Your home is a safe place, right? Well, as much as you think it might be, especially in the midst of a pandemic, there are certain dangers around your home that you wouldn’t necessarily notice or pay particular attention to as an adult. However, for children, they can be fairly harmful and so whether you have a toddler or a young child, it’s important to take steps to secure your home and make it safe for your kids. Here are five tips to kid-proof your home.
Photo Credit: Josh Huskin
Get Rid Of Sharp Edges
Sharp edges can cause a lot of damage if they’re run into it. It’s essential to try and get rid of these where you can, whether it’s buying covers for them or sanding them down. If you’re sanding them down, you’ll need the right equipment to do it properly, and this is a useful reference for buying the best sanding tools to get the job done. If you’d rather go ahead and replace the furniture, then make sure you’re picking out things that are going to be rounded and made out of wood. If you’re picking metal or glass, these can still be dangerous, especially when it comes to glass and how vulnerable it can be to shattering. The last thing you want is broken glass and children nearby. So whether you’re replacing the furniture or finding the right covers to make them safer, make sure you get rid of all the sharp edges around your home by the time your kids start finding their feet and running about.
Put Harmful Things Out Of Reach
There are plenty of harmful things that are around your home, and they’re not necessarily something you’d think were dangerous. Of course, you’ve always got to be wary of using chemicals when cleaning, and it’s always advised you open your windows when using bleach and other chemical-based products around the home. However, it’s an immediate danger if those cleaning products are picking up by a toddler or young child who doesn’t understand the dangers of chemicals. There are more secure measures for these chemicals to ensure your child isn’t opening them as easily as they’d do with food or drink. However, kids are clever, and no cap is going to keep it secure for long. It’s best to store these harmful things out of reach, and that goes for everything else that potentially is dangerous.
Regularly Check Any Alarms
Your alarms certainly need checking as it can only take seconds for an accident to happen in the kitchen. You want to have working fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors that can alert you at a moment’s notice. It’s imperative that you keep checking the batteries to these so that you’re aware of when they need changing. Some of the newer fire alarms and monoxide detectors will actually let you know when the battery is low and will continue to annoy you until you change it. However, if you’ve got older models, you might want to stay on top of checking them or get them replaced for newer ones to save you time and hassle.
Be Active In Locking/Blocking Certain Areas
Just like the chemicals, kids will be exploring the home and picking out anything and everything that they can find. It’s good to be active in locking and blocking off certain areas that you don’t want them accessing. Kitchen cupboards can be a nuisance when you have a toddler pulling everything out and so it’s good to get locks for them if you wanted to stop them from getting into those particular cupboards. There are lots of lock options available online, so make sure you take advantage of them where it’s needed.
Create Safe Spots For Kids To Play
There are things that need doing in and around your home either in the day, evenings or weekends where you might need to take your eyes off the children for a little while. If that’s the case, then make sure they’re in a safe spot so that they can play with you watching over them in the same room preferably. Safe spots can be created throughout your home, and they can be helpful when you need to continue with any daily tasks that can’t wait until your children have gone bed.
Kid-proofing your home is essential, especially when you have young children being so inquisitive or running about. Use these tips to help reduce the number of dangers around your home and to give you as parents, more peace of mind that they’re being kept safe.
XO,
A
P.S. This post is a paid collaboration.
