10 ways to toddler-proof your home
As your baby gets older and becomes more interested in his or her surroundings your baby-proofed home needs an upgrade. Now that your little one is more mobile it is a good idea to toddler proof your home to minimise any damage to your child and your home!
- Install even more baby gates!
When your toddler learns to crawl it won’t be long before they want to explore every inch of your home! Install more baby gates around the house, outside any rooms that you don’t wish them to enter and especially on the stairs. You can also use these baby gates to keep out any pets from your baby’s room.
- Put any hanging cords or wires out of reach of your child
Make sure you remove any cords from your blinds or curtains. Also make sure you move any long wires from chargers or older children’s toys out of reach of your baby. Also continue to put socket guards on all accessible sockets.
- Put locks on cupboards and draws
It is a good idea to put child locks on any cupboards that you don’t want your toddler to be able to open. It is especially important to put a lock on cupboards that contain cleaning materials such as bleach and draws containing anything sharp.
- Tidy your bathroom
There are many hazards in a bathroom for your little ones. Make sure that razors, scissors, medicines and cosmetics are kept in a locked cabinet. The same also goes for cotton wool balls, swabs, and other smaller items that a child might easily choke on. Many people also recommend you putting a latch on the toilet so that there is no way that your toddler can lift the lid thus minimising all potential dangers here.
- Attach corner guards
If any of your furniture has sharp corners or edges, it is recommended that your purchase and attach corner guards.
- Avoid small pieces of decoration and ornaments
Avoid decorating your home with anything that can easily be swallowed by your child. It is a good idea to avoid any pebble decoration, artificial fruit or small fridge magnets. Also make sure that plants are pushed to the back of surfaces and away from your little one’s mouth!
- Put plastic bags away from your child’s reach
Any sized plastic bags, from small sandwich bags to grocery bags should be put out of harms reach.
- Leave your handbag up high
It is recommended that you install a hook in your house or leave your handbag in a locked room. If left on the floor, it is easy for your toddler to rummage through your things, which could contain many potential hazards from cosmetics to loose change to medication.
- Secure furniture
Furniture such as bookcases can easily be pulled over by a toddler. Ensure that your bookcase is secured well to the wall and check that it is sturdy so that it cannot be knocked over by your child reaching for a book.
- Be extra vigilant with hot appliances
With regards to the oven, you should cook on the back hobs, turn pan handles away from stray hands and add a safety catch to low-level ovens and grills. Irons, straighteners and curling tongs all stay hot for up to eight minutes after they’ve been turned off so make sure that you are incredibly careful and that you leave these and any hot food completely out of reach from your toddler.