Expert Tips for Kid-Proofing Your Home
So when is the right time to start child proofing? Before baby starts crawling, which is typically between 6 and 10 months. If you're reading this, you're already thinking about it, so get started now. Trust me, the months fly by and, before you know it, you'll have a wide-eyed, curious and mischievous crawler on your hands. Don't leave safety up to luck.
If you're stumped on where to start kid proofing, bring in an expert to give you a better idea of what hazards you have in the home. Some companies offer free quotes on child proofing so you can better determine what the scope of work would be for your particular situation.
You might want to hire a service for the whole job or just certain projects because these services can get pricey. If you're up for the task, there are plenty of online sources for a DIY job and you can find almost everything you need at popular retailers like Amazon and Babies "R" Us. At minimum you can put up gates, clean up cords, cover your outlets, and put foam edges and corners on furniture. In fact, save extra outlet covers and corner covers to take with you to the grandparents' house, too. It's also a good idea to ask your pediatrician for a home-safety checklist.
We chatted with pediatrician Dr. Marshall Seligmann and he pointed out some not-so-obvious home-safety tips for where kids spend the most time:
- Safety at the source. Set your water heater to no hotter than 120 F. Just one turn of the handle or slip of a foot could turn your babe's warm, soothing bath into a scalding pool. While you're safety checking baths, it might be wise to get a soft spout cover to protect soft heads from faucets.
- Lock them up and out. Kid-proof your doorknobs to keep kids from getting outside and in the streets. If you decide not to child-proof certain rooms, like your office, using or adding door locks will help keep your kids from accidentally making their way in. You'll also want to lock every cabinet and drawer your child can reach -- especially important in the kitchen where dangerous utensils and chemicals are kept.
- Down the pipes. The dog drinking out of the toilet bowl is the least of our worries. Install toilet seat locks to avoid drowning, kids playing with toilet water, and literally flushing your keys down the tubes. This tip might even save your phone's life one day.
- Bolt everything. A crawling baby means a storm's a-coming. Using similar logic you'd use for earthquake safety, secure heavy items around the house. This includes shelves, dressers, wall hangings, and so on. If it can be reached, it can be pulled. Seligmann even suggests wall-mounting all TVs.
- Eliminate risk. Always use safety locks and window guards for upstairs windows. "You'd be surprised. So many babies fall out of second-story windows," Seligmann said. Babies will start to pull themselves up as early as 8 months. Window sills are easy guides for doing so, but can be extremely dangerous if windows are not secure. Also a big risk: window-blind and curtain cords. Make sure they are tucked up and out of reach from grabby hands that could pull the treatments down, or get wrapped up in the cords.
- Up in flames. Install stove safety knobs. Seligmann says, "I was at a kid's birthday party where pizza boxes were on the stove and nobody noticed a kid had turned one of the knobs until a box caught on fire." It's an easy fix and should definitely be implemented if you have a range with front controls. Also keep oven doors locked and chairs and stools away from counters where children may be tempted to climb.
- From the mouths of babes. Keep all small objects off the ground and if you have pets, keep food off the ground, too. Babies are not always discerning about what ends up in their mouths. After all, they are in discovery mode.
- Get regular. Check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms regularly, ideally monthly. Seligmann says to test all detectors at least twice a year, easy reminders being Daylight Saving Time. To avoid changing out batteries every year, use long-life lithium batteries.