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Baby Proofing Your Home

<>Before you bring that little bundle of joy home from the hospital, carefully consider how you will start baby proofing your home. By baby proofing your home, you will avoid messy and dangerous mishaps that can happen in the blink of an eye.

Start by holding a family meeting to talk about what it is like to have a new baby in the home. If there are other children in your home, talk about the changes that are likely to occur in your daily routines. Focus on the joys of a new life and a new member of your family and talk about different ways each member of the family can help. This is a great way to lead into a discussion about baby proofing your home.

At first you will only need to assure your new baby has a clean, warm and loving environment in which to grow and learn. Talk about what newborn infants can and cannot consume and about the safety of its cradle or crib, its clothing and its needs. Explain that newborn babies mostly sleep and eat, but as your family's baby grows, it will begin to explore its world and every member of the family will have to be on the lookout for potential hazards.

It's not necessary to frighten other family members by detailing all of the horrors that can occur when a home is not safe for baby. During your family discussion talk about the activities of babies that scoot, crawl and walk.

Ask your children what they think they can do to facilitate the process of baby proofing. Explain that babies explore mostly with their tiny fingers and their mouths at first. Babies love to taste EVERYTHING! Some potential hazards are small toys and objects on the floor that baby will want to taste. Show the other children in the family some different objects that could cause baby to choke such as marbles, candy wrappers, Lincoln Logs and pencil erasers. They might not taste great, but babies will want to tuck them in their tiny cheeks as if they were tasty treats.

Identify other potential hazards in the process of baby proofing your home. Talk about electrical cords and uncovered outlets. Make a plan to purchase outlet covers throughout pregnancy so each outlet is safely locked away from baby's little fingers.

Look for cupboards and nooks and cranies that could contain harmful chemicals. The best solution when baby proofing your home is to put all cleaning chemicals, medications and other harmful elements out of baby's reach. If that's not possible, buy approved cupboard locks and make sure each member of the family old enough to have access understands that the locks must be closed and fastened to protect baby.

Baby proofing your home can be a fun family affair and a great way to pass the time while family members wait in great anticipation for that snuggly bundle to finally arrive!

Article Published: Thursday 19th April 2007