It’s time to baby-proof our home! Our baby is becoming more and more mobile, and more and more curious. His sense of wonder is quite entertaining, but along with outstretched fingers come cries of “No! No!” from adults. A baby’s hand can be really swift. For example, I’d be carrying him while I opened his closet. In a swift motion he had grabbed two shirts from the neat pile. Ack! Then there’s the walker empowerment. He walks around the house with such purpose! Often times it is to touch things he’s not supposed to, like the dirty wheels of his stroller.
Here are some basic tips on how to baby-proof your home once he begins learning how to walk. If you have any more ideas, feel free to leave a comment. Let’s learn from each other!
- Keep small items out of reach. Accessories, coins, food — anything that poses as a choking hazard shouldn’t be reachable by baby.
- Keep potentially dangerous substances out of reach. Liquor, cleaning aids, medications, gasoline, bug spray — lock these away in high cabinets so a child can’t access them.
- Keep houseplants out of reach. Know what kind of plants you have in case a child eats one.
- Cover electrical outlets with a child-resistant outlet cover. This one I still have to hunt for; anyone recommend a good brand? The plastic ones are easy to take out.
- Install safety gates at the top and bottom of stairways.
- Position electronic equipment so baby can’t pull them off furniture. Watch out for those portable stereos!
If you have any more ideas, do share! Let’s enjoy playtime with our babies without compromising their safety.
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
maricel
August 12, 2010 at 9:48 am (14 years ago)You may also try check if baby tries to get under the table which is in level with him, so to make sure he won’t get head bumps.
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avid reader
August 12, 2010 at 5:37 pm (14 years ago)hi! i enjoy reading your blog, as i’m recently married, and planning to have a baby soon! anyway, i think this product is great for baby proofing: http://www.eubiq.com
their electrical outlets are very safe against electric shocks
Kay
August 12, 2010 at 7:01 pm (14 years ago)Buy socket proof thingies, table corner covers, and make sure there are no mats that Timmy can slide on.
Kay´s last blog post ..Starbucks Citymug- Baguio
MieVee @ MummysReviews.com
August 13, 2010 at 1:36 am (14 years ago)Bathrooms are very dangerous: cover toilet bowls, no pail or tub containing any water, install babyproof lock on sliding doors.
I also stick extra latches to drawers, wardrobe sliding doors and the refrigerator.
We find the walker dangerous (and unhealthy for spinal development), so did not use it. Be very careful when baby speeds in the walker.
Stay safe!
No long strings and threads lying around too.
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anne
August 13, 2010 at 8:39 am (14 years ago)well, this isn’t really baby-proofing coz it’s the other way around! one lesson i learned from my two girls is that babies are very attracted to cd’s! once they get ahold of a cd, they rub it against the floor, the wall or against another cd! they also like taking out the labels. i made sure then that the cd’s are out of toddlers’ reach…for the cd’s protection! =)
William Edison
August 16, 2010 at 10:14 pm (14 years ago)When I childproofed my home, I used a neat cover that cuts the electricity off when it is not in use. I found it to be overall a good product. More info about the switch can be found here:
http://www.inpama.com/index.php?content=invention&id=92
William Edison
Denver, Colorado
ree
August 24, 2010 at 7:14 pm (14 years ago)hey toni! wow little timmy is ‘walking’ around na! how time flies. raine used to zip around and actually gallop–both feet off the ground–in her walker :p one thing i learned about babyproofing is to also have some grownup stuff that she IS allowed to touch. like in our house, raine could empty out the drawer where i keep my placemats, and i leave her books and other stuff on the couch. that way i can direct her to those things instead of continually saying “no”. we were fortunate also that we just had to say no to raine a few times for stuff like the electric fan and outlets and she never touched them. we would also tell her to be very gentle with breakable stuff (the ones we couldn’t part with, we put away), so she learned not to touch those too. we also got rid of our coffee table (gave it to my mom), rugs and other stuff around that she could slip on, so basically our area is mostly open space.
ree´s last blog post ..Moms Share…Bedtime Books
iSSa_MD
October 3, 2010 at 7:22 pm (14 years ago)hi! you can check these baby safety items:
Mommy’s Helper outlet plugs: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31049988&id=1071881650
AMERICAN RED CROSS Door Finger Guard: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31049989&id=1071881650
keep safe baby (toddler) timmy!
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