Baby Proofing Your Home — The Easy Checklist

Nothing compares to the curiosity of a child who just became mobile. It’s a beautiful thing. However, as a parent, it doesn’t always feel beautiful. It can lead to constant — and often unnecessary — panic and worry. While a bit of this can help keep you on your toes and prepared, too much can make you a paranoid mess.

If your toddler is now scooting around on his or her own, and you’re suddenly realizing that everything looks like a potential hazard, we would like to offer some help. In today’s blog, we here at The Stair Barrier would like to share with you some simple tips for baby-proofing.

Learn more about us, our child safety gates, and check out our store for safe and attractive child safety gates!

Baby Proofing Around the House

Outlets

Even if your baby isn’t crawling yet, keeping all of your electrical outlets covered can be a great habit. Any outlet that is lower than your counters should be covered. When picking the best covers for your home, keep in mind that the best are typically those that go unnoticed by children. Outlet covers are relatively inexpensive, so it’s a good idea to keep a pack in storage for whenever you need one.  

Sharp Corners

If you are the parent of a walker, you may all of the sudden realize just how many sharp corners there are in a house. Before you go about selling all of your coffee and end tables, know there are some simple ways to protect your children from potential falls and bumps. Some of the best solutions include covering corners with bumpers, corner cushions, and safety padding. Most of these items can be found on Amazon and baby stores.

Drawers and Cabinets

Drawer locks and multi-use latches can be the perfect way of keeping your little ones from exploring. Not only can this keep your tots safe from any dangerous substances or items, but it can also help you avoid cleaning up any big messes — i.e. a big pile of flour in the middle of your kitchen. While you should try to lock all cabinets — so as to not pique their cabinet curiosity — you especially want to make sure that places like under the sink are locked and inaccessible and that any cleaning supplies and chemicals are moved to wall cabinets children cannot access.

Bathroom

Even with small bathrooms, there are a surprising number of potential concerns. Since the bathroom is a place where slips and falls are common, be sure to have a non-slip bathroom mat on the floor. This will not only keep your little one from slipping, but it will also ensure that you don’t slip when carrying your child. Additional bathroom childproofing tips include:

• Covering the bathtub spout with soft covers
• Adding a safety lock on the toilet seat
• Unplugging and putting away items like hair dryers
• Keep all medications high and out of reach

Stair Gates

There are few baby-proofing steps as important as safely and securely restricting access to the stairs. This is why many consider a child safety gate to be the most crucial part of child proofing your home. However, while it is crucial to have a child safety gate, not all baby gates are the same. In fact, many gates have actually been found to cause injury. This article, for example, published by the journal, Academic Pediatrics, found that gate injuries increased by nearly four times from 1991 to 2010 because of improper design, installation, and use. 

At The Stair Barrier, it has been our mission to create a child safety gate that addresses these potential pitfalls and offers parents the most dependable, reliable, and secure gate possible. Not only have we created a child safety gate that is structurally reinforced to prevent kids from climbing or lifting, but all of our gates are versatile, easy to install, and can accommodate the bottom of nearly any staircase — from banister-to-banister staircases to wall-to-banister staircase.

On top of this, we don’t think that you should have to sacrifice quality to get a stylish gate. This is why we offer a wide range of fabrics, patterns, personalization options, and a design that is sure to enhance the decor of any home. Learn more about The Stair Barrier Difference and check out our collection of pet and child safety gates here!

Additional Child Proofing Tips

• Make sure your tv is anchored and that all electrical cords are hidden and out of view
• Remove or adjust blinds with looped cords using safety tassels and cord stops
• Move tall or wobbly lamps to a safe place
• Put away all electrical appliances that are not being used
• Remove any flaking or peeling paint or wall coatings