Before your baby starts crawling, it is important to begin the process of baby proofing your home, helping to keep them as safe as possible. The average baby will start to crawl when they are 8 months old, but some babies will crawl earlier, so you should consider beginning the baby proofing process by the time your baby is six months old.
Buy a Stairgate
One of the main things that you will need to baby proof your home is a stair gate: this will stop your baby from crawling up the stairs and then falling back down again!
If your home is larger then you may need to invest in more stair gates: some people like to place on at the top of the stairs, as well as at the bottom, and it may also be helpful to place a stairgate across your kitchen door.
Remember that it isnโt enough to simply buy a stairgate: you will also have to fit it! Follow the safety instructions to ensure the gate is fitted tightly against the wall, and it wonโt fall down if it is tugged by an overenthusiastic toddler.
Prevent Poisoning
Everyone needs to have cleaning products in their home, but it’s important to keep them up high and out of the way of your children. Never put household chemicals in unmarked containers, and ensure that all medications are kept in a securely locked cabinet. Colorful pills and other medicines can look like tempting sweets to small children.
Remember that any guest who enters your home could have medicines or poisons in their handbag, so keep them out of the reach of curious fingers too.
Focus on Fashion
Many parents often remember to baby proof everything in their house, but forget to baby proof the baby too! Itโs important to think about safety when you choose your babyโs clothes. When dressing your baby, donโt choose clothes with drawstrings: they can pose a strangulation risk. Also avoid long bibs in favour of dribble bibs for babies (see here for a great selection that you can order online: funkygiraffebibs.co.uk) if you have a drooling baby that needs to wear a bib all the time: these are much less likely to cause a choking hazard, and are also much more comfortable to wear.
Be Clever With Cables
One of the biggest dangers in your home is the electric cords and cables attached to the many devices most households have in every room: refrigerators, tv sets, toasters, and wall fans all have cables that teething babies love to chew on and play with.ย
Where possible hide electric cables behind larger pieces of furniture, and keep smaller appliances such as toasters and hair dryers unplugged and out of reach.
Worried that you might have missed something? Now is time to get down to your babyโs level. Crawl around each room in your home on your hands and knees and look out for any additional cables and obstacles that you might have missed when standing at a higher level.