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If you have a new baby in your home or if you are expecting a new baby, baby-proofing your home should be a major priority. You want your baby to be safe in your home and you as well will have a great feeling of peace of mind if your home is safe enough to let your baby wander around in.

There can be things around your home that are very hazardous to the baby that you don’t realize. You may be overlooking some things that would be harmful to the baby that you never noticed. By baby-proofing things in your home, you can lessen the chance of accidents happening.  Will it take time? Yes.  Will it cost you a little bit of money?  Yes.  But every bit of that time and expense is worth it for your baby.

Small Items – When your baby begins creeping and crawling around everything small or breakable needs to be kept out of their reach.  Anything that can be put in your baby’s mouth and choked on, such as little knickknacks, need to be put out of reach.  Put everything small like this put up on a high shelf, in a box or in a drawer they cannot open.

Toxins and Medications – Make 100 percent sure that every cleaning product and medication are kept out or reach from your baby.  In no way should they ever be accessible to a baby.  Everyone thinks that just a whiff of cleaning product would deter a baby from touching or tasting it, but that is so far from true.  For cabinets and doors that a baby can open, child proof them all with child-proof door latches so your baby cannot get into them.

Padding – Look around at tables and furniture in your home. For those that are pointed, glass or have rough edges either remove them from the room or put padding or foam around those edges to keep your baby safe.  Babies learning to walk will be very unsteady on their feet and could tumble or fall in a moment hitting a rough edge.  Prepare ahead for this.

The Kitchen – All kitchen drawers and cabinets should have child-proof locks on them.  Knives and such should be moved up to higher locations that the baby cannot reach.  Make sure no magnets are on refrigerators that the baby could pull off and put in their mouth. Always have some syrup ipecac on hand if there is ever an emergency and you need to induce vomiting.

Outlets – Cover every single electrical outlet with the plastic plug in.  If you want to take it even one step further, your cover plates in the home can be replaced with ones that are childproofed.

Child-proofing your home can save you from so many potential accidents and injuries.  When you look around your home, get on all fours as if you were a child yourself.  See what may be a potential hazard for your child and make a list to correct those things to keep your home accident free.

Daphne Dryer likes to write about childcare and home projects. She is a contributing writer at www.homeownersinsurance.org.

Image courtesy of lynmarentette via Creative Commons license, some rights reserved.

Earnest Parenting: help for parents of babies starting to walk and get into things.