Easy Ways to Baby Proof Your Home

The most important thing to consider when you are having a baby is safety. Most parents work themselves up into a frenzy baby proofing there homes before they are born. This is not necessary new borns like to sleep more than anything else. However you will find out in a very short period of time your baby will be crawling then running around the house getting into everything it possibly can. Fortunately there are easy ways to baby proof your home and keep your baby safe from things that can hurt them. In this article we will discuss the six must have items and when they need to be installed to keep your child safe in your home. But remember the best way to keep your child safe is to never leave your baby unattended. Safety products are a second line of defense, you are the first. Safety products do not talk, and they do not tell your baby no. Only you can teach your baby what things are o.k. to play with and what thing are not.

Baby gates in my opinion are the most important safety item you can buy. Face it if your baby is going to run in every direction it's much safer if they can't get out of your sight. A gate will also allow you to keep your baby in a safe area of the house. Some of the areas you might want to consider gating off in your home are stairways the kitchen, and hallways, to keep your baby in your sight or out of any area with hazardous or breakable things. Trust me if it can be picked up and played with and destroyed it will be. Most gates are easily installed by screwing a hinge into a wall or wedging them into the doorway. You should have your baby gates installed in your home by the time they are six months. If you don't your home will be in for a trashing like you have never seen before.

The second thing we will discuss is outlet plugs. These tempting little plugs are right at your baby's eye level and one inserted little finger and you will end up with something no one wants "fried baby". Unless you live in the stone ages you have plugs about every four or five feet in every room of your house. The easiest and cheapest way to fix this problem is outlet plugs. Outlet plugs will take you about five minutes to put in your home simply plug them in to the outlet instead of a wire plug. But this won't work forever sooner or later your baby will figure out how to remove outlet plugs. Outlet plugs should be installed by six months and will cost you $5.00 or less for a package. Again and I can't say this enough you are the first line of defense and the plugs are second. Do not leave your babies unattended around plug ins and emphasize to them that they are bad for baby.

Like our friend the outlet plug Cord holders and softeners are very important. Babies love cords pulling them out of walls swinging the access in the air you get the picture. This not only presents a hazard for electric shock, but a strangling hazard for babies. Cord holders will hold cords up out of babies reach while softeners will keep babies from wrapping the cord around the neck. Some companies make softeners for window blinds which can be another strangling hazard. These will run you $2 to $3 each and should be installed as soon as you start to see movement from your baby.

Corner guards are something you might want to consider. Crawling and walking babies are wobbly enough as it is. Then when you add sharp corners you can have some bone chilling falls. Corner guards come in handy on sharp furniture corners like coffee tables. Your baby will probably race laps around coffee table. I know mine does. You want to find any potentially dangerous corner and cover it. No one wants to make a trip to the hospital because the baby cracked there head open. You will want to install these by six months. Corner guards range in price from $2.00 to $60.00 try to buy something middle of the line otherwise your baby will pull them off and bring them to you as trophies.

With movement comes exploration and with exploration comes everything out of the cupboards drawers and you babies first swirly. That is, unless you are prepared. Cabinet, drawer and toilet locks are an absolute necessity. The broken dishes will be the least of your worries when one of your babies pulls out a kitchen knife from the drawer or bleach form underneath the sink. Most cabinets and drawers are easy to install with a couple of screws. Packages of these run about $5 dollars or less each and they should be installed by six months. The toilet lock works like a seatbelt over the toilet. Easy for moms and dads to operate and is great for preventing any mid afternoon swims for the babies. These will run you about $10.00 each. Door knob covers will also be needed as your babies start to climb up and stand on various things around your house. Door knob covers will soon be the only way to keep your baby out of you and your hubbies' personal space and in the rooms they are supposed to be in. Just leave the closet door open a crack I dare you. You'll find out very quickly what I mean. Most door knob covers come in three packs for less than $5.00.

Does anything sound like a broken record? The six month mark starts a whole new world for you and your baby. They start moving and you start gasping for air as you watch them stumble through there first movements. There will be owies to kiss and the occasional bump on the head, but don't worry stay safe and you will make it though.