By the time your baby starts moving around, you will be too busy chasing after him or her to have any time to child-proof your home. Therefore, it's best to get your child-proofing done well in advance.
First, look at your home from your baby's viewpoint. Crawl around and make a list of problem areas. Next, move or lock up any dangerous things. Then, decide what products you will use to secure everything else. Here are some specific suggestions for how to deal with various issues.
For your doors: Secure door knobs from being opened by curious hands by installing Safety 1st Secure Grip Clear Door Knob Covers or KidCo Door Knob Locks. These products fit a variety of door knob sizes and must be squeezed in a certain way by adult hands in order to turn the knob to open the door. Install Kid Kushion Door Mouse Finger Guards to keep fingers from being pinched in door jams or doors being locked shut. Replace metal door stops that have plastic ends that can be pried off and choked on with one-piece door stops from One Step Ahead.
For cabinets and drawers: Secure drawers and cabinets with locks. The strongest and safest ones are part of Safety 1st's Tot-Lok system. The mechanism for this system screws securely to the cabinet or drawer, unlike adhesive systems that could be pulled off. Plus the hardware is all sealed safely inside the cabinet or drawer, unlike other systems where babies can open cabinets and drawers a crack, slip their fingers inside, and (with a little strength and luck) press the lock to open it. Tot-Loks unlock only when a strong (safe) magnet key is pushed against the outside of the cabinet or drawer. They are expensive and a bit of a pain to install, but well worth the peace of mind in the long run.
For electrical appliances: Secure televisions from tipping over with One Step Ahead's Safety Straps. If possible, put televisions, DVD players, and other electronics behind glass doors instead of investing in a Parents Units TV Guard that your child will soon figure out how to remove. Bundle electrical cords with a Just Right! Cord Control system and cover wires that must run along the sides of a room with a set of Wire Guards from Parents Units.
For electrical outlets: Use a Mommy's Helper Power Strip Safety Cover or a Safety 1st Power Strip Cover to cover your power strips. Instead of covering electrical outlets with outlet plugs that can be pried off (and then choked on!) invest in plates that cover the whole outlet instead. Safety 1st 2-in-1 Outlet Cover with Shortener covers the entire outlet and holds the end of plugged-in cords inside so babies cannot tug them loose. If you need the outlet to be accessible sometimes and covered when not, get KidCo's Universal Outlet Cover or Mommy's Helper Safe Plate. Little plastic panels block the outlet holes, but can be slid aside when you need to plug things in.
For your kitchen: Lock your fridge with One Step Ahead's Lock Release Fridge Latch and your oven with Safety 1st's Oven Lock. Cover stove knobs with Safety 1st Clear View Stove Knob Covers to keep little hands from turning on the burners. Install Prince Lionheart's Stove Guard along the top of the stove to keep babies from reaching up to grab pots and pans.
For your bathroom: Install a KidCo Toilet Lock or Mommy's Helper Toilet Seat Lid-Lok to keep your baby from opening and falling into the toilet. To take safety an extra step, either move all poisonous cleaners and other products to an inaccessible area in your basement, attic, or garage or (if they must be stored in your bathroom) lock them up inside One Step Ahead's Clean Guard storage tote. Medicines can be locked inside a Smart Guard Medicine Safe.
Other general safety items you might need to get include Cord Wind-Ups or Blind Winders to keep blind cords up out of reach from being a strangling hazard and No-Tip Furniture Brackets to secure bookcases, bureaus, and other heavy pieces of furniture to the wall so they do not tip over if babies try to climb them. You might also want to get some Prince Lionheart edge guards and corner guards, which are lengths of foam padding that cushion sharp edges of tables and fireplaces. Unfortunately, they come unstuck sometimes, so you may need to take extra steps to fasten them securely to hazardous furniture edges.
There are tons of safety products on the market that child-proof areas with various degrees of success. Since your child's well-being is at stake, go the extra mile and buy the absolute best ones.
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