Having a baby involves more stress than merely ensuring it’s fed, washed, and changed each day. As adorable as your little bundle of joy may be, he or she can get into a lot of trouble when they’re not hoisted up in their high chair.

What’s dangerous around a house to a baby typically poses less of a threat to its parents. For this reason, it is imperative to baby proof your house before your little one comes home from the hospital. Here are some tips and tricks to keeping your infant safe around the house.

1. Outlet Coverage

A basic first step to baby proofing your home is to seal off any electrical outlets with covers. It’s important to ensure that the covers are equipped with a sliding safety latch, as the plastic ones can be a choking hazard to your baby.

2. Baby Gates

Do you have a room with a tall bookcase that you want to prohibit your infant from entering? Do you want to let the cool breeze in without the risk of your baby crawling outside? Does your child like to play by the stairwell? Baby gates are ideal for all of these situations. Simply install one wherever you would like to barricade your child from entering, and voila, your baby is confined to an area you deem safe. Be careful to purchase a gate that is user friendly and simple to open and close, so you aren’t enticed into leaving it open when you’re in a pinch.

3. Poison Control

There are many household products that pose fatal risk to babies when they are not properly stored away. Purchasing a good set of safety locks for any cupboards that house cleaning supplies, pharmaceuticals, or sprays is essential to your baby’s wellbeing.

Additionally, if you live in an older apartment building or house, lead paint chipping from the walls can be severely dangerous to babies if they can get their hands on it. It is highly recommended that you hire a professional to remove or cover lead paint before your baby is born, as lead poisoning can cause development issues, learning difficulties, hearing loss, and more health issues in children.

4. Furniture Risks

Tall pieces of furniture such as armoires, bookcases, and refrigerators must be bolted to the wall if a baby will be around them. Furthermore, place heavier household items on low shelves, to secure a base weight to the furniture.

If your child is a crawler, ensure that you close dresser drawers after grabbing your items, as babies tend to view them as ladders to climb up. Additionally, if an infant pulls on an open drawer, it can pose the risk of the entire piece of furniture falling on top of them. So remember to shut them firmly.

5. Blinds 

One of the more dangerous items in a home for babies are blinds, specifically the cords that lift them up. To avoid having your child getting entangled, or worse, strangled in a blind cord, opt for cordless window coverings.

Home safety is the first step to ensuring your babies overall health and wellness. At Dye and Russell, we understand the importance of taking safety precautions to prevent injury, especially in the case of infants.

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