In the blink of an eye, your little bundle of joy won’t be that little anymore. Babies grow up so fast and before you know it, your little one will start exploring the surrounding by crawling. Once this stage starts, consider it as a red flag to make your home safer for your child.
Safety Gates as the First Line of Defense
Child safety gates are one of the first things parents should use to prevent their children from accessing off-limit areas of the house. These protective pieces of gear can be especially helpful for those living in houses. But why are safety gates important? What makes them a necessity in a house with babies?
Well, to put it plainly, stable and resilient safety gates for children can prevent injuries and accidents by keeping children away from potentially hazardous areas in the house. Usually, they are positioned at the top and bottom of stairs, but also at the entrance of open kitchen areas since kitchens are the most hazardous areas in a home.
Safety gates for children are available in numerous types, designs, sizes and materials which makes them quite accessible and affordable to anyone. And the goal of them all is to give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing your child won’t explore any unsafe area without constant supervision.
Baby gates can also create a safe play zone since they’ll stay away from unsafe areas. And for greater safety, parents can also invest in playpens to create a safe nook where their baby can play while being safe and sound. Another great advantage of having gates for babies is their ability to keep pets away from children.
Whether you want to keep them separated while they get to know each other or you simply don’t want them playing together especially unsupervised, installing an indoor fence of this kind will help you with your goal. When in the search for the right model, make sure to take into account all of the options available on the market and their features.
Generally, it would be great to look for one that shuts smoothly, so that you can walk through it without a problem. The gaps between the slats should be less than 7cm so that your little one won’t be able to squeeze between them or get stuck. In order to improve the safety of your child, you should look for a higher one since babies can easily attempt to climb over it.
Tips for Making the Most Commonly Used Rooms in the Home Safe for Children
Kitchen
One of the most dangerous spaces in a home is the kitchen. Injuries and burns related to the oven and stove are quite common and can be extremely dangerous, which is why you should use a fence.
Aside from this, you can also use a stove guard fitting or cover which will entirely or partially cover your stoves and its knobs/buttons. You should also install drawer and cabinet safety locks so that your little one won’t be able to open them. This especially goes for the cabinets/drawers with medicine and cleaning products.
Whether your child has access to your kitchen or not, you should keep away knives, scissors, forks and other sharp objects out of children’s reach. When cooking, make sure to cook on the back burners since children won’t be able to accidentally touch them. Children are curious and smart, so you should also keep the handles of pans and pots turned towards the back of the stove.
Living room
If your furniture has sharper corners, make sure to cover them to prevent injuries. You can cover the sharper edges on coffee tables and TV stands with corner protectors, and hide any cables and cords out of your child’s sight.
Make sure to close windows carefully, and if they can be easily opened, use additional locks. Secure loose rugs with two-sided tape or a specialised rug tape and place a gate around a fireplace if having one.
Bathroom
No matter how much time and effort you have put into creating the most stylish and dazzling bathroom makeover, sometimes you have to make a sacrifice in favour of safety and make it less accessible for your child. Speaking of which, it’s mandatory for you to cover those breathtaking tiles with a non-skid bathroom mat. You should also use one in the tub/shower area to prevent falls.
Keep hair dryer, flat iron, curler and all hazardous things and medicines out of children’s reach. Ideally, you should store them in upper cabinets, however, you should always use drawer and cabinet locks just in case. If you can put a fence in front of your bathroom, you can always use a doorknob cover which usually requires a bit of strength to open the door. This is ideal for curious children who are always in search of a new adventure.
Children’s Room
The one thing all children love the most is playing and squeezing cream tubes and making a mess with them. So, it’s of paramount importance to keep diaper-changing supplies and bath products away from children’s reach.
Never ever leave your child unattended on the changing table, not only because of accidental falls but also because of things like this. Make sure the windows in the room are securely locked and the drapery and blind cords are out of reach of children.
