There are many pleasures, duties, and stresses associated with having a baby. All of it involves keeping an eye on child safety, which is a concern for parents all the time. It might be simple to ignore certain things when there is so much going on, especially if there are multiple children living in the home.
Here are five recommendations for child safety.
1. Get the Basics Down
Start with the fundamental safety advice that all members of the household can use. How often do you check the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in your home? How are your fire extinguishers working? Look out for anything that could cause someone to trip, such as frayed cables or cords. Additionally, make sure no outlets are being overloaded.
From there, you ought to consider security as well. Are the locks on your windows and doors still working properly? You might also want to consider purchasing a home security system.
All of these recommendations for child safety are simple sense, but we sometimes let our standards slide. A newborn should serve as a reminder to take care of any unfinished business.
2. Baby-Proof Your Home
It’s time to prepare your home for the actual birth of the kid now. Children have their own special kid safety challenges because they are smaller, more inquisitive, and regrettably lack a strong sense of danger.
Start by thinking about how many child safety hazards you can remove in the kitchen. You should reorganise in addition to making sure you never leave items like knives lying around. Consider the items you keep in lower cabinets that children can access. Any of the following should be placed out of reach:
- Chemical products
- Sharp objects
- Suffocation hazards like plastic bags
- Containers with vitamins, minerals, or spices
Consider installing latches on your cabinets and drawers as well. Be cautious with gadgets that are left plugged in as well. Toasters, blenders, and similar appliances should all be unplugged, and the cords should be tucked away. Additionally, you ought to buy stove-knob covers.
One major thing to watch out for throughout the entire house is sharp corners on furniture. If you soften these up with things like corner protectors, your child won’t really hurt themselves on the coffee table if they fall. Bookcases, TVs, and other things that could easily topple over should also be taken into consideration. Make sure anything that needs to be anchored to the wall is.
3. Make Their Room Safe
This child safety advice may very well be the most crucial. Parents must consider the nursery for the infant. There will be many items in this room that are specific to it, therefore it requires a different strategy. Drop-side cribs are deemed dangerous by the US authorities, and the slats should only be 2 3/8 inches apart. If a relative offers you a crib, keep this in mind because it might not be up to code.
Do not pile blankets and plush toys into the crib. Despite how much the infant may adore them, they pose a suffocation risk. Mobiles should also be avoided because any small pieces that fall off could suffocate your child.
Examine the storage options in your child’s room. It’s simple to get some wounded fingertips using a toy box with a lid. Instead, use an open box. Make sure that any storage furniture that is placed in the space is always securely fastened.
4. Keep the Bathroom Safe
It’s simple to overlook how risky a bathroom might be for a newborn because we use it frequently.
The most important rule is never to leave your child alone in the bathroom. The terrifying tales of people dying from drowning in relatively shallow water are all too real. Make sure your time is free when it’s time for a bath so you won’t be tempted to get up even for a moment.
Check the water’s temperature before getting in the bath. Young children’s skin is significantly more delicate than that of adults, making it much easier to badly burn them. To prevent any problems, you should set your water heater to a maximum temperature of 120°F, but even then, be sure to check. Get a thermometer so you can be certain at all times.
Additionally, make sure that any electrical cords are tucked away while the appliances themselves are unplugged, just like in every other room. In order to prevent any hurtful falls, you should also utilise no-slip mats. One child safety guideline that you should not ignore is this one.
5. Keep Your Baby in Sight
Naturally, neither of these things is always practicable or even essential. Nobody is urging parents to alternate watching over their sleeping children each night. We use baby monitors for this purpose. But think about setting up security cameras in your house. This implies that regardless of where you are, you can always watch what your baby is doing. Although it cannot replace being present in person, it does provide some comfort.
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