what steps can i take now to baby-proof my home? he's due in two months...?

Question

granted he won't be getting around much at first. but what can i do right now to help make a safe and happy home for junior in april?

Answer 1

1) Lie Down on the Floor

Seriously! Just get down in the middle of the room and lie down and take
your time and look all around you and you will see what your baby sees.
Cover up outlets, tie up long window cords, remove extension cords, check
for chipped wall pieces, tore up linoleum, etc.

2) Get rid of Knick Knacks

Yep, you might as well just go ahead and put away all your pretty little
coffee table knick knacks, bathroom knick knacks, etc. One of the first things
a child is going to reach for and put in it's mouth is a colorful object. Choking
is the leading cause of accidental death in children.

3) Lock Kitchen and Bathroom Cabinets

You can buy cabinet and door locking products just about anywhere. Make
sure you keep all household cleaners up high and behind locked doors.
Ditto with knives and alcohol. Eventually your child will figure out how to
open child proof locks.

4) Remove Plants

Some Houseplants are just plain out poisonous. Especially rubber tree
plants and philodendron. It's best to be on the safe side and remove
all houseplants away from the area.

5) Bathroom

Lower the water temperature to at least 120 degrees. Keep all cabinet
doors locked at all times. Keep the toilet lid down .

6) Staircases

Install gates at the top and bottom of stairs. Preferably one that screws into
the wall. Install gates at all room you don't want the child to enter, even if
it means you have to climb over it.
The kind of gates that are held in place by pressure are nice, but in time
they will give way because of the child pushing and pulling against it.

Answer 2

You should pad all the corner of your walls, corners of tables should be cornered off with soft plastic. Anything tiny that drops on the floor should be picked up right away. You should take a look around your houes and see what you need to do and then go and buy the necessary things. My daughter is 6 1/2 months, I have not baby proof my house yet. I will be next month because she rolls everywhere and I am sure she'll be crawling soon so I have to start taking precautions. You can wait as well. Personally I think it's too soon to think of baby proofing your home but everyone is different. Good luck and congrats.

Answer 3

just wanted to let you know momoftwoboys and the other long answerer have you covered on this one Patz.

and seriously,when they start getting around you will know if your lil one is inquisitive or not. Every child is different. But I will tell you that my youngest was the best baby and child ever.She still found things to get into even tho I thought I had it all covered!
Another time the middle one was crawling up 3 steps from the living room to the dining room. Her pant leg was going over her feet so I thought I would fix it...well...sometimes it is better to leave well enough alone cuz when I tried to straighten her pants she lost her balance and hit her forehead on the strip at the top of the stairs. She was fine and just kept going...but I swear the worst time in childhood is when they are crawling and exploring....short of padding the rooms and furniture and having them live in a bubble,accidents will happen. Prevention is the best and you're doing all the right things.

And my house was so child proofed because of my daycare. You can sometimes do all the obvious things but it is those things that are not obvious that will getcha!

Answer 4

You don't have to worry for another 5-7 months but it is good to start early. Start with the obvious, cover the electrical outlets, make sure there aren't any cords that can be used to pull lamps etc off tables. Check that the crib is away from the blinds and that the baby can't reach over and get hold of the cord in a few months. Put the breakables up or away and check for little things. Anything that will fit into a toilet paper roll is too little. Double check that any pushpins etc are at least 5ft up on the wall (trust me, they are three feet tall and standing on a toy all too soon). For the computer, set up a password on your user account and set the screensaver to prompt for it. Then when you leave to use the rest room, your toddler will not be able to mess with it (I learned that one the hard way). Take a yard stick and Stand in teh middle of your rooms, swing it. Anything that you have to avoid hitting or is under it needs to be checked. Having a plan works wonders, where are you going to keep the pens, pencils, crayons etc so that you don't have to wash Picasso's works off the walls? Find a place for cleaning supplies and knives (I recommend locks, lots and lots of locks, kids can get into baby-proofing stuff at about 18mos and aren't ready to use knives and cleaning products for years). Check the clothes, pull on buttons and decorations and make sure they won't come off. And don't worry, your little bundle of joy will be sure to show you anything you missed.

Answer 5

This may sound silly, but get down on your hands and knees and think like a baby. What can you possibly get into. Cords, outlets, stairs, could your tv be pulled off of it's stand, plants on the floor, venetian blind strings, anything that will fit into an empty toilet paper tube is a choking hazard. When you have company over, make sure no one sets their purse on the floor, I have a friend whose baby ate her grandmothers heart pills which were in her purse. It's scary to think of all the everyday things that can hurt your baby.

Answer 6

most important outlet plugs I have a two year old that would still put things in them if I didn't have em. gates as well, if you have stairs one at the top and one at the bottom you will also want one at the entrance to your kitchen, there is nothing worse than having your baby underfoot when you are cooking and possibly harming them by burns or falling objects. those are the tools you NEED, other items are used as needed. You will need to crawl around and pick up anything that can be swallowed up out of reach also anything that can break or be potentially harmful to you child.

Answer 7

Aside from plugging outlets, securing tv's and heavy furniture, locks on cabinets- the best advice I ever got was from a grandmother of one of my friends:
Invite over anyone you know who has a toddler. Follow toddler from room to room making notes of what he goes after and the level of danger posed by what he goes after.

You end up with the best list of stuff to fix before the baby arrives so you don't have to worry about it later. We found tons of stuff that seemed safe even after we did our initial babyproofing, its amazing what kids will go for.

A big one that is overlooked is the oven/stove area. A lock for the oven door and a guard that keeps fingers off of stove tops is essential.

Best of Luck to you and congrats on your new addition!

Answer 8

You don't need to do anything now as it will be a long time before your little one is moving about.all your child will need for comfort is you,warm clothes,and food.don't worry yourself about these things even though you are probably nesting at the moment but baby proofing is just not need now.you will baby proof according to your child's development.

Answer 9

first thing relax my wife just had a baby boy in sept and he still can not get around without one of us picking him up so you have lots of time to kid proof your home. go to any store that sells baby supplies walmart ect you will find a section that has tons of stuff to use wallplugs ect. look to see what would be good for your home

Answer 10

well put things on the cabinets to keep them shut and get a gate for the doorways or stairs.
make sure you don't have breakables in reach and make sure you sterilize everything.
you are right if you do this now you wont have to do it later
good luck with your new bundle of joy