7 Best Baby-Proofing Tips for Your House

2021 spring is soon steadily approaching, and with springtime comes cleaning and renovation. If you have young children or pets, it’s important that you be mindful of their safety as you renovate your house. What seems harmless to you could end up being dangerous to them. Every day, over 10,000 children go to the hospital due to an injury.

If you think it couldn’t happen to your child, think again. When renovating your house, here are some ways that you can make sure that your child’s safety is your number one priority.

Below are 7 Tips for Baby-Proofing Your House (Step by Step)

1. Using One of Highly Rated Gates

If you have toddlers, you know they’re always curious. They love to get into places they aren’t supposed to, such as the kitchen, up the stairs, or down a basement. Installing baby or pet gates is a way to have a little peace of mind.

When purchasing a gate, make sure that it’s highly rated. If you’re guarding the top of the stairs, get a gate that’s wall-mounted. You’ll have to drill a hole in your wall, but it’s needed to ensure safety. Otherwise, your baby may end up knocking the gate down and falling. Spring-mounted gates are known to be effective.

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2. Making Your Home Disease-Proof

There’s talk of disease all the time, but even when there isn’t a bug going around, making sure your home is equipped to prevent illness is smart. One way you can do so is through a humidifier, which can help with symptoms of the disease such as the flu. However, year-round use is recommended to avoid any seasonal woes like chapped lips or dry nose.

Also, having places set up where your children can wash their hands can help them stay healthy. It’s important to strike that balance between healthy handwashing and not covering your kid with antibacterial soap 24/7. A few germs can help your kids build immunity and prevent superbugs, but they still need to learn good hygiene.

3. Stop Drowning

Drowning is a big problem to worry about, according to the CDC. What looks like an innocent bucketful of water to you could be a drowning hazard for your young child. As a parent, it’s important to look for and drain any small bodies of water in your home. Lock up the swimming pool area when not in use. Always drain your bathtub. If you have puddles of water around your home, try to drain them. It doesn’t take much for your child to drown.

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4. Using Safety Accessories

Another commonsense way to protect your kids is to buy some small accessories. These tend to be inexpensive but could be a lifesaver. For example, a carbon monoxide alarm may cost less than $25, but it can give you some incredible peace of mind.

Don’t forget about the locks, either. Lock any cabinet that contains dangerous chemicals, sharp objects, or anything else that could harm your child. Cover those power outlets when not in use. Think about a curious young child pulling something off a shelf that could hurt them, such as a TV, and see if you can buy an anchor for your TV.

Look for any stray small objects or cords, which could lead to strangulation or choking. Buy accessories that prevent your child from strangling on cords.

Your windows could be a danger as well. Even if your house has only one story, a curious kid tumbling out the window is enough to cause injury. Window guards, which allow you to let in fresh air but keep the window barely open, can help with that.

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5. Fireproofing Your Home

To you, a match or a lighter is a harmless accessory. To a kid, it can be a dangerous plaything. About 43% of home fires start due to a child under 6 playing with matches or something similar. Besides burning the house down, you also have to worry about your child burning themselves, too.

Look around your home. Adjust your water heater to make it under 120 degrees F. For faucets, purchase accessories that help prevent scalding. As for fire starters, lock up any matches or lighters, and use gates to block off the stove. Some new stoves can turn off automatically, which helps to give you reassurance. If you have a fireplace, clean it up regularly.

Also, don’t forget about the smoke detectors. Have one for every floor, and make sure the batteries are fresh.

6. More About Toxins

As we mentioned, there are many household cleaners and chemicals that can hurt your child. Your kid doesn’t have to drink it, either. Many of these toxins can hurt your child if touched or inhaled. Some of them may cause some temporary dizziness, but others can lead to long-term liver or kidney damage.

First, make sure that your chemicals are nontoxic whenever possible. Paints that have no or little volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are preferable. Cleaners made from more natural ingredients can help, too. For example, baking soda and vinegar may help with clogs better than some drain cleaners, which contain harsh chemicals.

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7. Bonus: Other Tips

While you shouldn’t be stressing 24/7 about your child’s safety, it is important to be cautious and prepared. Here are some other extra tips to help:

1. a) Keep an eye on your kid. Even if you let your eyes off them for a few minutes, that can be more than enough.
2. b) Have a first-aid kit handy. Also, practice CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. This can help your child should they be injured.
3. c) Always have an emergency contact list. From next-of-kin to your child’s doctor, this list can save your life.
4. d) Practice safety drills. For instance, you can have a fire drill. This way, your child knows what to do should an emergency happen.

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Safety-proofing your home is common sense if you have a young child. Even older kids and teenagers could be in danger. While you don’t want to put your child in a bubble, these precautions can help your child escape from serious injury or even death. We hope you find this article helpful, if it is, please share it with your friends who also have a young child so they can benefit from it as well. Thanks!