Having a child is a blessing for your home. While it is the most beautiful thing to happen to you, it’s also one of the hardest things to take care of, especially when they start to crawl or walk. Babies are curious, they will want to touch everything they see, to stop a catastrophe you should always be one step forward.
Childproofing your home is a very important thing to do, to stop your toddler from getting hurt. Most of the child deaths come from injuries like this so it’s really essential to do as much as you can to prevent them.
Bathrooms and kitchens are the most dangerous places for your kid since many things can be a health hazard to him/her or to your home. We wrote this article to give you some ideas on how to childproof your bathroom and kitchen but also how important that is.
Bathroom childproofing
Bathroom childproofing is maybe the most important thing when childproofing your home. You should never let your baby alone there, not even for a second. Make sure you lock the door so they can’t go inside if you leave them unattended. Find out more on how to deal with slip and fall accidents here.
1. Toilet lock
Their head is heavier than their body so they can lean forward and fall in the toilet and drown themselves, that’s why you have to use toilet locks. They also touch everything and put their hands into their mouth so care should be taken.
2. Secure the bathtub
The bathtub is maybe the most dangerous thing in the bathroom because kids can drown in it very easily. Make sure you never let your kid alone. Also, check the temperature of the water because scalds are one of the leading causes of injuries in children.
3. Prevent slipping
The bathroom floor can be slippery and kids can fall down and hit their heads on the tiles. You should put an anti-slipping rug. You should also put rubber rugs in the tub because they can slip themselves there as well.
4. Hide your medicine
Hiding your medicine is a major key to keeping your kid safe. They are curious and they can think of pills like candy so they might eat them and poison them. Make sure that you keep your medicines above their height and lock the cabinet.
5. Hide your cleaning supplies
Another thing that can become hazardous is cleaning chemicals. If you keep them in the bathroom you should never let them on sight. Always lock them inside a cabinet. Why is that? Because they are usually colorful and your kid can see them as juice and they will drink it. Chemical toxicity is a serious health problem and you don’t want that to happen.
6. Secure the trashcan
You should buy a trashcan with a lid so your kid can’t see what is inside. They are snoopy and might want to go through that so they can run into the things from the 2 paragraphs before this. Also, you don’t want your kids touching the inside of the trash can, it has too many bacteria that can affect their health.
7. Protect your bathroom plumbing
Protecting your plumbing is also crucial. As the kids grow up a little, they might become curious about the tubes so they may damage them and cause a flood in your home. That may become multi-digit damage to your home. In case you find some issues with plumbing, you can always call professionals to deal with it. According to lpgs, it is better to deal with pipes sooner than later.
8. Be cautious of electrical outlets
Keep in mind to cover the electrical outlets. Every kid is curious what those little holes are for, they will stick their fingers in and electrocute themselves. Electric shock is one of the biggest risks of child mortality so make sure you cover that on time.
9. Don’t leave your hairdryer or hair straightener plugged in
If you have a habit of leaving your hair dryer or hair straightener on, that has to end now. Your kid may be curious what that thing does and he may burn himself. That can be a very traumatic experience for a small kid. Always check if you have unplugged your utilities.
Kitchen childproofing
Childproofing your kitchen is of equal importance to your bathroom. There are many things that can harm your baby there. You never want to let your kid there alone until he grows up a little.
1. Secure your stovetop
Securing your stovetop is really important because your kid can get severe burns. If you need to cook, choose to use the back stove circles. When you use your oven make sure your baby is seated somewhere safe so he can’t reach and burn himself.
2. Don’t leave sharp object within reach
Never leave knives or other sharp objects on the counter so your kid can reach them and hurt himself. Always wash them and put them in the drawer. Try to use a locking mechanism on the drawers that have dangerous stuff in them for your toddler.
3. Move your breakables up
You should move your glasses, plates, and other breakable things from the down shelves and put them higher since your curious little kid can find them and break them unintentionally. It’s not that important that they will break and you will be left without them, but it’s important for the kid since they will break on many sharp pieces and he will cut himself.
4. Lock your cleaning supplies
If you are one of the people that hold cleaning supplies in the kitchen, make sure you lock that cabinet, so your kids won’t drink them. They can cause damage to the skin as well.
5. Secure your kitchen plumbing
Securing your kitchen plumbing is as important as securing that in the bathroom. Your kid might touch them or misplace them and you wouldn’t know, so you will keep on using the sink and you will cause a flood.
Your wooden kitchen furniture will bloat up and you will end in a really expensive situation. To prevent that from happening, lock the cabinet under the sink, and you should also put your cleaning supplies there.
We hope this article will help you understand why is important to childproof your home, follow these things listed and there is a guaranteed lower chance of your kid getting hurt unintentionally.
