My baby is just now starting to crawl, and I have not babyproofed the home. What are the basics I have to do?

Question

I do watch him a lot but I want some suggestions on what I can do immediately w/out spending a fortune.

Answer 1

cover the stairs and light sockets.

Answer 2

Safety latches come in sets of 6 for about $4.00 for cabinets. Put them in the kitchen and bathroom. Get a latch for the toilet as well because babies tend to pull themselves up enough to play in the water but could fall in. That one is about $5.00. Get a set of 8 electrical outlet covers for $3.00

All these can be found in the infant department at Wal Mart being the most affordable. Target is more expensive and pharmacies are outrageous!

$20.00 or less will start you out with a good safe home for a crawling infant. Add door knob safeties once the child can reach the door. These are just the basics. There are million things a baby can find that may hurt them. Coins being a major one. Just keep small things up high.

Good luck..........

Answer 3

What I did was put everything that he could pull down on him out of reach. Put cords behind things, and out of sight if you can. If you have a coffee table, watch him b/c that will become a prime pull-up place for him, and the best place for him to bust his face on. You can buy outlet covers usually in the baby section of a store like Wal-mart. If you can't find them, ask. You'll know what to babyproof just by seeing what he likes to get into as he crawls. Oh, and keep the bathroom door closed at all times, or you'll find him playing in the toliet one day!!!!

Answer 4

Well, the best thing you can do is get down on the floor so you can view the world at baby level. Lamp cords, blind cords, etc need to be moved out of sight. Next, I would say is covering outlets. I wouldn't go wild over this, only rooms that you allow baby to be in. Next, move up and start clearing objects off of end tables and shelves when baby starts pulling up on things. All of those baby proof items are NOT necessary and I don't suggest getting them at the baby stores because they are pricey. The only other baby proofing we did was to put a toilet lock on the toilet in our son's bathroom and we put a magnetic lock on the cabinet under the kitchen sink. Babies will figure out the regular baby-proof locks quickly, making them a waste of money and effort and a hazard so the magnetic lock was better because it came with a magnetic key that is held over the lock from the outside of the cabinet.
Good Luck and don't stress too much, this is supposed to be a happy time for you and your family.

Answer 5

I just went through this and here is an list of things we did-it is a bit over the top, but take what you like from the list:

put outlet covers or socket protectors on every outlet
soft corner covers for furniture with corners
front door alarm
toilet locks
cabinet locks
medicine in a medicine safe
refrigerator lock
cords for phones wound out of babies reach
radiator covers
oven lock
oven knob guards

I think that is it-hope I didn't make you too nervous!

Answer 6

First off how old is your baby. I am just curious because my son is just turning seven months and he hasn't started yet. Anyway about baby proofing you should crawl around on your floor and see all of things at his eye level and remove then things he should not get into. I dont think there is a real expense. You could by the outlet covers for all of your outlets but they are pretty cheap. Also when he starts to walk they have the covers to put on the corners of your living room tables. That is pretty much it unless you want to by cabinet door locks so he or she doesnt get into you cabinets. good luck.

Answer 7

Make sure to cover all electrical outlets, they sell plastic plug in ones but you can use duct tape,(i suggest using both,because i had one that would not leave the outlets alone until he was shocked, not badly, but enough he didn't mess with them again! we just had the plastic things and he was 2 yrs old when it happened, my father in law suggested the duct tape and it worked with my other 3.) also make sure all cords, electrical and mini blinds, etc. are way out of reach( choking hazard), also make sure there are no small items on the floor and put any heavy items up, also breakable items. some people say to not put things up but i have 4 teens now and i put things up if i thought they could get hurt on something. also babies at this stage are so curious about everything, my husband and i used to get down on the floor at thier eye level and look around to make sure we had everything up and out of the way. you can also use a gate to keep your baby in one area or room that is completely baby proofed, believe me your baby will be all over the house soon enough! lol
i hope this helps, it's not expensive to baby proof. also if you have a coffee table make sure the corners are padded, you can use just about anything for that, if it is big and heavy though, i would suggest moving it to a place the baby won't be for awhile.
if you think it will hurt your baby then it more than likely will, follow your gut instinct.
good luck and enjoy your son!

Answer 8

It helps to crawl around your house and really look at things from that view. Anyway, safety plugs for the outlets; safety latches for the cupboards; gates for the stairways; always keep the toilet seat down and don't leave buckets of water, baths, or pools unattended when baby is nearby; start getting in the habit of keeping cookware far back on the counters or stove (it won't be long until baby is standing and grabbing things off the counter)... and when s/he starts walking there's an entire additional list!

Answer 9

Buy the padded corner protectors to put on sharp edges (coffee table and dining room table corners, if they're squared), a lock to put on the entertainment center doors (otherwise you'll be picking up DVDs all day :)), the electrical outlet covers (although if your baby is like my sons are, they'll soon figure out how to pull them out), and remove anything you don't want torn up (take magazines off the coffee table, etc.). Also, make sure there aren't any choking hazards lying around. For some reason, your floor could be completely bare, and your baby will find the ONE crumb on it to put in his mouth, lol.

Answer 10

1. Put baby locks on ALL cabinets and drawers even if you think they can't reach them (including your nightstands, etc)
2. Put the trash cans up where the baby can't get stuff out and eat it
3. Put the dirty diapers in one of those "diaper genie" type things that locks the diaper out of reach
4. Get down on your hands and knees and crawl around each room to see what you are missing that the baby will get into
5. Teach the baby "NO!" whenever they pick up something from the floor and put it in their mouth.
6. Put outlet covers on ALL outlets
7. Move lamp cords, etc. so that the baby can't reach them and pull lamps, TV's, etc. over on themselves
8. Make sure there is nothing "top heavy" in the rooms that might topple over when the baby tries to pull up on it

Answer 11

You'll need baby gates in front of stairways to keep him from falling; electric outlet covers to keep little fingers from getting shocked; baby latches on your cabinet doors; make sure your stove in the kitchen is attached to the wall securely, and above all, put anything poisonous up in a locked cabinet away from little curious hands! Some medicines will look like candy, and some cleaning fluids will look like juice to them. Get down on the floor a few times a day to see things from his point of view. Make sure there is nothing anyone has dropped that he will want to put in his mouth. Enjoy!