As your infant becomes increasingly mobile, you will likely quickly realize that many of the seemingly harmless things in your home present a danger to this inexperienced explorer. To ensure that your child’s home exploration does not result in injury, you must take care to childproof your home. By carefully childproofing your space, you can greatly reduce the likelihood that your child’s first tentative steps lead him into danger.
Outlet Covers
Outlets prove tempting places to stick small objects for many young children. To prevent accidental electrocution, cover all outlet openings with plastic outlet plugs, or replace your current outlets with child-proof outlets that contain spring-loaded covers that snap into place when a plug is removed.
Stairway Gates
Rambunctious children can easily take a tumble down unblocked stairways. Keep your child safe from these falls by installing a gate at the top of your stairs. When selecting your gate, pick a variety intended for top-of-stair use. These gates are generally not spring loaded but instead require installation, as spring loaded gates can give way to childish pushing and pulling. If your tot shows a desire to attempt climbing the stairs, you may also want to place a gate at the stairway bottom to prevent these unsupervised climbing efforts.
Cabinet Locks
Place child-proof cabinet locks on all cabinets within your child’s reach, or lock only the cabinets containing chemicals or sharp objects that may pose a threat to your children. Don’t attempt to use these cabinet locks as a replacement for parental monitoring, as some children eventually learn to open these locks and could access some of the chemicals that you attempted to keep out of reach.
Door Knob Guards
Ensure that your child does not attempt to take a solo trip outside or open the door to the basement by placing door knob guards on these doors that block access to non-kid-friendly spaces. These guards generally clip over the door knob and require the pushing of side grips for door opening. If you have lever-style door knobs, this childproofing practice is even more important, as doorknobs of this type are quite easy for children to open.
Blind Cord Wraps
While blind cords are necessary for the proper operation of window coverings, they also pose a threat to children if not properly secured. Place a blind cord wrap next to each window and wrap the blind cords around them to ensure that they don’t pose a strangulation risk to children. Many blind companies currently include these cord wraps with newly sold blinds. If the blinds you purchased do not have a wrap of this type, pick one up at your local hardware store.
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