When we talk about home improvements, we should not just focus on making our homes beautiful but also on making these safe. This is especially important if you have kids around the house.
So, we are sharing here some of the best ideas for childproofing your home.
Remember that kids of different ages would require different childproofing techniques but you can easily figure this out on your own after observing your kids’ behavior.
Age: 0 to 6 months
Congratulations on your bouncing new baby! For the first 6 months of your child’s life, you can relax and enjoy a status quo in your home’s arrangement, unless there are older siblings, of course.
By Cveleglg at sr.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons
First, start with the crib and other sleeping areas. Make sure to keep things neat and big, soft stuff away from your baby as these could cause suffocation. Of course, sharp objects should also be kept away from the baby; though at this age, the babies can rarely move to reach these sharpies.
Age: 6 to 12 months
Good luck! You need lots of that at this stage. Your baby should begin rolling over, crawling, and possibly walking at this stage. You should try to get rid of sharp or breakable objects within your knee-level. If the child begins standing up, then you would have to check his reach and keep items away.
Children are always curious, so it is a good idea to cover electrical outlets and to keep electronic materials from their reach. I know that is easier said than done – but if you think about what could happen to your child if he/she gets electrocuted, then you would surely want to keep these items out of reach.
Make sure to keep cabinets locked, especially those that contain small items or poisonous chemicals. Remember that medicines for adults could be highly dangerous to kids, so make sure to keep these items out of reach as well.
Age: 1 to 2 years
At this stage, your child is highly mobile and could easily climb stairs, couches, chairs, tables, beds, cabinets, or just about anything he/she could reach. Install child-friendly guard rails on your stairs – on both the upper and lower levels, of course.
Keeps drawers, cabinets, and any type of door closed.
As much as possible, do not store dangerous items inside your home – keep those in the garage or in locked cabinets outdoors. If this is not possible, make sure to keep these items in locked cabinets at all times.
Because kids this age are getting taller, they might already reach kitchen counters and tables while they are standing on the floor. Thus, you have to make sure to keep knives and other sharp objects as far away from the edge as possible.
Kids this age can also reach doorknobs as well. So, if you can, keep doors locked inside the house – especially those leading to the bathroom or outside the house or other non-childproofed parts of your home.
Age: 2 years and up
As a general rule, keep everything sharp, small enough to swallow, hot, or toxic away from children’s reach. If this means keeping your kitchen locked, then do it!
When doing home improvements, always keep your child’s safety in mind. For example, floor-to-ceiling shelves may be perfect for your growing book collection but it would certainly be a huge hazard for your growing child!
Also, it is always better to be safe than sorry. So, think about what could possibly happen to the kids when in various parts of your home or when facing different situations. For example, your kids might be growing independently but that does not mean you should leave them alone while they are in the bathtub – most especially if they are swimming in a pool or at a large body of water such as a river and the sea!
As the child grows older, you can already begin training them about the safety rules in your home. For example, they must understand that electrical outlets are dangerous and only adults are allowed to connect electronic items there.
Safety gates might soon become safety hazards when you child is too tall to be contained. You should remove the safety gates leading to stairs if the child can already climb over it as this could cause them to tumble down and hurt themselves.
True, childproofing your home can be a huge task but it is also for your own peace of mind and your child’s safety.