Keep the Exploration Safe with These Baby Proofing Tips
Even if you just brought your newborn home from the hospital, it’s not too soon to start babyproofing your house. Your little explorer will be out playing and pushing boundaries before you know it — they usually start crawling around 6–8 months and make first steps between 9th and 12th month. Securing your home becomes key to keep everyone safe and allow the toddler sesory exploration — while preserving your peace of mind. We’ve collected top homeproofing tips to help all of you, new parents out there, get ready!
1 . Proofing the Crib — Newborn
As a parent, you’ll start to see the great indoors from a whole new perspective: your baby’s! Keep in mind that what’s needed to childproof your home will change over time depending on both your child’s age and stage of development.
Cooing infants sleep away most of their days, so naturally, you’ll want to make sure your baby’s crib is safe and cozy. Keep it free of stuffed animals, pillows, and anything else that could pose a suffocation hazard. Mobiles are fine as long as your baby can’t grab them. Avoid bumpers, which older tykes may use as stepping stones to climb out of their cribs, putting them at risk of falling.
2. To eat or not to eat — 6 months
Children’s curiosity about the world around them kindles early. By six months old, most babies recognize their names and are babbling to anyone who will listen. They usually aren’t too mobile yet — their motor skills aren’t well-developed enough — but they’re exploring in other ways. It’s around this age that they will usually start bringing things to their mouths.
Because they’ll put almost anything in their mouths, it’s essential to remove anything poisonous or small enough to choke on from their reach. That includes any houseplants you may have.
Get rid of any plants that are poisonous and move the rest to higher ground.If you have pets, store their food and water bowls somewhere out of baby’s reach. Babies love to experiment, and your kiddo may think Fido’s food looks tasty, but chunks of kibble can be a choking hazard.
3. Home Proofing — 8 monts
By eight months, most babies are starting to crawl, roll and scoot their way through the house. They use their newfound motor skills to race-crawl at surprising speeds. Luckily, many potential household hazards are still beyond their grasp, but not all.
Make sure that all wires and cords are out of your baby’s reach. Uncovered electrical sockets also pose a danger to your intrepid little crawler. Either get covers or replace them with tamper-proof outlets.
Resist the urge to skip any outlets, even the ones that seem safely tucked behind furniture. Babies have a talent for getting into unlikely spaces.
Consider that many everyday products, especially household cleaners, can be toxic if ingested or mishandled. Get locks for their cabinets. Better yet, move any hazardous materials to cupboards out of reach of tiny hands. The same goes for any over-the-counter or prescription medications. If you’re running short on space, you may want to move some supplies out of the house altogether, perhaps to a toolshed or garage, where they won’t be a cause for concern.
4. Moving, grabbing & throwing objects — 9 months
At around nine months, most babies’ language development is limited. They often understand “no” at this point, although, of course, they may not always listen!
For the most part, they’re still likely to communicate by pointing and using different sounds and gestures. They can sit up without any support and may grab ahold of tables, shelving edges, or other objects to steady themselves as they try to stand.
Because of this, it’s important to make sure that none of your furniture can be tipped over. If needed, secure any wobbly pieces to the wall by bolting them. If you have one or more flat screen televisions, consider mounting them to the wall, so there’s no risk of them toppling over. All you need for these tiny changes is some DIY skills and knowing how to safely handle some power tools (like saws) as well.
Remember, babies love to grab, twist, and pull anything they can get their little hands on!
5. Creative Exploration Starts — 12 months
Babies usually say their first words around their first birthday. They’re often able to follow simple instructions as well. At this point, your child is probably standing up and taking hesitant first steps. Some one-year-olds are even walking.
With this newfound freedom from crawling, more of the world is open to them than ever before, and they’re eager to learn more through play.
At this stage in their early childhood development, it’s normal for babies to begin interacting with objects in new ways. By monitoring development, you can make sure your baby is meeting age-appropriate milestones.
For instance, at about twelve months, kiddos may start throwing objects, shaking them, or banging them together. Playing like this is a normal part of their development and discovery; it’s also a reason to double-check that any sharp, breakable, or dangerously heavy objects are out of your child’s reach.
Try to keep low surfaces, like coffee tables, cleaned off. If the table itself has sharp edges, you can get corner guards for it. The guards are a snap to install. In many cases, it’s as simple as putting adhesive tape on the corners of the table and then pressing the guards into place.
As you work your way through the house babyproofing, kitchens and bathrooms pose a few unique challenges. The dishwasher, for instance, is often full of fragile glassware and knives. When you’re not using it, keep the door closed and latched. Also, avoid using tablecloths or placemats your baby can grab and pull down.
The bathroom can be another tricky area. For some reason, toddlers tend to be fascinated by toilets.
Unfortunately, this fixation can be hazardous if they tip into the water by accident. They may also decide to try to send a favorite toy “out to sea!” Consider gating off the bathroom, keeping the door locked, or getting locks for the toilet lid.
Don’t forget that babyproofing should focus on making the play area safe, but do not reduce the amount of stimulation in their learning environment!
Sometimes it’s easier to make certain areas off-limits entirely either by getting a doorknob lock or putting in a baby gate. These safety gates are pressure-mounted and a breeze to install. Simply place them at stairways and wherever else you feel they might be helpful.
Now that you’ve readied your house, you can relax and focus on what matters most: your child, and encouraging him or her to develop at every stage. Pat yourself on the back. Thanks to you, your baby has a safe, secure environment in which to play and learn — under your watchful eye, of course!
