How to Babyproof Your Home

24 May 2022

Living with a baby can be nerve-wracking. You suddenly have to worry about everything in your home being a potential hazard, so it’s important to babyproof your home to ensure your little one stays safe.

One of the main dangers for babies is furniture. Furniture can tip over and fall on them, or they can pull themselves up on furniture and then fall off. To help prevent furniture-related accidents, here are some tips:

1. Anchor furniture to the wall.

You might not think that furniture can fall over, but it can. To help prevent this from happening, you can anchor furniture to the wall using brackets or furniture straps.

It will help keep furniture in place if your baby bumps into it or tries to pull up on it. Without furniture straps, you run the risk of furniture tipping over and injuring your baby.

2. Put padding on sharp corners.

If you have furniture with sharp corners, you can put padding on them to help prevent injuries if your baby bumps into them. You can find corner protectors at most hardware stores.

Simply attach them to the furniture using adhesive or Velcro strips. Make sure to check the furniture regularly to ensure the padding is still in place.

3. Use gates to block off areas.

If you have an area of your home that you don’t want your baby to go into, you can use a gate to block it off. It is especially useful if you have stairs that you want to keep your baby away from.

It is important to choose a gate that is the right size for the opening, made of sturdy material. You don’t want your baby to be able to push the gate over or squeeze through the bars.

4. Cover electrical outlets.

Electrical outlets are another potential hazard for babies. They can put their fingers in the outlets and get shocked. To help prevent this, you can cover electrical outlets with outlet covers.

You can find outlet covers at most hardware stores. Simply unscrew the cover from the outlet and screw on the outlet cover. You can also put stickers over the outlet covers to keep your baby’s eyes off of them.

5. Keep cords and cables out of reach.

Cords and cables can be a strangulation hazard for babies. They can also pull on them and topple furniture over. To help prevent these hazards, keep cords and cables out of reach by tucking them behind furniture or tying them up.

You can use cord shorteners to shorten cords and keep them out of reach. You can also use cord covers to hide cords and make them less tempting for your baby to play with.

6. Keep household cleaners and other dangerous chemicals out of reach.

Babies are curious and will put anything they can find in their mouths. That’s why it’s important to keep household cleaners and other dangerous chemicals out of reach.

You can do this by keeping them in cabinets with childproof locks or by putting them up high where your baby can’t reach them. You should also read the labels on all of your cleaning products and follow the safety instructions.

7. Keep heavy furniture away from windows.

If you have heavy furniture, such as a bookcase or armoire, ensure it’s not near a window. If a window is open and the wind blows, the furniture could fall over and crush your baby.

Additionally, if your baby pulls themselves up on furniture that’s near a window, they could fall out of the window and be seriously injured. So it’s best to keep heavy furniture away from windows altogether.

By following these tips, you can help make your home safe for your baby and prevent furniture-related accidents. So take some time to childproof your home and make it a safe haven for your little one. That way, your baby can explore and play without you having to worry about furniture tipping over or other accidents happening. Safe furniture is happy furniture!