Babyproofing 101

When your sweet little bundle of joy becomes a fast little bundle of curiosity, it's time to reassess your home to keep your mind at ease and assure the safety of baby in the home. A little forethought and planning can go a long way towards avoiding unnecessary accidents in the home.

Crib/baby bed safety: The bed is of course the first place to access. Make sure and follow all the manufacturer guidelines when assembling the baby's bed at home. Next, examine the bed for potential hazards. Is the bed up to date with safety standards? If it's a crib, are the bars small enough apart that baby won't be able to fit his head or body parts through it and risk getting stuck? Is all of the bed clothing tight fitting without wrinkles in the fabric avoiding suffocation hazards? Are all the crib bumpers firmly attached and snuggly fitting into the crib without any stings reaching into the crib? This will avoid choking hazards. Are there any pillows, extra blankets bundled up in the crib or toys? If so remove them. Baby does not need these in his sleeping area as they are potential choking and suffocation hazards.

Do you have a mobile above the bed? If so make sure it is firmly attached from where it is hanging with no loose pieces. Mobiles should be made of large solid pieces that are too big to put in baby's mouth if they fall off. Also make sure the mobile is at a reasonable height that baby cannot grab and pull it down onto him. Once baby starts pulling up on the sides of the crib, remove the mobile all together. Also make sure side rails are secure. If you have the kind that slide up and down, exam the locking mechanism and make sure it is secure. If the bed height itself is adjustable make sure it is set up for the baby's age. Newborns can be at the highest level while older babies need to be set so that the rails are over their heads when they attempt to stand up on the walls of the crib, avoiding the chance baby might fall over the railing onto the floor.

Bathtub safety: For newborns, most pediatricians recommend a standard baby bathing tub, easily bought at any family oriented retail outlet for around twenty bucks. These have a back that sits up for supporting the back of babies that have yet to learn to sit on their own and usually have two or three small areas up front for placing soaps, lotions and wash clothes. Most come with a plug in the bottom as well. This makes it easy to give baby a bath almost anywhere in the house. Be careful not to overfill the bottom of the tub as babies can still slide down into the tub though the chances of actually drowning are minuscule. IMPORTANT: Never leave baby alone in the tub. Do not let anything distract you while giving baby a bath, period. If you must leave the bathing area when giving a bath, take baby with you. Also recommended are sensitive skin care products designed with baby in mind. Babies tend to have sensitive skin and all those grown up perfume soaps and shampoos are potential irritants for baby as well as safety hazards if they happen to get them in their mouth.

When baby gets a little older, he can bathe in a regular bathtub with some guidelines. Although some companies make bathing gear such as baby float seats etc. these are not absolutely necessary for baby as long as you follow some common sense steps. Make sure baby is sitting well on his own before even trying to use a regular tub. Only fill the tub to enough water to get baby wet, about halfway over the shins when baby is sitting down ( about 2 inches). Test the water with a thermometer before putting baby in the water to avoid burns. ( If no thermometer is available, use the elbow test.) To avoid scalding by baby accidentally turning the water on, turn your thermostat down on your hot water heater. Keep all products out of reach of baby. Clear off any soaps, shampoos, razors etc. that may have been left by others in the house out of the bath area to avoid baby injuring himself by grabbing at these pretty but hazardous items. Bath toys are fine, just make sure they are toys made specifically for that purpose. Toys that are not made to be in the bath can be dangerous when wet. Install non slip bath mats. Preferably the solid piece kind that cover most of the bottom of the bathing area. Also provide a non slip area for baby to step when getting out of the tub. The floor can be just as dangerous as an ice skating rink when wet. To avoid slips and spills, keep the area around the tub dry and use a towel or bath mat as floor covering when getting baby out of the tub.

Kitchen safety: Oh where do we start. Probably the safest thing to do when preparing a meal in the kitchen is to keep baby out, period. Buy a sturdy baby gate and block off the area so that baby can't get in even when you aren't using the kitchen. When preparing meals, put baby in a playpen, crib or other baby safe area. If your one of those caregivers who just doesn't like having baby out of sight, move the playpen to where you can see it from the kitchen, or put it in an area in the kitchen that is far, far away from anything they can touch or gets hot. It is not recommended to put baby in a swing when your attention is elsewhere as baby swings have hazards all of their own which we will look at a little later. Latch all cabinets and drawers with baby safe latches. You can buy the kind that lock on the inside of the cabinet, or the kind that look like twisty ties with three prongs and a triple hold button release ( these are hard for even an adult to get open).

General baby safety: There are a few general rules to follow throughout the entire house, not specifically to each room that will help keep baby safe from accidents.

1. Cover ALL electrical outlets, even if you can't see them because they are covered by a piece of furniture. Babies can fit into tiny spaces and are fast enough to get there when we least expect it. Buy the plug it in safety plugs or safety outlet covers that fit over the entire outlet allowing for items to still be plugged into it.

2. Tape ALL loose wires up out of baby's way. Either tape them to the wall behind a very heavy piece of furniture or under the rug where they run. If possible tack them to the top of the wall or the ceiling such as exposed wires for surround sound stereo systems etc.

3. Remove all plants and flowers from baby's areas. Put them either up high where they can't be reached or outside where baby won't get to them. Standing plants should be removed all together. Hanging plant holders are good options for keeping plants and flowers out of baby's reach.

4. Lock up all hazardous chemicals. Cleaners, scenting products etc. These things smell good and come in shiny bottles that are hard for small curious hands and mouths to resist. Place them in the highest cabinet you can find and LOCK them up. Also lock up any medications in the home, even over the counter items. Labeling these items clearly is also recommended in case baby does get a hold of them for information purposes.

5. Keep heavy furniture and decorative items out of arms reach. Things like lamps, globes, decorations, candles, etc. seem light to us but can cause serious injury if pulled down baby's head. Also evaluate items like TV stands and microwave stands. If these items are not secure, keep them away from baby. Baby can shake these items and spill the larger heavier items on top of them causing injury.

6. Stairs, walkways and porches. Buy baby gates for each level of your home. If you have inside stairs there should be a gate at the top and the bottom depending on where baby is at in the home. Also keep a baby gate handy at the front and back doors to the home. Even if you never leave it open, a gate prevents baby from getting out the door and falling down stairs or hitting their head on the patio concrete. If you have a raised patio or deck, an additional gate should be used at the entrance to it if one is not already installed.

7. Doors and windows. There are any number of options on the market for baby safety regarding doors and windows. Handle grips keep little hands from turning knobs, special latches prevent accidental openings of windows, and door guards can keep little fingers from getting smashed. If you have blinds, get some cord guards. These keep the cord tied up in a neat little ball at the top of the blind and do not hinder usage of the blinds. Curtains need to be pinned back to the wall. To avoid baby pulling them down, try nailing the bottoms to the wall. Window guards can be attached to the inside of the window to prevent baby from falling out by leaning out of the window.

8. Furniture: If you don't want to invest in an entirely new set of furniture, you can buy safety bumpers for items with sharp edges, especially useful for coffee and end tables which often are designed with sharp edges. Remove any furniture items made of glass. If you don't want to get rid of these, store them until baby is older and less likely to break it (of course once you have kids you'll probably be less inclined to actually want glass furniture in the home). If removing the items from the home is not an option, place the pieces in an area where the baby doesn't frequent often or behind other pieces of furniture making it harder to get to. Also remember to always supervise baby when using baby furniture. baby swings, bouncy seats and other baby furniture accessories come with specific manufacturer guidelines and baby should never be left alone while in them due to the risks of baby falling out and injuring himself.

9. Keeping baby safe around pets. Always supervise when baby interacts with a family pet. Keep baby out of pet sleeping areas and feeding areas. Keep all pet food and supplies locked up preferably in a cabinet high out of reach of babies and toddlers. If it is necessary to feed your pet inside, do it when baby is sleeping or other wise occupied. Do not let baby play with pet toys, lay in pet beds or play with pet food bowls. As much as we all love our family pets, animals do carry potentially hazardous diseases that baby can come into contact with as well as other nasty germs they would not otherwise be exposed to. Pet hair and food can be choking hazards and can trigger allergic reactions in underdeveloped immune systems.

10. Keep a safety emergency list handy. Preferably put one near each phone in the house. The list should include emergency contact information for your baby's doctor, poison control center, local police fire and ambulance service, the nearest emergency room number and any other emergency numbers you may need. Also a good idea is to write down and keep in one spot a list of baby's medical conditions and allergies if known to have handy in case it's needed for paramedics or other medical professionals.

11. Secure adult and other kids personal items and bags. Other kids and adults as well rarely consider their personal items a safety hazard, but curious little fingers really want to hold that shiny necklace or see whats in that great big bag. Do not leave personal bags such as purses, back packs, wallets or fanny packs within reach of baby. This goes for diaper bags as well. Caregivers often carry an emergency supply of items such as diaper rash cream, fever reducer and other items that baby doesn't need to be playing with in these bags. Adults keep personal care items in their bags and purses that can be choking hazards as well as poisonous. Older children may have toys in their bags that are choking hazards for baby as well as items such as pointy pencils, soft erasers that they can chew on and potentially swallow or crayons that baby should not be playing with. Keep items such as these in a designated place out of hands reach for your baby or toddler. Also try to make sure that anyone handling baby doesn't have any loose jewelry or jewelry that can easily be pulled apart causing choking hazards.

With lots of love and attention, baby will grow up safe and secure and you will find peace of mind knowing that you've done everything you can to ensure your child's safety at home.