How to Create a Safe Home Environment for Your Child

Creating a safe environment for your child is an important task, but you don’t really have to think about it before your baby starts crawling – instead, use that time to be with your child. When the time comes, you need to baby-proof your home and create a safe environment for your baby who will go around the house and start exploring every corner. Being super cautious is perfectly normal and you have to be prepared for a lot of work in order to keep everything clean and safe. By doing this, you’ll be able to enjoy some quality time with your little one without having to watch over them constantly and keep rescuing them from potential danger.

The bathroom

The first thing you need to do in every room is lock the cabinets and drawers to prevent your child from hitting their head or touching the items you keep in there. If you have any chemicals outside the cabinets, put them away or stack them on higher shelves because children’s curiosity makes them want to eat and drink everything they see. Although it may seem odd, the toilet is interesting for youngsters and they often like to lean over and open the lid so you need to keep it closed and secured.

The living room

Move your furniture away from windows to prevent any potential climbing and reaching for the handles – after all, children aren’t aware of the danger of climbing over things to get to their target. Even if you don’t think they can open the window, many children accomplish doing that by simply playing with the handle and sometimes securing it is not enough. With so many stairs in your home, you need to secure them as well, so install gates both at the top and the bottom. Any small accessories need to be put away because in your kid can swallow it and start choking in split second. Just put them in a box and store it somewhere until they’re a bit older.

The backyard

This is a part of the house many parents don’t take into consideration, but you’ll probably want to spend some time relaxing in your backyard, so make sure it’s child-friendly. For example, parents often rely on professional landscapers to help them take care of their backyard. You’ll need some help in order to have soft grass your youngster can walk or crawl on, and a garden with no poisonous flowers and plants. Secure your fire pit and grill too, and build a small fence around anything that can put your child in danger. Or check out this play yard guide for baby. 

The kitchen

Keep your cleaning supplies away from your child’s reach and do the same when it comes to food. Protect the oven door and any cabinets that your junior explorer could open. Hide any small appliances you keep on the counter because that can significantly increase the child’s desire to climb over chairs and any other kitchen furniture to try to touch it. Even though magnets on the fridge are your treasured travel memorabilia, they’re also attractive and your kid might just want to swallow them. Besides that, your child can fall in the attempt to take them down.

The nursery

Make sure your baby’s crib has fixed rails and a secure fence that won’t unhook. Take out any unnecessary pillows, blankets and stuffed toys from the crib. Never place it close to a window, a heater or an electrical outlet just in case something happens. Test the crib to make sure your baby can’t put its head between the slats, but also that these aren’t too wide apart from each other. Never use an old crib you haven’t checked first because hand-me-downs can sometimes be cracked and damaged without our knowledge. Don’t let all of these things scare you – just make a checklist and tick things off one by one. Include your grandparents too and they’ll be happy to give you a hand to get the work done more quickly. As days go by, don’t hesitate to check if everything is still secured and in the best possible shape. That way, you can calm down and start having fun with your family.