Now that your baby is old enough to walk around and to explore the immediate surroundings, is your house baby proof enough to be regarded as safe? Some of the following are suggestions that parents do not often regard hazardous to babies or toddlers.
Tap water scald burns: According to a study, this type of danger account for 7% – 17% for all children hospitalization*. Lowering your hot water heater temperature at home for showering purposes to maximum of 122 ̊ F or 50 ̊ C can decrease the chances of severe burns for your children. In documented cases, babies or toddlers were curious to turn the hot water or cold water knobs to see what would happen. Therefore, when taking showers for or with your babies or toddlers, always keep an eye out on what they are doing.
Keep bathroom door locked or secured at all times: Babies or toddlers can easily drown with just a low volume of water, therefore, keeping an eye out for the water level is very important. In addition, there are cases where harmful cleaners or medication are stored in lower cabinets in the bathroom which can be deadly if accidentally swallowed. Keeping the bathroom secured at all times can prevent harmful injuries to your little bundle of joy.
Keeping the crib area safe: According to a study done by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) “cribs and crib mattresses were associated with 36 deaths between the year 2011-2013”. Another study from National Library of Medicine indicates that 66% of baby injuries are due to falling from a crib, playpen or, bassinet. Therefore, as your little one grows bigger, ensure that you lower the mattress level closer to the ground so that it may prohibit your baby or toddler from easily climbing out of the crib.
Securing heavy objects: Ensure that parents do secure heavy objects so that it does not tip over. Now-a-days, televisions are lighter and thinner than before so it is easier for toddlers to accidentally tip them over. Accidents such as televisions or other heavy objects falling onto toddlers are more common place and it may be a good idea to either secure them on the wall if possible or keep them out of each of toddlers. On an important note, if your object may be sitting on a draped cloth or table cloth, try to remove the cloth as in some cases, toddlers may pull on the cloth which may lead to objects falling on them.
Electric outlets and sharp corners: As always, try to cover electric outlets and sharp objects with guards so that they may not injure themselves. Moreover, surge protectors now are equipped with child proof covers that may limit the chances of toddlers poking sharp objects into them. Parents still are the first line of defense so that they need to monitor their toddlers and what they do at all times.
Set a safe area for toddlers and babies: Always try to set a safe area for babies or toddlers to play, whether it may be a playpen or another sealed off area. This way parents can focus more on playing with their little ones, rather than worrying if it is safe for their toddler or baby. From the editor’s point of view, placing a safe matt in an enclosed area may also help both the parents and the toddler to feel more comfortable and a piece of mind for everyone involved.
One important criterion that parents demand for their house or apartment is the safe factor. Therefore, it should be given that they require the same for their little loved ones. It is not recommended that parents spend huge amount of money to make their house baby safe, but rather, parents should approach this in how they view it from baby’s or toddler’s point of view.
Article references:
- *today.com/parents/how-babyproof-your-home-it-s-not-hard-it-sounds-t109555
- bmj.com/content/4/3/238
- ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21330418/
Pic:
www.thebump.com/a/checklist-babyproofing-part-1
