Well hello, Savannah, Georgia! Your buddies at Urgent Kidz Care are here again to help you childproof your cozy home. Not long ago, we gave you some hints about baby proofing. Well, now that your li’l rascals are growing up, they’re even more of a danger – especially to themselves! So let’s look together at how to childproof your home.
So let’s pick up where we left off and make sure them rugrats don’t find any more ways to come to UKC when you’re not ready for them to.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: your home’s childproofing is a good thing to go over every six months or at least every year as those danged kidz grow up. It’s hard enough to keep up with them – usually we can forget about staying ahead! But in this case, it’s a good idea to try.
Toddlers & Walkers 9 Months+: Childproof Your Home with Focus on the Bottom 4 Feet
Once your kidz are walking, you’ve got a whole new set of problems. At this point they can get themselves in a lot of trouble – particularly if they’re climbers! So you’d best have anything potentially harmful on lockdown. Let’s go room by room and look at how to childproof your home one step at a time. Childproofing takes time, but as our doctors can attest, it’s time well invested!
Whole House:
Entry Doors
Now that your kidz are walking, entry doors are really important to lock down. If they’re walking, they can likely reach the knob, and they likely have the strength to open it. And any locks. And these doors are heavy – if they can get them open, they can pinch their fingers and feet in them as they close. So if you have a chain lock, try to make sure the kidz don’t hurt themselves, and they understand how much it hurts to get a hand stuck in a slamming door.
Garage
When you have climbers, that garage can be an incredibly dangerous place! This is one of the most important places to figure out how to childproof your home, but it’s often overlooked. Make sure kidz can’t get those car keys, nor figure out how to use them. Even if they’re just pretending to drive, if they can get the engine turned on, that situation can and will end in disaster.
Those heavy toolboxes may not take much to tumble, and when they come down, boy do they hurt! And that sharp lawn and gardening equipment – all those nifty contractions are just the place kidz think they want to play.
Windows
If you have a climber, balconies can be (and should be) terrifying. Make sure kidz don’t have access to windows, and if they do, make sure they can’t easily push screens out. Again, make sure they can’t get wrapped up in those blind or curtain cords. When you need to childproof your home, loose cables are certainly something to keep an eye on.
Furniture / Chests
Folks, I remember when I was about 8 years old I thought it would be fun to do some gymnastics like I saw on TV. I, of course, hadn’t trained in gymnastics, and I, of course, was tumbling on the soft fluffy couch. And BAM I hit my face on the arm, which was nicely padded mind you, and BAM, my tooth went through my lip and there was blood EVERYWHERE. (And I mean everywhere).
So when it comes to energetic kidz, do what you can with the furniture. There are some things that just can’t be prevented. We’ll find a way to get ourselves in trouble. But let’s see what we can do to childproof your home furniture so we don’t open ourselves to unnecessary danger.
Cabinets
When it comes to cabinets, if you have a climber nothing is off the table. Us monkeys will find a way to get into just about anything.
Did I tell you about how I got into the cartoon-shaped vitamins when I was four when both my sisters had their backs turned? They were busy watching reruns, arguing over who should be watching me. Well, I thought if one vitamin was good, the whole bottle would likely make me into Superman. And boy did I feel like Superman the way my folks rushed me through to the emergency room.
So don’t forget about food and chemicals – all of it can be dangerous for children. This is one aspect of childproofing your home you really can’t ever do enough. When you think about how to childproof your home, think first about chemicals and food your kidz could get into.
Stairs
If you thought crawlers could get in trouble on stairs, just wait till you see what climbers and walkers can do. Once they’re big enough, a baby gate alone won’t do. And show your kidz how things can get stuck between the rungs of the handrail. If you don’t, they’ll think of it on their own and think it’s a great thing to try. If they’re playing on or near stairs, always best to keep an eye on things. A lot of people focus here when they think about how to childproof your home, and that’s good.
Kitchen, Bathroom, Laundry Room
At this point, it’s best to show kidz what to stay out of and why. And reinforce it often. Don’t forget, their job is to test boundaries and get in trouble (and probably hurt themselves at least once in a while) – it’s your job to keep them out of trouble and show them what to do when they do get in trouble.
Cleaning supplies and appliances – try to make sure they understand how dangerous these things are, no matter what nonsense they see on cartoons or YouTube videos. Cartoons are not helpful in our experience when it comes to showing kids how to be safe in the home. Or anywhere. So when you childproof your home, think about what your kidz are consuming and what they may try to do.
Multimedia
This is the age when kidz really like to test things. Those electrical cords and multimedia devices are never more dangerous than they are now. Be sure that TV is literally locked down and can’t be budged or it is going over. And fingers will love trying to get into video players. Show them how to use these items properly and what to do if they get in trouble. And if they shouldn’t be using them, remind them again. And often. This is one of those things to think about on the regular – childproof your home regularly when it comes to multimedia.
These articles are just not intended to be complete. There’s no way we can think of everything. But as you read them, think about the rooms in your own home and what you can do to teach your children as they grow. We want them to grow up healthy and strong and only come see us when you plan to visit. We hope this helped you think through some of the dangers you’ve forgotten about. As you’re now an adult, you don’t think of things this way any longer. When you childproof your home, you’ve just gotta get yourself back in that mindset.
And, as always, when your kidz do get in trouble and need us – despite your best efforts – we’ll be here for you!
