Child Proofing Your Parent's Home

Let's face it; you love your parents more than anything, but they are a little behind the times as far as childcare goes. They haven't had to worry about baby proofing their home for around 20 to 30 years now. There have been many innovations in childcare since you were little and they may not be up on everything that is going on these days. When you or your parents were young there was no law for seatbelt use, hardly anyone used car seats, houses didn't have smoke alarms or CO2 detectors, and they certainly did not buy those clips to keep the kitchen cabinets closed.

Help Grandma and Grandpa get back in the swing of things with these helpful tips:

Tie all blind and decorative curtain cords up out of a child's reach. A young child can be strangled by only a mere 6 inches of cord.

Walk around the house with a toilet paper tube, anything that can fit into that tube in the child's reach is considered a chocking hazard, this is especially important for children under 3 years of age.

Store anything that may start a fire such as matches or lighters out of reach. Children playing with either of the two start the most deadly fires in the USA.

Keep the number of the Poison Control Center hotline, 800-222-1222, next to every phone in the home. (From anywhere in the United States, this number connects you to the local Poison Control Center.)

It is always a good idea to enroll the entire family in a CPR class for infants as well as adults. If the whole family goes, the grandparents will not feel singled out.
Put safety locks on drawers and cabinets where anything dangerous, such as sharp objects, and dangerous chemicals are stored.

If there are stairs in the home or rooms where you have put all those things the baby should be around in, install baby gates. These are wonderful inventions that will help keep the baby in your eyesight and out of trouble.

If you will be leaving your child with their grandparent for any period of time where they may have to go somewhere make sure that you leave the car seat with them if they don't have their own. There may be instances where your parents cannot afford to baby proof the house to your satisfaction. In situations such as those, take it upon yourself to purchase the essentials that will be needed.