silhouette of man and woman under yellow sky

A child is the most precious possession of the parents. We as parents give them unconditional love no matter how they look, how they act or who they are attached to. As parents, we want to keep our children safe at all times. Knowing this, it’s amazing that so many parents don’t make the effort to go home and take the necessary steps to make the home a safer place for children. This is especially true if you have a baby who is just starting to crawl, stand up on furniture, or ready to take their first steps.

Tracking

If you have carpet, crawl across the floor yourself. You will be surprised at how many spots you will find that have carpet staples sticking out through the carpet. These will pierce your baby’s skin or worse. You will also be surprised how many things you can find on the carpet like pins or other pointy things. Clean them up, put down the rug staples for baby smooth ride.
Electrical outlets

Babies and young children are very curious about the world around them. There is nothing more attractive to satisfy this curiosity than a wall socket, especially if it is painted or has a cover that attracts the attention of children. A finger in the socket can be deadly. The simple and cheap solution is so easy that there is no reason for any parent to ignore this. I bought those little plastic covers that go into the slots on the outlet. This will prevent the child from taking the second life blow from her. The first being to be brought into this world. They are so cheap and easy to install. They are difficult to remove, but that means that the child will not be able to do it.
The kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most dangerous places for a curious young child, so spend plenty of time trying out this room in your home. Make sure that if your child can get into the lower cabinets, there is nothing in them that could pose a hazard. Some plastic pots and pans and storage containers pose little risk to little explorers. Once your child is older, or while they are elevated in a high chair, make sure they are out of reach of the pots on the stove. Turn the handles back so that your hands cannot reach them. Also, remember that the oven can be an attractive handle to pull up on when you’re trying to stand up. Don’t leave your child sitting on the kitchen floor unattended if your oven is on.
Ladders

If you have stairs in your house, you will need to find a way to block them to prevent unfortunate falls. Gates placed at the top and bottom of the ladder should be enough to prevent curious climbers from trying to navigate the dangerous trails. Make sure the doors are securely installed. While they can be a nuisance to the adults in the household, they will make a world of difference in protecting your child from dangerous falls.
A fall down the steps can end with a broken neck. This, of course, leads to death or a lifetime of rehabilitation and pain. Get an approved baby gate to be placed at the top and bottom of the stairs. Makeshift baby gates can be easily removed, have sharp edges, and are not as secure.
toilets

Keep the baby out of the bathroom if she is not there. You may have heard of children drowning in the bathtub. Kids can also peek to see what’s in the toilet. If they manage to lean too far, there’s nothing to stop them from sticking their little heads in there and drowning. They will panic and instead of pushing themselves out of the toilet, they may do the complete opposite: they may push themselves into it even deeper.

shelves

Make sure any bookshelves or cabinets you have in your home are attached to the walls they face against. If you have shelves in bedrooms, you may want to consider rearranging the furniture until your child is old enough. Young children may pull on the shelves in an effort to stand up when they learn to walk, or they may attempt to climb on the shelves as they grow older. Both of these actions can create a situation where the platform is pulled forward, creating an extremely dangerous situation. No matter how old your children are, another reason to attach shelves to walls is to prevent them from collapsing during earthquakes. If the furniture is fixed to the wall, it will not be pushed around during natural disasters.
Finally, be sure to lock cabinets, pantries, and drawers that contain hazardous substances. Anything containing medication or cleaning materials must be secured and protected from prying hands.

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