If you haven’t read this in your parenting book yet, once a baby starts to crawl—about six to 10 months—you will have to do another round of babyproofing aside from the one you did before they were born. At this stage, babies start to be curious about objects around them. You can expect a lot more activities and their growing personality.
Since your baby is about to move around more, you’ll need to obligate and check off these things for your child to be safe in your home.
For Emergencies
First, you have to prioritize things to reach out for in case of emergencies.
- Carbon monoxide detector: This is very important, especially if you have a fireplace in your home. If your house has more than one level, install a detector on each one. Install carbon monoxide detectors in bedrooms, by the stairs, and in the hallways. Place them high up, about five feet above the floor, since carbon monoxide is slightly lighter than air. Don’t install them near any fireplaces and heat-producing appliances.
- Fire extinguisher: Every home and establishment building needs a fire extinguisher. Now that you have a child or children to protect, don’t just purchase a fire extinguisher. You must also learn how to use one.
- First-aid kit: If you already have a first-aid, that’s probably not enough. A first-aid kit for a baby is different from one for adults since there are certain products that babies need that adults don’t.
- Emergency contact information: This is something many people forget to do but highly required, especially for a delicate little child. Save every emergency contact on your phone that can be accessed even in lock mode so anyone can dial. Have several physical copies scattered around the house, such as in the bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom, and near the exit doors. Save contact information of the fire and police department and medical and criminal assistance.
Another important thing is to make sure your house is easy to find and determine so that the emergency responders can reach you as quickly as possible. If your emergency kit doesn’t have a cellphone yet, it must have one in case all telephones and smartphones don’t work.
Now that you’ve got the most important things covered, you can relax a little now and focus on the next steps of childproofing your home. It’s best to prioritize babyproofing the rooms where you bring your baby most of the time.
In the Living Room
- Television: The best setup of the TV with a crawling child in the house is securing it onto a wall because it may fall on them if they try to climb up the set or the TV stand. If you already have a TV on a stand, secure it onto the wall to keep it from moving and falling.
- Heating systems: If you have a traditional fireplace at home, ensure that it’s properly cleaned by a professional to avoid poisoning. Get a secured gate or a child safety fence to keep them too close to the fire and burn themselves. Even if the fireplace is not in use, keep the fence in place. Keep candles, lighters, and matches from the children because they could choke on them, step on them, or accidentally start a fire.
- Coffee table: Cover up the sharp edges with edge guards. Same as so on every desk and table you have in your home.
In the Bedroom
- Crib: Make sure that it’s properly set up safely. It will be time to lower the mattress once your baby can sit up. Be cautious with their stuffed animals since they’re easy tools for suffocation.
- Toys: Even before the baby’s born, you should expect there would be a lot of stuff once they come. All the gifts, toys, and necessities might get mixed up, so you want to prepare every category and ready storage for each.
- Other hazards: Aside from scattering toy clutter. Be sure to keep away such things that have ropes and electrical hazards. Even you might get into an accident, which will affect your child a lot. This is why it’s best to be organized as much as possible. Keep them away from picture frames and secure them high up the wall or shelf where they’re not easy to fall off.
Final Thoughts
As a soon-to-be parent, you’re doing a good job reading through articles like this about how to care for your baby. Since you’re here, you must already know that babyproofing your house or apartment for your little one is crucial to avoid painful accidents. You don’t want to welcome them to an unsafe home to live in. Being a parent is something to be celebrated, so congratulate yourself.
