How to Childproof Your Home

When your baby begins walking on their own, you begin to notice things about your home that never crossed your mind before. So many obstacles present themselves to your little one that it can quickly become overwhelming. Creating a safe environment for your children to freely roam about in will provide you with invaluable peace of mind. But where do you begin? Perhaps you just moved into a beautiful new custom home and are still getting used to it yourself. The best way to tackle this project is to focus on one room at a time, starting with the one we all probably are quickest to associate with accidents:

Kitchen Hazards

Children are curious. You can safely bet that once they become mobile they’ll discover each and every space they can explore. Safety latches keep kitchen cabinets and drawers closed and the potentially dangerous inside out of your child’s grasp. Latches are also available for securing refrigerators and are usually applied with adhesive tabs so no tools are required.

When using the stove, use the back burners whenever possible and always remember to point handles to pots pans towards the back of the stove. Use the same principle for appliances that you leave on the counter. Pushing them back out of your child’s sight essentially eliminates any curiosity they may have.

Bathroom Perils

Use safety latches on the bathroom cabinets and drawers as well, as it is common for folks to store medicine and hygiene products in these places. It is probably in your best interest to keep medicine, especially prescriptions, in their original containers and totally out of reach of even the most adventurous toddler.

The toilet is a very strange piece of equipment to a small child, and their curiosity will probably make them want to do some exploring. Special locks are designed to keep them from opening the cover and potentially taking a dangerous spill into the toilet.

Never leave your child unsupervised while in the bathtub. There are anti-scalding devices available that can prevent burns from showerheads or faucets.

Common Room Risks

If you’ve ever been over to a friend’s house that had toddlers roaming around, you’ve probably seen the doorknob covers and safety gates at the tops and bottoms of staircases. These popular devices are great for keeping wandering children out of certain rooms that present more dangers. Corner and edge bumpers are great ways to protect them from hard edges on furniture or fireplaces.

Furniture should be far enough away from windowsills that children cannot attempt to climb up onto them. Larger furniture designed for storage, such as bookshelves, should be secured to prevent it from toppling over with a small amount of force.

All in all, make sure you supervise your child’s wanderings as much as possible. Remember that even the smallest obstacle can turn into a very large challenge for them. We understand that your child’s safety is a top priority. Contact us to find your next home today!