Babyproofing best practices for everyday parenting
Creating a safe environment for your baby is not a one-time event. In reality, babyproofing is a constant effort that goes on long after installing the childproof locks on your cabinets and putting in outlet plugs. Incorporate these tips into your daily routine to help prevent injury to your baby:
- Tidy your home regularly, getting on your child’s eye level to remove small objects such as coins, pen caps, paperclips, etc.
- Don’t place infants on beds, couches, or other soft surfaces where they may roll off easily.
- When changing your child’s diaper, secure all straps on the changing pad and never leave your child unattended.
- Follow product recommendations. For example, if an infant seat is recommended for the floor only, do not place it on the counter.
- Stay abreast of product recalls, and repair or replace defective products according to manufacturer recommendations.
- Throw away outdated medications. Always store medications out of your child’s reach.
- Cut foods (hot dogs, grapes, etc.) that could lodge in a child’s throat into appropriately sized pieces, or avoid them altogether.
- When cooking, use the back burners, and keep pot handles turned to the back. Don’t leave knives sitting within reach.
- When bathing your child, the water temp should not exceed 100°F, according to the National Safety Council.
- Do not leave your child unattended in the bathroom. Children can drown in the toilet bowl, in addition to the bathtub.
- Don’t leave razors in the bathtub where your child can reach them.
- Do not allow your child to run with lollipops or lie down while consuming hard candy.
- Follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations for infant sleeping position: an infant should always be put to sleep on the back, never on the stomach, to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
- Remove mobiles from your child’s crib when he or she is able to reach it to avoid strangulation.
- Check smoke alarms regularly, and replace batteries as needed.
- Keep windows locked, and use window guards.
- If your home has a swimming pool, practice pool safety.
Your baby proofing will change as your child’s development progresses. Adjust as necessary.
Takeaways
- Babyproofing is more than a one-time preparation. It’s a way of thinking and executing smart habits.
- Practice safe habits while cooking and bathing your baby.
- Follow product recommendations, and stay abreast of product recalls.
- Discard old medications, and keep current ones out of reach of children.
Thanks for the tips. Good read. My baby is 5 months and soon he’ll be rolling over & crawling. Starting to baby proof the house!:)
Thanks! It’s good to be reminded of these every once in a while – especially the one about hard candy.
I really like the tip about using the back burners when cooking. Sometimes I think the kitchen is the room we most often forget about. Thanks!
I just took care of a little girl in the hospital who spilled a pan of hot grease all over her. Tragic accident that could have been prevented by using those back burners!
Babyproofing is what I’m doing right now. My 2 year old is more into anything than she has ever been. Thanks for all the tips!
Great Article! I did a lot of these and there a few i learned the hard way 🙁
These are some really great tips for babyproofing! I did pretty much all of these things with my littles. I still have several baby proofing items in place for mty youngest, who is 2. Babies and toddlers are quite curious so safety is important 🙂
I was concerned too when my boys were that age. We ended up putting a baby gate at their door so they wouldn’t get up and wander in the middle of the night!
We just bought some new furniture for my 2.5 year old so she is now in a twin sized bed. Last night was her first night in it so every noise she made I was up looking at the video monitor. My husband strapped down all of the furniture but I still get a little nervous knowing that she can move around freely!