Tips for Child Proofing Your Home

Electrical outlets are eye level to crawling babies and toddlers.
They are often the first target of their curiosity.  

By Sharon Rose  

     Is it time to make your home as safe as possible for your growing baby or toddler?  When your baby starts to show more independence by crawling, pulling up to a table, or walking, it is time to take action, if you haven't already.  A good place to start is plugging up the electrical outlets.  Use electrical outlet covers, which can be found at any store that carries home items, to prevent anything from being pushed into the outlet holes.  Electrical outlets are especially inviting to crawling babies and toddlers because most are eye level to the child, therefore, easy to get to.  Although, it may prove to be an inconvenience to the parent, it is a must for the safety of the child who has no idea of the dangers of electricity. Place household cleaners, health and beauty products, medicines, or anything poisonous in a high place, preferably, an area that is behind a closed door.  If it's not needed, now is the time to throw it out.  Avoid using "throw rugs," the area rugs that often are the culprit of trip-and-fall accidents in the home.  Toddlers love to run and play in the house and are already accident prone because of this.  If you must use a rug, wall-to-wall carpet or area rugs with non-skid backing is more safe.  Also, keep the floor clean and small items that can be swallowed out of reach.  Other things like coins, pencils, ink pens, crayons, safety pins, marbles belonging to siblings, and beaded rope necklaces that can break, are also at the top of the household, at-risk-list for swallowing.  

     Swallowing things is a very big danger for babies and toddlers.  However, there is another danger that I want to mention, and it is that of putting small items in the nose or ears. When your child becomes a toddler, ages one to three, and is more independent, you may allow him to play with toys that have small parts.  I can recount several stories, told to me, of despairing mothers who had this experience, myself included.  Message: Keep small items and parts out of the hands of babies and toddlers.     

     Don't decide to guard dangers in the home and stop your child before anything bad happens. Child proofing your home is the responsible choice and your best parenting.  



*Helpful contact information if your child has an emergency:

If you have a poison emergency in the U.S.A., call 1-800-222-1222, American Association of Poison Control Centers.

To find contact information on your local children's hospital, go to the Children's Hospital Association, http://www.childrenshospitals.net/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home3




Copyright, "Tips for Child Proofing Your Home," Parents Want to Know 101, by Sharon Rose, June 29, 2014.  All rights reserved.