Childproofing your home

Making the home a safe haven for baby should be one of the priorities of any good mother. Little hands have a way of getting into everything imaginable, so by childproofing your home you are ensuring the security of your child.

Kathleen O’Sullivan, owner of Smart Kids Nursery and Pre-School said that this task is simple, requiring just common sense and of course a dose of creativity.

Toys

Okay, so maybe the fluffy, stuffed bunny with a gazillion buttons was not such a good idea after all. According to O’Sullivan, stuffed toys attract dust and dirt which could be problematic for babies with respiratory problems like asthma.

The child may also remove the buttons and swallow them. Toys which are sharp are also a no-no. “Bright colours and the type of materials are important,” explained O’Sullivan, “Toys which would also be good would be the ones with sounds.”

She said that toys which are easily disjointed are not well suited for babies, even though after a certain age babies will need to learn to separate items. Instead, solid toys are recommended.

“Leave toys that they are using on a level that is easy for your baby to reach so that she does not have to crawl up to get it,” O’Sullivan said.

Staircase

To avoid having your baby tumble down the stairs like a minature Humpty Dumpty, O’Sullivan recommended installing a barrier. The barriers commonly used are safety gates, which will prevent the child from climbing up and down the stairs. But according to O’Sullivan, oftentimes such options are not cheap. The price of gates in local stores range from $6000 to $11,000. O’Sullivan said that parents can even be creative in devising their own kinds of barriers.

Babies should always be supervised near stairs, as in addition to the threat of falling, they may decide to push their heads through the railings, and their heads could get stuck.

Electric Outlets

These can be a big problem if your baby inserts her fingers into the sockets.

“Sockets should always be covered,” said O’Sullivan firmly. She said that generally, plastic socket covers are inexpensive. A pack of eight socket covers inclusive of tax, costs on average $205 in stores.

Bed

Leaving your baby on the bed with no railings is unsafe.

“A lot of babies fall of the bed,” said O’Sullivan. “Sometimes we have babies coming here with cocos (lumps on head).”

She said that if the bed has no barriers then it is essential to ensure that the child is watched at all times or is in a crib with railings.

Cabinets

Make sure that your medicines and other potentially dangerous chemicals are high above the reach of your child.

O’Sullivan said that the clasps on cabinets should always be difficult to open, if your baby still manages to find her way to these cupboards.

Kitchen

A baby has no place in the kitchen says O’Sullivan. She said that she may turn on the stove, and burn herself. Another danger is that stoves can be opened easily and your child may also pull it open.

The kitchen is also full of dangerous utensils which may look fascinating to your child.

“They may crawl around and pull out something like knives,” she said.

Cords

These are a definite hazard. A meddling child could be at risk of choking on household cords. And remember that saliva conducts electricity, so if your baby starts chewing on it, she can get electrocuted. Cords are oftentimes attached to heavy things so a baby may pull a lamp down on herself or trip over them.

You can buy cord bundlers to secure the cords or even try something as simple as taping them down out of sight and out of reach of your baby.Household Chores

Simple household chores that you perform could be disastrous for your child. Whether it be a floor which is dangerously slippery from mopping, or an iron left in the wrong place, parents need to be careful when completing chores with baby present.

“We had a child that was severely burnt because the parent was ironing,” noted O’Sullivan. Tasks such as ironing should not be done when the baby is too close or unsupervised. It is also best to keep away from your curious bundle, items like scissors, coins, needles or buttons.