Baby-Proofing Your Home

Ask any parent what the most important part of bringing a new baby into your home is, and often the answer is “Safety.” If you are a new parent, or will be a parent, here are some safety tips for baby proofing your home.

• Use socket covers - This is probably one of the best tips ever. These handy little plastic covers plug right into your wall sockets. You never have to worry about little fingers sticking something into an outlet again.
• Lock cabinet doors - Most hardware stores sell door locks. These come in all shapes and sizes. The most popular locks are plastic ones that slip on and off (with ease to adults) and keep kids out of lower cabinets.
• ***Extra Tip*** Babies and toddlers will always be interested in cabinets and will find a way to get into them. Suggestion: make a couple of cabinets "baby-friendly." We locked all of the cabinets except two - the Tupperware cabinets. She loved to just open those up and make a complete mess of the Tupperware - so you have to clean up...just think of how much fun she had!
• Use a baby gate – This one is another favorite among many parents. A baby gate is a simple and easy way to keep your baby in one area of your home. It is usually a simple design, made of wood that attaches and locks itself to a door facing.
• Put cleaning products away – This is another huge rule that is sometimes overlooked by parents. If you keep your cleaning supplies in the kitchen under the sink and don’t utilize locks on your cabinet doors, you take a huge risk of chemical exposure to your baby. The best advice is to place all cleaning products out of reach of your children. If this isn’t possible, the second best advice is to use locks on your cabinet doors.
• Inspect tables – If you have coffee or end tables in your home, inspect these to make sure they are safe. As your baby grows, these become attractive instruments in your baby’s efforts to pull up and stand. Make sure the legs are stable and tightly secured to the table’s base.
• Cover the fireplace hearth - This can easily be overlooked when baby-proofing, but is really an essential zone in your house for a safety check. If you don't want to purchase the premade bumpers or gates, use pillows. We had pillows lined up across the hearth for the better part of a year. When that little one is not-so-stable on their feet, a pillow is a nice, soft place to fall into!
• Put lamps out of reach – If you have table lamps, be sure that they are out of reach. Sometimes baby’s are attracted to lamps because of the light. If your baby reaches for the lamp, this poses both a fire hazard and risk of injury to your baby.

It's not always a quick or simple thing to do, but baby-proofing your home can keep your baby safe and give you the comfort zone that you need to provide a calm, relaxing atmosphere for your little one.