Use These Tips to Baby-proof Your Home

If you are just starting to baby-proof your home, a good place to start is with the stairs. The risks of falling down the staircase persist for the longest time. It starts as soon as the baby starts crawling and continues until they master their motor skills. According to a recent study, one child is injured every six minutes by falling down the stairs.

As the child grows, babyproofing requirements change as well. We have a step-by-step guide for you on when and how to babyproof your house. But first, let’s discuss the most effective ways of babyproofing.

SINCE BIRTH

• Babies can fiddle with the tap in a flash. Make sure your hot-water heater is never set at more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit to protect your sensitive skin.
• Use tight-fitting electrical outlet covers that the baby’s tiny fingers cannot pull out. Those tiny holes are a danger for babies as soon as they learn to reach out to touch things.

WHEN BABIES START CRAWLING

• Bathrooms are contaminated with germs, and toddlers have drowned in small amounts of water, as little as a few inches. To protect your baby, you should keep the bathroom doors locked at all times to ensure they never go there unattended.
• Install lockable gates at the entrances to areas around the house that are not suitable for babies, such as the staircase, kitchen, and storage area. We have explained this step in detail below because it is one of the leading causes of hospital emergency department visits.

WHEN BABIES CAN PULL UP TO STAND

• Setting the height of a baby’s crib rails according to their age is very important because as soon as they learn to pull up to stand, they can fall over the rail and hurt themselves. Most cribs have multiple height levels that are easily adjustable.
• Heavy objects such as pots, vases, and lamps, should ideally be kept out of the room where babies are allowed to crawl and stand. Even wooden cabinets can tip over when they’re not drilled to the wall.
• Babies and toddlers often roll clothes and strings around their necks. We suggest that you remove all loose or hanging strings in the house to address this hazard.

TIPS TO INSTALL A BABY GATE FOR STAIRS

Even the babies who crawl are confident about themselves, but still, they would not be confident enough to tackle the stairs all on their own for some time. While you may notice a sense of independence in your little ones, do not let their pursuit of learning go to danger zones without your supervision. Till the right age comes, your baby shall know that they should not try to get down the stairs without you watching them.

There are different types of baby gates for stairs available, and depending on your stairs, you can choose the kind required by you. Here are a few tips to prepare yourself to babyproof your stairs.

• When installing the baby gate for stairs, ensure the gate opens towards you and is installed with a screw. This will make it more sturdy and will protect your baby and you from accidentally falling.
• The right time to search a baby gate for stairs is a month after childbirth. This allows you ample time to install and test them before your baby can reach them.
• Stair gates are installed at the entrance of the stairs and screwed inside the walls. There are gates that only slot between the walls, but they can come out with a jerk.
• Stair gates made of wood and metal are more durable and sturdy than mesh and plastic.