Babies are a great addition to any home! Parents need to consider how to make that home a safe and welcoming place for them. Ideally, parents should be one step ahead of their children when it comes to safety, and begin baby-proofing the house before the child begins to crawl, usually when they are around 8 months old. Here are some items that will need to be made safe:
Plugs: These should be covered with plug covers. There are a variety of types available, some of which merely cover the outlet, others which will let you still plug something into it and prevent the child from being able to pull it out.
Cabinets: Any cabinet containing toxic or otherwise dangerous items should be fitted with some form of cabinet lock to prevent the child from pulling it open and rummaging around. A corollary to this is to deliberately leave one cabinet unlocked, and to fill this cabinet with dishtowels, wooden spoons and plastic Tupperware containers. Your child will love playing with these and it will ease some of the frustration of not being able to get into the other cabinets.
Bookshelves: These, and any other piece of furniture that could topple over, should be fixed to the wall. Also, babies love to grab books and other items from low shelves and throw them to the floor. So place all your knick-knacks on the higher shelves. You might want to consider putting all the things on the lower shelves in decorative boxes to keep little fingers away. Alternately, you could use these shelves to store your baby's toys within his or her reach.
Stairs: You will need a baby gate both at the top and at the bottom of a flight of stairs. When buying a baby gate, check the packaging carefully to see if it is designed for use at the top of a flight of stairs, as not all baby gates are. You can also use baby gates to block off rooms that you would like to be off-limits.
Appliances: You can buy special locks that will prevent your child from opening your fridge or stove. If the knobs on your stove are at the front, you will need to buy a stove guard.
Cords: Babies love to pull cords. Hide electrical cords out of sight and make sure any cords from curtains or blinds are out of reach.
Floors: It's a good idea to crawl around on the floor yourself to see if there is anything hazardous. Having a baby means keeping all small objects off the floor. Also remember that an infant might try to grab or eat your house plants.
Remember that baby-proofing your home is not a license to leave your child unattended. It is merely a way to remove some of the stress of having to constantly pull your child away from no-no items - which is as frustrating for him or her as it is for you.
Janet Rorty has been writing for the internet since 2003. She lives in Toronto with her husband Alexander and their two children. Their latest website sells island range hoods and is called Island Hood, and includes articles such as the one on ductless range hoods.
