Ways to Childproof Your Home That Parents Sometime Overlook
Parents of small children know the importance of childproofing their home. As babies grow, they develop into curious crawlers and toddlers, causing parents to need to carefully secure certain parts of their home. This typically includes putting latches on cabinets and putting a cover on electrical outlets. There are some additional areas of a home that parents can childproof to help keep their little explorers safe:
Stairways — Babies are too little to understand gravity but are naturally curious. To help keep them safe as they explore, put baby gates at the top and bottom of stairs, and install banister shields.
HVAC System — Germs and allergens can enter your home through its heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. It’s therefore important to have your ductwork cleaned and to keep air filters fresh. Another culprit that allows germs into your home is shoes, so to help prevent germs from shoes from spreading throughout your house, have people take off their shoes near the door. Placing a basket next to the main entryway is a way to keep shoes contained and off of the floor.
Windows — Just as adults enjoy looking out of a window, your baby will, too. Natural light breathes life, freshness, and Vitamin D into your home, and the view of outdoors offers a lot of interesting things for babies to see. To help keep your child safe, remove items that are near windows that your child could climb onto, and install baby-proof window locks.
Bathrooms — The bathroom is often overlooked for childproofing but is one of the most important. Toilets are near a child’s line of sight, usually easy to reach, and full of less-than-sterile water. Use sanitizing wipes to clean the floor near the toilet on a regular basis. Install a toilet lock on the toilet’s lid; they’re an inexpensive way to prevent your baby from accessing the germs and water inside the toilet.
Water Heater — As a general safety precaution, lower the temperature of your hot water heater. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends a maximum hot water temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. If you wish, you can decrease the temperature further on your hot water heater’s settings.
Enjoy every moment of your baby’s rolling, crawling and walking adventures by proactively creating a safer environment for your little one to explore.
For more baby safety tips, check out our Facebook album, 30 Baby Safety Tips.
