Now that your baby’s crawling, there’s a whole new world in your home for him or her to discover. Babies usually start to crawl at eight months, sometimes sooner, which means that you are going to need to make sure that they are protected from all of the potential dangers in your home before they even begin to move around. Here are five tips for how best to protect your newly crawling baby.
On the Grid
Get down on your hands and knees and look around. The first thing you probably notice is the electrical outlets. Insert plastic outlet covers into all the electrical outlets that are within your child’s reach. Next, hide all the electrical cords by taping over them, and make sure that all of your appliances are out of reach. If any appliances have chords that are hanging down from tables or counters, make sure that these chords are pulled up when the appliance is not in use, or heavily tape the chord to an area so that the appliance cannot be pulled down. Do you have a flat-screen television? Flat-screen TVs are big, heavy, and fairly unstable. Move the television off of any tabletop or counter the baby can crawl or climb up to.
At the Window
Put window guards on windows that open. Window screens are not strong enough to prevent a baby from tumbling out, and even the smallest of drops can cause severe injuries to a young child. Venetian blind cords are another danger, especially with blinds that have chords that run down to the ground. You will want to remove these chords by simply cutting them, or wrapping them around the top of the blinds. With a newly crawling baby, it can also be a smart investment to buy blinds that do not have chords.
In the Kitchen
The kitchen is filled with a variety of different dangerous things, with most accidents happening in this room. First, you will want to make sure that all of your cabinets and drawers have child locks on them. It also does not hurt to take all of your dangerous substances and move them to a higher cabinet that is out of your baby’s reach. Make sure that you never leave anything on the edge of tables or counters, and only use tablecloths when you are actually eating, never leaving them out for decoration.
In the Bathroom
It’s not just the cleansers and chemicals that can pose a danger to your baby, it’s also cosmetics, nail implements, oils, sponges, and a variety of other things. Make sure that all of your cabinets and drawers are locked, and it can be a good idea to invest in a toilet seat lock. In the end, you simply will not want your child crawling around your bathroom, which makes it important to get a handle for your door that they cannot open.
On the Floor
Of course you clean your floors, but you would be surprised with how much dirt and dust they can accumulate within a short amount of time. While you are down on your hands and knees, you may spot corners you’ve missed that your baby can reach. Do you have carpets? Pets? If your vacuum cleaner does not have special filters, you should consider replacing it so that you can get all of the things that can cause problems with your baby’s breathing. For example, SEBO vacuum cleaners with SEBO vacuum bags have a hospital-safe triple filtration system, to take pet hairs, allergens and fine dust out of the environment.
It’s important never to leave your newly mobile baby unsupervised. But, by childproofing your home, you will be prepared for the times when they might just slip by your guarding eyes.
Written by Chaleigh G.; Guest Blogger for Mom at Last
