When you have a baby or toddler in your home, it is essential that you do your best to child-proof your home. Here are some simple ways to help keep your home a safe place for your children.
* Be sure to put safety locks on all of the cabinet and drawers in your home. For example, most people keep cleaners and toxic substances underneath their sinks in their kitchens and bathrooms. Curious children can easily open these lower cabinets and get to these harmful substances. Lock these cabinets with child-safe locks and latches. You will also want to lock any and all drawers since they, too, can hold dangerous items like sharp scissors and knives. Be sure to put latches in drawers and cabinets all throughout your house, to be on the safe side.
* As I mentioned earlier, the edges of sharp furniture like coffee tables, end tables and dining room tables can easily cause injury to a child. For instance, children who are just learning to walk may hit their heads on the corners of these pieces of furniture causing great harm. There are special rubber bumpers sold in stores that are simply placed on the corners of furniture pieces that will help prevent injuries to growing children.
* Children are notorious for getting their little hands in places they don't belong. One very dangerous place that children often place their hands or their toys in is an electrical outlet. To an adult, the outlet is simply a place to plug in electrical equipment, but to a child, the outlet is simply three holes in the wall for fingers and toy parts to go in. Buy outlet covers for every outlet in the home to prevent your child from getting any type of electrical shock. Be sure that the outlet covers cannot be easily pulled off by older children.
* Window blinds and curtains often have a string or cord hanging down in order for adults to shut or open the blinds or curtains. To children, these cords are simply hanging things to be pulled on and to get wrapped up in, posing a strangulation hazard. Be sure to loop up all hanging cords in the house or cut them smaller so tiny hands cannot reach them.
* Once a child reaches a certain age, reaching up to a doorknob and twisting it to open becomes extremely easy. For those doors or rooms that you want to prevent your child from opening (for example, doors to the garage where many dangerous chemicals are kept or doors to the front yard or back yard), invest in child-safe door knob covers for your doors. These covers need to be twisted a certain way with a certain pressure in order to open, thus disallowing small children to open them.
* Safety gates are necessary for a home, especially if the home has a second floor or basement that you would not want your child venturing into. These gates simply lock across a doorway, preventing a child from entering certain rooms or going through certain doors.
