Go ahead. Get down on your hands and knees and crawl around your family room and kitchen. You'll see life a whole new way: the way your baby will see it. You'll quickly get an appreciation for the obvious (and the subtle) changes that will make your home safer.
Get started before your baby is born. Baby showers are a great way to get the new parents on track. Here's a chance to help Mom and Dad stock up on electrical outlet covers, safety gates, cabinet locks and the like. The greatest danger your child faces - especially before the age of two - is choking, so pay particular attention to removing small objects that are within reach.
Let's take it room by room:
- Baby's bedroom: make sure slats on the crib are at least 2 2/8 inches apart. While there might be a temptation to use the crib your parents bought when you were born, the fact is safety standards are much stricter today. … Are you planning on hanging a mobile in the crib above baby? Make sure it's out of your newborn's reach (which means gradually raising it as your child grows and is able to stretch).
- Kitchen: childproof latch guards are easily installed that prevent cabinet doors from opening. It's not the pots and pans we're concerned about; it's the silverware and cooking utensils. … Install stove guards over burners to prevent a toddler from touching a hot surface. And get in the habit of turning panhandles inside so a child can't grab one and spill hot liquid..
- Bathroom: put safety latches on all the cabinets, including the medicine cabinet. Remember: razors, shampoo, lotions, medicines and cleaning supplies are all attractive toys to a toddler. Also lower the temperature of your water heater to prevent scalding..
- Parent's bedroom: as soon as you bring home clothes from the cleaners, remove and throw the plastic bags away. Move small objects like candleholders, pens and pencils, loose change and keys out of reach..
- Family room: put plastic covers over sharp corners of the furniture, permanent covers (as opposed to removable plastic) over all electrical outlets and remove small decorative objects off low surfaces like a coffee table or bookcase. Also make sure that tall furniture is not top heavy; falling furniture is another major source of injuries and death..
- Windows: remove or raise all cords and install child locks on the windows. Remember, a screen will not prevent a child from falling out of a window..
Don't wait until your child is up and around to begin baby-fying your home. In fact, the best time to begin is before your child is born.
While parents pay close attention to their baby's health, the fact is more children are injured and killed from accidents around the house than from all health problems…combined!
For more information, check out the Consumer Product Safety Commission's Web site at www.cpsc.org and the Safe Kids Campaign at www.safekids.org.
All facts, data, and useful tips provided are for informational purposes only and should not be used as a replacement for medical advice.