By AJ Danboise
With so many other responsibilities surrounding the arrival of a newborn, baby-proofing your home might have settled onto the back burner. Your bundle of joy will be crawling and grabbing before you know it! Make decisions and upgrades ahead of time to prepare you for those tiny hands and feet.
At AJ Danboise Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical, we consider customer safety to be our number one priority. And that includes little ones! Here are some starting tips for baby-proofing your home and maximizing safety.
Tips for Baby-Proofing Your Home
Electrical Safety
- Outlets: Cover ALL outlets. Babies learn by touch, but avoiding electrical outlets is one lesson you won’t want them to learn the hard way. Install safety plugs or covers that snap shut over outlets when they are not in use.
- Cords: Keep all cords out of reach. If your baby gets his or her hands on an electrical cord, they might try to chew on it or pull an electric device down on top of them. Keep cords away from areas where your child is playing/crawling – and supervise carefully.
Furniture Safety
- Wobbly Furniture: Repair any pieces that wobble in case your baby tries to use them for balance.
- Sharp Corners and Edges: Cover sharp corners and edges on furniture with cushioned guards so that your baby won’t bang his or her head into something painful.
- Tablecloths: Switch to place-mats for a while to avoid unruly hands pulling all your dishes down to the ground.
- Cabinets: Rearrange your cabinets so that any potentially poisonous substances or harmful objects are above the counters instead of below. For bottom cabinets, get locks or childproof safety latches.
- Garbage Cans: Invest in a garbage can with a locking mechanism on the lid to keep curious fingers out of your trash.
- Houseplants: Some houseplants have poisonous flowers or leaves that your baby might try to put their mouth on. Double-check with your doctor with what plants to keep, put out of reach or get rid of.
Bathroom Safety
- Bathtub: Never leave babies unattended in or around a bathtub. They can slip and hit their heads or drown in a minuscule amount of water. Never let your baby within reach of the faucet. Get a soft cover for the head of the faucet and a rubber mat or nonskid strips for the floor of the tub.
- Toilet: Get a lock for the lid of your toilet so that your baby won’t lift it and topple inside.
Other Problem Areas
- Stairs: Keep babies safe from taking a tumble by installing plastic or wooden safety gates at the top of every staircase.
- Windows: Older babies might meddle with the latches on your windows. Install guards preventing windows from opening more than three inches. Tie cords for blinds high out of your baby’s reach, so they don’t get caught.
There are tons of great products out there to help with babyproofing your home. We hope this checklist helps to get you started on creating a safer environment for your little one.
If you need to prepare for parenthood by upgrading your electrical or plumbing safety features, AJ Danboise Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical is here to help with your installations, maintenance, or repairs. Give us a call at (248) 477-3626.
