A Dad’s To-Do List in Creating a Child-Proof Home {Guest Post}
This guest post is funny to me because when I was about 7 months pregnant with our son, my husband was the one who “nested”. I was convinced I had all the time in the world, even to the point that when my water broke I told my husband that we were wasting time by going to the hospital. I just knew they were going to send me back home. I hope you enjoy these Daddy tips on how to child-proof your home!
When you’re expecting a child, suddenly everything becomes about what the mother can do for the baby. She has to eat better and cut certain foods out of her diet. She has to take prenatal vitamins and make sure she keeps all of her doctor’s appointments. She needs to stay healthy, but also be careful that she doesn’t overextend herself. She gets to go through birth, breastfeed, and bond with the little one in ways that dads will never understand. So, what can dads do (besides taking care of mom, of course)? Child-proof!
Child-Proofing: Where Parenting and Home Improvement MixBefore your child even comes home from the hospital, there are a number of things you can do to help ensure that he or she is safer:
- Install smoke alarms, and check them regularly.
- Install a carbon monoxide detector.
- Buy or make your own baby first aid kit.
- Tie or cut strings on curtains and shades to keep them out of reach – they are a choking hazard!
- Buy childproof locks, and install them on any cabinets containing glass, sharp objects, heavy objects, or poisonous materials.
- Get bumpers and put them on any furniture that has sharp corners.
- Make sure you have a working fire extinguisher.
- Get non-slip pads for any rugs that don’t have non-slip bottoms.
- Make sure your water heater is set to no higher than 120 degrees.
- Get a lock for all of your toilet bowls.
- Install plate covers over your electrical outlets – the ones that slide closed are best because inquisitive fingers can pry off regular covers.
- Get soft covers for both the bathtub spout and the knobs.
- Non-slip mats should be in the tub and right outside of it.
- Put an appliance latch on your oven door.
- Use a stove guard that covers the burners; you can also get covers for the knobs that operate the burners.
- Protect baby’s fingers with doorstops.
- Windows should be outfitted with guards, stops, or safety netting so your little adventure-seeker doesn’t fall out.
- Cords should be hidden behind furniture, if possible. If you can’t do this, invest in a hide-a-cord.
- If you have a fireplace, make sure that you get a grill to cover the opening.
- Buy baby gates to block stairways and rooms that you don’t want baby to enter; make sure they are either completely solid or have openings no wider than 4 inches.
- Make sure that knives and other dangerous objects are always out of reach.
- Keep your trash can in a place where baby can’t get to it. If this isn’t possible, invest in a model that has a child-resistant lock.
- Block or cover any radiators, vents, or floor heaters that you have.
- Actually use those straps you always get to secure furniture to the wall – you certainly don’t want it falling on junior! (This goes for your shiny new flatscreen TV, too.)
- Make sure tall floor lamps are behind furniture so there’s less chance of them falling.
- Put fencing up around pools, and make sure the gate latch is secure.
- Post the number for poison control everywhere – (800) 222-1222.
Patrick Del Rosario is part of the team behind Open Colleges. It is one of Australia’s pioneer and leading providers of online TAFE courses and interior design courses. When not working, Patrick enjoys blogging about career and business. Patrick is also a photography enthusiast and is currently running a photography studio in the Philippines.
Disclaimer: This post was NOT compensated in any way. I appreciate Patrick for providing this great content for my readers!!
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