While you’ve been exercising, eating right and taking your folic acid to keep your baby’s temporary residence in top shape for him or her, you also need to think about the baby’s permanent home – your house.
Common things around your house can be dangerous hazards for a baby so it’s important to get your baby’s space set up and to also go ahead and baby-proof your house for when your child is up and around in a few months.
The first thing you need to do is get the proper gear for having a new baby. Let’s get started with a crib. Your crib should be of recent manufacture, made no earlier than 1992. Make sure that the mattress of the crib fits snugly.
You shouldn’t be able to slide more than one finger between the crib and the mattress. Also make sure that the slats of the crib are no more than 2-3/8 inches apart to prevent your baby from getting his or her head stuck between them.You would want to set up rugs under the crib and the changing table. This gives you a little bit of cushion when and if your baby falls. (This happens to everyone.).
You would also want to get a baby monitor so you can listen in when you’re not in the room with your baby. Another important item is a car seat for when you want to take your baby for a ride. Get a federally approved seat and make sure you read, understand and follow the directions for installing it properly.
Considering your newborn‘s future as a toddler, you’re going to want to lock up, put up and seal up anything seemingly dangerous your child can get into. You’ll be surprised at what they can get into and what common items just laying around the house now can pose potential hazards or at the least a very big mess, if your child is able to get into them.
The first thing you should do is check the floor of your house. Anything potentially harmful your child can get into such as coins or space heaters or unstable furniture or lamps needs to be secured. You’re also going to want to buy plugs for your unused electrical outlets to cover them. Kids love to stick their fingers in any holes or slots they can find and the potential harmful effects of sticking one’s finger in an electric socket makes it necessary to prevent this from happening. You may also want to reposition furniture to cover wall sockets that have an appliance plugged into them. This will keep your baby from tugging on electrical cords.
You’ll want to place childproof locks on any kitchen cabinets to prevent your child from getting in them and into any potentially harmful substances within. For added measure, you’ll also want to put chemicals on top shelves where it’s impossible for your child to reach them.
As mentioned before, some pieces of furniture may be unstable and prone to tip over or fall if accidentally bumped. You’ll need to secure these by having them fastened to a wall. If you can’t secure them, you may need to put them away until your child is older.
You should set your hot water heater to below 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This will prevent your baby from being severely scalded in case he or she gets into the hot water knob while in the tub. Hot water remains dangerousso be sure not to leave your baby alone in the tub.
If your home has a fireplace, you’re going to want to pad the edges around the brick so your baby is not injured if he or she bumps his or her head on it. Needless to say, however, you should probably keep your child away from the fireplace altogether.
Some rooms of your home, such as an exercise room or workshop, will be inherently unsafe for a newborn or toddler. Use baby gates to prevent entry into these areas of the home.
Any preparation of your home for a new baby should take into account any four-legged residents. Getting your dog or cat ready to share living space with a new baby is a lot like preparing older children for the birth of their new brother or sister. You have to make sure that you show attention to your pet so they don’t become jealous while establishing firm rules about what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior regarding the infant.
It’s best to set your nursery off-limits for pets. While they may not want to accept this, especially the cats, this is necessary in case your newborn has fur or dander allergies. It’s also important to get your pets ready for the hub-bub that goes along with having a baby. You will want to perhaps download some baby sounds so your pets won’t panic if they hear the sound of a baby crying.
Making your home child safe will prevent a lot of unnecessary injury and heartache on your part. It takes a little effort and you’ll never quite eliminate all risk from your home. But by being proactive you can greatly reduce your child’s chance of injury.
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