Child Proof Your Home

The best way to make your home is "baby proof" is to start well beore your baby becomes mobile. The dilemma that many parents face is that, its often when the baby begins to crawl aise that they moving faster each day and essentially getting into EVERYTHING!

Baby note: When Maddie turned 9 months old she seemed to be unstoppable, I mean one minute she was in front of me, the next moment she was off into the next room. Its the fist time that I realized that I had to constantly watch her constantly and could never leave her alone. We never realized just how many things that babies could get into. We had baby gates all over the house we were trapped!

The Kitchen

Buy a fire extinguisher to keep in the kitchen, and the label should UL rated 5-B:C
effective against flammable liquid fires and live electrical equipment fires.

Make it a habit when cooking to use the back burners on your stove. You should also turn all pot handles inward to prevent any accidents.

When you are cooking keep your baby out of the kitchen, just as a safety precaution. Sometimes parents allow their babies to play with tupperware or even pots and pans while they are in the kitchen. However, its best to keep the little one out of the kitchen when you cooking and handling hot food.

Keep safety latches on all cabinet doors and draws. Set up a safety gate to keep to block access to the kitchen

Purchase a trash can that has a lid that can not be opened by little hands

Never place hot beverages close to the edge of counter tops. Always push cups/containers far away from the edge.

Keep step stools and chairs away from counters, so little adventurers can't climb up and fall off. (You also don't want them to be able to reach knives and other dangerous things.) This precaution may sound obvious, but experts say lots of people don't do it.

The Bathroom:

Keep locks on all cabinets to prevent access to medication, cosmetics and toiletries.

Put a safety latch on the toilet seat and keep the lid closed. Small children can drown in just a few inches of water.

Keep toilet paper out of reach, for some reason young babies are intrigued by rolls of toilet paper and enjoy pulling wads of tissue off the roll. You could even find yourself calling the plumber because the toilet is stopped up!

Be sure to keep all electrical outlets covered at all times.

Keep your bathroom door closed at all times. There really is no reason for your baby to have access to the bathroom at any time unless he is with you.

The Living Room:

If you have a fireplace, use a hearth pad and simply do not use the fireplace when you baby is around.

Cover all edges of the coffee table with padded covers

Heavy furniture such as wall units and bookcase should be securely attached to the wall with brackets. If your

Keep Venetian-blind cords out of reach to prevent strangulation. You should also remove any small plastic bulbs to prevent choking.

Keep all electrical wires behind the furniture so that they are out of reach


Other Tips:


Keep important phone numbers such as your local police, fire department, poison control, the pediatrician, and any other important numbers posted next to your telephones. This keeps the information accessible at all times in the case of an emergency.


Install stair gates, safety gates and window guards: there are a variety of safety gates on the that come in many styles, colors and materials. Before you shop around for one, be sure that you measure the doorways/stairways to know the exact measurement and the best installation method for the particular area in your home. Although some safety gates are adjustable its simply better to be sure.

As well window guards are so important, it can not be stressed enough. If you open your windows and your baby is awake and exploring you should always have window guards. As well, if you live in an apartment building you should talk with your landlord about having them installed. Check with your state. Windows are like an amusement park attraction to which infants and toddlers are simply drawn to. Its best to keep them away from the windows.