Baby proofing… And howdy again, Savannah! It’s UKC here to help you figure out how to do some of this parenting thing. It’s so difficult – we know. And we’re happy to help!
This week we’re going to take a look at baby proofing (childproofing) your home – that is, making your home safe for children. There’s a lot of information out there. We’ll help you sort through it to see what’s important for you.
First of all, your home’s childproofing is a good thing to go over every six months to a year, as your kidz grow. Rather than be caught off guard by an accident, try to predict where they might get themselves in trouble.
In a subsequent article, we’ll talk about 9+ month-olds – toddlers who could climb. For now, we’ll keep it to infants who crawl.
Baby Proofing: Newborn to 6 Months – A Stable Safe Place to Grow
While your child is an infant and can’t move around much, the trick is to keep them low to the ground, so they couldn’t accidentally roll out of where they lay and fall from any height. Think about the stability of where they lay. Always be ready that they could turn over and start crawling. Where could they get to? What could they do to get themselves in trouble?
Of course all body parts are something to think about during this stage of development because infants have so little motor control. But that big body part you need to think about is their thinker. Infants’ heads are so big and their necks are not so strong yet. Their skulls aren’t super hard yet, so any fall from any height is a big deal.
Places in your home to think about Babyproofing:
Baby Proofing All Walls
Those electrical outlets are on the menu. What can you do to keep your infant away from not only them, but also away from the cords that are plugged in. It doesn’t take much electrical cord tugging to get into trouble…
Baby Proofing Entry Doors / Doggy Doors
Are your doors secure? Although it’s unlikely, could they find way to get themselves caught in a pet door if they were left too close?
Baby Proofing your Garage
Are your doors secure? If they hang out with you in the garage while you work on projects, can they roll out and find a way to hurt themselves on that cold hard concrete? Could they pull anything down on themselves?
Baby Proofing Low Cabinets
This is always a big one. You might be surprised how strong infants are. If they’re close enough to a cabinet, those little fingers might find a way into a door. Could they pull that cabinet over on themselves?
Baby Proofing Furniture
If you leave them on the couch, could they find a way off of it – in a bad way? If you put their bassinet on a piece of furniture, could they find a way to shimmy themselves off of it, or tip it over?
What sharp corners could they conk into?
Baby Proofing Your Bathroom
With infants, even the tiniest volume of water – less than a quarter cup – is all it takes to drown. Sinks, toilets and tubs can be safe when they’re supervised. But again, it’s your kidz’ job to find trouble, and if you let them, they will!
What small appliances or furniture could they get themselves wrapped up in? If left in the wrong place, could they pull something painful down on them?
Baby Proofing Your Kitchen
Everyone knows the kitchen is the babyproofer’s nightmare. There’s so much stuff in here that can hurt kidz. We know better because we’ve made all these mistakes before. They haven’t.
Crawling Infants 6 Months+: The Bottom 2 Feet of Your Home
Again, in a future article we’ll look at toddlers and climbers. But for now, we’re sticking with just those newest independent movers.
The second half of their first year, your baby is going to start crawling. And man, let me tell you, they can scoot! You gotta feed them, but the trouble is when you do they get so strong! They’ll be jetting around the bottom of your home in no time. So be ready.
For this period, you need to make sure your home is childproof or baby proof anywhere they can go, but only up to the first two feet or so. Pretty much anything knee height and above will be hard for them to reach. Pretty much anything knee height and below better be extremely safe. Because it’s kidz’ job to find trouble anywhere in your home. It’s your job to make sure they get out of it, or maybe better yet – never even get into it.
Let’s review these rooms again, now that your baby is 6 months. Furniture and items that were innocuous before are suddenly a danger zone. You have to look up a couple more feet now…
Baby Proofing All Walls
Those electrical sockets and cords are now absolutely imminently dangerous. Your walker has enough strength to pull a lot of stuff down on them. They can get themselves wrapped up in all sorts of cords at this point. How do you keep them out?
Baby Proofing Windows
At this point, if the kid can climb up to it, you’d better take a careful look. What about the cords coming from the shades? Can they get themselves tangled up there?
Baby Proofing Entry Doors / Doggy Doors
At this point, they may be able to reach and turn the doorknob. That’s scary! What locks do you have in place to make sure your kidz can’t get out?
Do they have a way to bypass pet door security? Again, they can get themselves in just enough trouble at this stage. They could get themselves stuck, or they could get themselves out.
Baby Proofing Your Garage
The garage is suddenly a very dangerous place for a crawling or walking infant. Does the garage door have adequate protection from coming down on them? Will that sensor keep them safe? Infants don’t understand how dangerous a garage is, nor how much trouble they can get themselves into if they get near a hot or moving car. How can you take adequate action to keep them out?
Baby Proofing Low Cabinets
The crawling kid is considerably stronger than the one just hanging out all day. What can they get themselves into now? They can pull that door open. And when they do, what happens? Can they pull that entire piece of furniture over?
Baby Proofing Furniture / Sharp Edges
If they’re crawling and climbing, it’s likely they are good at getting up. But going up isn’t always the scary part. The scary part is how they get down. What can you do to ensure they can find a way down once they’ve gotten up? Those sharp or hard corner are now a real hazard that kidz will find a way to knock into.
Baby Proofing Your Bathroom
A crawler could get themselves in a lot of trouble in a bathroom. Once again, standing water in a sink or tub can be tremendously dangerous, so constant supervision is absolutely required.
Now your kidz have a way to get into that cabinet, or maybe even into the tub or other place where standing water is. What can you do to keep them clean and safe?
Baby Proofing Your Kitchen
Again, one of the scariest places for a new climber is the kitchen. Those cabinet doors that seemed so sturdy before might not be so sturdy when faced with a baby trying to play Tarzan on them. All those sharp edges and small, loose appliances and chords will find a way to be a problem.
Watch out for low drawers and cabinets. Pantries can be problematic, perhaps surprisingly. And once they get in – if there’s anything low – look out!
You have to watch out for water dispensers or other tall kitchen appliances that could be pulled over, too. Most likely they can’t pull a fridge over (ha!) but with perseverance, a crawler might be able to get a loose fridge door open. So be sure they get fully closed. The vents under the fridge can sometimes be easily pulled off, too. Warming drawers under ovens should be secured. Often, they’re pretty heavy, but sometimes not.
Kitchen cabinets sometimes have dangerous chemicals in them. Make sure all that stuff is secure and well out of reach.
Baby Proofing Your Bathroom
The bathroom is home to a lot of things crawlers might try to pull on or pull themselves up to or pull down. Things that seem innocuous to adults, like magazine racks and paper dispensers – if your baby can get to it they could make a real mess. Or create a choking hazard for themselves.
Again, those bathroom cabinets can have all sorts of cleaning supplies in them that can really be dangerous for babies if they find a way in. You don’t want that havoc, trust us!
Baby Proofing Your Laundry Room
Ditto for the Laundry Room cabinets. Unsecured hampers and low cabinets are so inviting for little babies left too close. Especially when they’re strong enough to crawl. Keep those cleaning supplies far out of reach and locked up tight!
Baby Proofing Your Multimedia
Back out in the living or family rooms, watch out for those wires from all your multimedia. If your TV isn’t secured to the wall, you might want to do that. As with all low-lying appliances! They have lots of sharp corners we don’t think about as adults, but they’re easy fodder for babies looking to cause trouble.
You get the idea. So there you have it folks – some things for you to think about – from our experience at Urgent Kidz Care to your home.
We hope this helps! Watch out for Part 2, about toddlers and walkers 9 Months+ (including climbers), coming soon. Until then, be safe, and keep your kidz from getting themselves into too much trouble!
