How To Make Your House Childproof?
When was the last time you crawled around your home on your hands and knees? As strange as it sounds, give it a go. Kids explore their everyday environments, so it’s crucial to check things out from their perspective to make sure your home is safe.
Just a moment back he was crawling right in front of you, and now he is out of sight. Just ten minutes back you saw him in his room, and now you find him in the balcony.
Oh! Kids just keep moving around, you never know when they would see what, get hold of what and get hurt by what. It only takes an instant for babies and toddlers to fall, run over to a hot stove, or put the wrong thing in their mouths. And at such times, when your kid is a toddler or a four year old, your watchfulness is his best defense.
All the more, as the child spends most of his time at home, and he is newly beginning to learn and adapt, his novelty factor gets the better of him and he wants to explore anything and everything he can get his hands on. But then although you try your best to keep eyes on him for all the time you can, there are chances that he gets out of sight and gets hurt, as a result of his inquisitiveness or the curiosity element. And to guard against such times, you need to make your home childproof – get all those things in place that can be a cause for injury, starting from the tiniest edges to bigger things like …..
Be a child to know his mind!
To know a child or to deal with him better, it is important that you put yourself in his/her shoes and think like a child. Only then would you know what you need to keep away from him…
Here are some basic starter ideas to childproof your home
Lock the door: There are certain such things that you want to keep away from your kid’s reach. Now, how much ever you try his attraction always gets the better of your efforts, and hence, you decide to safely tuck the stuff into a room and lock it. Yes, this is the tight way of keeping him away from it, but make sure door knob is neatly shut.
Outlet covers
These are a boon to all those blessed with small kids at home. Outlet covers are simple to install and incredibly effective in preventing the kid in wedging something into the electrical socket, and getting hurt. Ensure to replace the protective cover, each time you use the outlet.
Cabinet locks
These are useful, when you want to keep certain cabinets, drawers and cupboards, out of reach of children. These can be useful when you want to keep kids from sharp objects, important papers and files, cosmetics and other vanity items etc. There can also be locks for microwaves and ovens.
Corner covers
If you have tables or counters with sharp edges and that are low enough to hurt your kids, if they were to run into them you may consider buying padded corner covers. These covers can be expensive but then the fact that they can prevent the pointy edges from hurting your kid, is a reason convincing enough and well worth the investment.
Beware of water
Water can be a major reason for children to be victims of many homely mishaps, most of which can result from slips and falls. First thing first, make sure that there is no water spillage anywhere in the home – including the hall, rooms, kitchen, balconies etc. and if due to some reason water does get spilled, then make sure to dry the area that time itself. Another thing is, to ensure that no bucket or tub is filled with water inside the bathroom, and if it is, then the door be locked. This is because if a child gets close to a filled water tub, it only takes about an inch of water for them to drown in. Store hair bleach, hair dye, bathroom cleanser and other solutions in a locked cabinet in the bathroom.
Over-the-top items
Simple things like your dinner table cloth can be a reason for an injury. Your child would pull, tug and hold whatever can be accessible and seen, and when the cloth on the dining table gets pulled, it carries with it all items including plates, sharp utensils, hot objects, etc. and can fall on your child. All the more, pot handles and crockery, mobile phones, high-end electronic items, etc must be kept on upper shelves or in the locked bedrooms only.
Imitate your kid
This is the time when you get into your child’s shoes, rather his mannerisms, and take a hands and knees tour of your house to make sure that you did not forget any areas.
This way you measure how high your child can reach and make sure that everything below that level is either safe to play with or securely locked away. This tour will actually help you in noticing very minute, but important and hidden dangers that you had missed when childproofing the house.
Instruct the maid
You are out of house, and your maid is the babysitter for your kid. Instruct her on the basic things she needs to take care of, things that must be out of reach of the kid and the rooms that have to be kept locked. The maid, for whatever time she is with the kid, needs to be made totally responsible and alert.
Outsmarting your moves
You have heard the famous phrase that goes, “Child is the father of the man”. And it is not just the teens or the 20 somethings we are talking about, smartness begins right since childhood, and you may not even have thought, when your child surprises you with his smart moves that edge one step above yours.
You try hard to childproof your home, evaluate safety measures and give you best when you realize that your kid has found his way around the “no entry” tag you placed. Others find new dangers that you were not even aware of. So, watch your children and adapt your childproofing methods, and re-evaluate the safety of your home and the effectiveness of the safety measures as your child grows and learns new things. To read more about How to make your house childproof?
Medimanage Health Insurance India