A Guide To Baby Proofing Your House - June 22, 2008 -

Whether you are a grandparent planning to baby sit or a new parent bringing in your newborn, you have to prepare the house for the baby. Babies are notorious wanderers and pick up and try to chew whatever fits into their tiny hands. This habit and their general ability to hurt themselves against hard objects, make it necessary to keep the house baby safe. This article will give you general tips on baby proofing your home, so that you can rest easy when the baby is moving around the house.

You have to look at all the areas of the house for potentially dangerous objects. Things that appear completely safe to you may still be hazardous for a kid. For instance, platform beds have sharp corners which could hurt the baby's soft head. Thus, you have to use your common sense and instinct while removing items that are unsafe for a child. Look at everything from an angle as low as your baby, as he is going to crawl and will mostly pick things from the ground. Make sure you purchase some soft cushions and beddings from a furniture store to provide padding to any sharp angles of furniture items. You can also buy safe kids furniture for the baby's room.

Keep all those items that can be broken easily, on high shelves or in the basement. Also, secure every closet and cupboard with a child proof lock. No matter how well you close every cabinet, make sure that none of the really sharp or dangerous items are on the lower shelves. Knives, cleaning agents, medicines and more such hazardous items must be placed on the high shelves which are far above the reach of kids. The lower cabinets can have safe and light objects.

Keep the temperature of the hot water heater below 120 degrees Fahrenheit and keep the stove burners high enough. Risks of burn is ever present with a baby, so watch out for table covers that can be pulled by a baby causing hot food to fall on him. Also, be careful with all hot liquids such as hot tea and coffee. They have been known to cause severe burns on baby's tender skin. Cover all the electric sockets with baby proof cover plates. Remember to have all loose wires and strings tucked out of a baby's vision. Babies can hurt themselves while playing with these.

Many contemporary living room furniture pieces have sharp edges. Cover them with quilts or foam rubber. Children easily hurt themselves by banging their heads on the sharp points. Also, make sure that all the doors have latches so that your baby doesn't wander off to areas he should not go. Remove any parts of furniture or decorative items that are small enough to pose choking hazards. Keep your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors switched on always.

In case you are still not sure about the safety of your house, consult a professional. You can get many baby-proofing people who are trained to remove any hazardous object and making the house completely safe for the baby.

You can easily baby proof most furniture pieces on your own. Living room furniture needs to be given most importance. Children's furniture is built to be safe in all respects.

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