Ask any parent what their number one concern is, and most likely they will tell you it’s the health and the wellbeing of their child. When you are the parent of a young child, this means taking preventative steps to ensure the safety of your child. The most practical way to do this in your home is to childproof the areas to which your child has access.
Not sure where to start childproofing? Here’s a quick tip: sit or lie on the floor and take a look around. See what your child will see and this should give you a better idea of what needs to be made safer. Wires that may be under furniture but visible from floor level, sharp corners or edges on the bottoms of furniture, or anything else that they have access to at that level should be taken care of first.
Children love to explore. As soon as your child begins crawling, and then walking, they are constantly exploring and learning about their environment. As a parent, it is your job to make sure they do this in a safe environment.
Here are a few more tips for making your home safe for your child:
- Pay special attention to cords. Electrical cords pose many risks like electrocution and strangulation. Kids can also pull on cords causing items to fall from above and injure them. Hide cords so your kids do not see them, and make sure that cords are not under or around anything heavy that children could pull down on themselves.
- Dull is good…when it comes to corners anyway. Putting your young child in a room with sharp edges is just asking for trouble. Make sure to put soft corner bumpers on any tables, corners, fireplaces, or anything else that has an edge that could hurt your child.
- Child locks and gates are an easy way to keep your child out of restricted areas. Locking your cabinets is a great way to make sure they’re not getting into anything they’re not supposed to when your back is turned. Child gates offer an easy way to make sure your child stays in a certain area. This is nice because it means you can childproof one section of your house for your child while leaving other areas “intact.”
One important thing to keep in mind is that no matter how well childproofed your home is there is no substitute for adult supervision. If you want to keep your child safe, make sure you are always with them, you are always mentally present, and you are ready and able to carry out your parental duties.