Help For Baby-Proofing Your Home

I'm not a parent, but I was that kid who would do pretty much anything she wasn't supposed to. Getting into drawers, trying to play in the litter box (ewww!!!), putting my head in between the slats in the stairwell...you name it. I came out of childhood relatively unscathed (note the word 'relatively'), but I'm sure my parents would rather not have had the heart attacks my many accidents gave them. :) If you're having a child or going to have a little one visiting frequently, here are some suggestions for baby-proofing your home. A lot of these are things you've already done for the rest of your family, so you're farther along than you think.

-Make a list of emergency numbers to keep near your phone or in another clearly-visible spot. The obvious ones are 911, Poison control and your obstetrician, but you might also want to keep the numbers of some relatives and friends in case you have an emergency and need a quick sitter.

-Attach 'child-proof' closures on all drawers and cabinets you do not want a toddler to get into. Believe it or not, they don't have to be ugly. My in-laws used a set of magnets that you couldn't see from the outside, and I've tied my cabinets shut with colored scarves.

-If you have cats, either keep the litter box out of your child's reach or get a top-entry model. A two-year-old doesn't always know the difference between a sandbox that you play in and one that your cat uses to...well, you know.

-Set your hot water heater to 120 F or less. That way, you don't have to worry about accidentally scalding your child.

-I never thought of this before, but try to find a lock for your toilet lid. I know that sounds strange since we've probably all had situations where the last thing we needed was a lock on the toilet, but it prevents a baby or toddler from playing in the toilet and possibly drowning.

-If you are planning on getting any new furniture, make sure it doesn't have any sharp edges. For the things you already have, many stores sell 'edge blunters' that you can put on the corners of your tables, shelves, fireplaces etc that you can easily install and remove so you don't have to permanently alter your furniture.

-This sounds obvious, but keep any electrical appliances out of reach and unplugged when not in use. My nephew once pulled a hair dryer down onto his head by grabbing a dangling cord and, while he wasn't permanently hurt, it is definitely not something you'd want to happen to your child.

-Either use cordless blinds and curtains or wrap the cords out of reach. In addition to being a strangling hazard, it's possible for a set of blinds to fall down if a cord is tugged too hard.

-Make sure slats in cribs and staircases are less than three inches apart so that your child can't get their heads caught between them. Sure, putting butter or olive oil on the child's head to slide it out works in the movies, but real life is not so simple!

-This also sounds obvious, but make sure any floor fans you use are 'covered'! If you still have that oscillating fan with the broken screen, either find some way to keep the screen on (tape works) or keep it out of reach. I don't know about you, but I once tried to stop a fan with my hand and let's just say it wasn't pretty. I know that was kind of a stupid thing to do, but I was four. Give me a break! :)

Now you have a few tips for child-proofing your home. Hopefully your child won't be as accident-prone as I was, but it's good to prepare just in case.