeup, and alcohol where they can’t get to them.
- Ensure water safety: In most states, securing your pool is required. If not, consider a secure pool fence that stays locked 100% of the time.
Take a little time during your pregnancy to look around your house in the mindset of a crawling or walking toddler. To Baby every item is a new discovery they need to investigate! Creating a safe and healthy environment does take some work, and it’s never too early to get it done.
