Your home might be looking all good and friendly for you, but there are a lot of potential hazards for the little one. One of the ways to keep your baby safe at home is to identify the risks and then remove them to keep the baby safe.
As the baby grows, they learn to climb, open things, turn the water and gas taps on, switch on light bulbs, and do a lot more. As such, you need to modify your home to make it safer for the little one. When the child gets older, you can teach them what is safe and what is not.
Read on to learn more.
Supervise Actively
If you do not install new features such as baby gates in your house to keep the baby safe, actively supervise to ensure that you know where the baby is at all times.
At the toddler stage, someone has to stay close and monitor everything the baby does. At this stage, babies want to be independent to crawl wherever they want. Besides keeping a keen eye on the baby, you need to create safe places for the baby. Start by arranging furniture and everything else in the house in a way that babies get enough space to play and crawl. Anything light enough for the baby to push should be secured with bolts.
Even when you are not near the baby, ensure that you listen to noises coming from the safe place you have created for them. You also need to anticipate the needs of your toddler to provide whatever they need whenever they need it. This way, you can also model the behavior of the toddlers.
Creating a Safe Environment
Are the gas and water taps too low that toddlers can reach them? Are there free-standing shelves and appliances that the baby can pull and cause injuries to themselves?
You can start by restricting hazardous rooms such as the kitchen, utility room, and the staircases using baby gates. These gates are easy to open and close for the adult, but they are challenging to open for the baby.
After creating a safe environment, regularly inspect the room to identify sharp edges on furniture and toys, loose pieces on toys, and anything else that can harm the baby. As the baby grows, they learn new skills, and this comes with new safety risks. The baby gates you used a few months ago might be ineffective as the baby jumps over them.
Use Safety Devices at Home
It is easy to modify your home, unlike when you bring your baby to work. Instead of using gas masks that protect from vertical impact and inhalation of gases, you can include safety devices such as alarms and water sprinklers.
One of the devices you need is use is a smoke and carbon monoxide detector. When properly installed, these detectors will help you identify risks before the baby is affected. With these devices, you need to follow the instructions from the manufacturer on where to place the devices.
Keep the Windows Safe
Furniture and toys should be kept away from windows. You will need to secure all hanging cords and chains from all window coverings to ensure that babies and children do not reach. Ensure that babies cannot reach windows, and if they do, the window should remain closed when the baby is in the house.
Keep Poisons and Chemicals Out of Reach of Children
At the early stage of development, toddlers take everything into their mouths. As such, you need to keep everything that can harm the baby out of their reach. Poisons, chemicals such as soaps and detergents, insecticides, and anything else poisonous for human consumption should be kept out of reach of children.
For starters, if you live in a rented house, talk to your landlord to find out if the room has lead paint. If you can, leave all furniture accessible to the baby as clean plain wood to ensure the baby does not ingest poison. Again, inspect indoor and outdoor environments for poisonous plants. Toys and all play materials should be toxic-free and without paint. Medications and anything else that can poison the baby should be locked away in a room.
Protect the Baby of Hot Water
Before you dip your baby in bathing water, check the temperature of the water using your elbow or the back of your hand. If you have a thermostat, you can set it at 120 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure it is just right for the baby. The skin of babies is soft and very sensitive; the skin will scald at temperatures above 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Besides hot water, you need to keep hot foods and other hot liquids away from the reach of toddlers. Place hot foods and liquids on a counter taller than your baby. Ensure that cords to the microwave or appliances that might contain hot liquids or foods are not accessible to the baby. Handles to the pots should be turned inward to keep the baby safe.
Ensure they Do Not Drown
Pools, ponds, and lakes near your homes should either be restricted or covered. The swimming pool needs to be covered, ponds should be emptied of water, and if you live near a lake, construct a barrier to keep babies safe. In the house, ensure you do not leave water in buckets, and the bathtub is always empty of water.
If there is an area in your house where you always hold water that can be hazardous to the baby, ensure you restrict these areas with a self-latching gate. In case a child drowns, you need to resuscitate them using CPR.
Conclusion
At all times, you need to be ready for emergencies. Even after ensuring that your toddlers have everything they need, you still need to ensure that you are ready for anything that might happen. Keep emergency numbers handy. As the child grows, teach them not to climb on counters, not to turn on gas and water taps, not to chew everything they come across, and other simple safety tips.
