Having a baby is exciting, but it comes with huge responsibilities that relate to child safety. If you are a pregnant mom and this is your first baby, you will need to consider just how baby proof your home is. Even before your baby starts to crawl, you need to be sure that the infant is safe, particularly when you bath and change its nappies.
Baby proofing a house isn’t rocket science, but children are inquisitive and can get themselves into trouble in seconds. This means parents and child carers must be vigilant.
Basic Child Safety Tips
Elements of child safety are varied, but they mostly relate to keeping the child out of harm’s way. For example:
- Bath water should never be too hot because a baby’s sensitive skin can be easily burned. You might enjoy a piping hot bath, but it should be at blood temperature for a baby. Do a wrist test to check the temperature.
- A baby can drown in even the smallest volume of water, so never leave an infant or young child unsupervised in a tub or near water. This includes not only swimming pools and ponds but also the toilet!
- Poisons and toxic products, including medicine and household cleaners, should be kept out of reach of children. Store these in cabinets where children can’t reach them and keep the cabinets locked.
- Children should be protected from stairs and prevented access to any high vantage point from which they might fall. Baby gates are the best baby proofing option here.
- Keep windows closed unless they are burglar-proofed with bars or an expandable device that a child won’t be able to fit through. A Window Warden is the perfect child proof window accessory.
- Children should be protected from gaining access to anything that might burn them including hot irons, heaters, and open fireplaces – including indoor or outdoor barbecue units. If you have an open fireplace, install a hearth guard.
- Protect children from accessing electrical outlets by fitting outlet covers or safety plugs. Also, keep appliances like hairdryers, toasters, and irons unplugged and out of reach.
- Don’t leave babies alone with pets. Cats love to snuggle next to something warm and have been known to smother babies. Dogs bite, not necessarily because they are vicious, but also in self-defense. So if a little person sticks its fingers in a dog’s eyes, or tries to take food away from it, there could be trouble. A good solution is to install pet gates to prevent dogs entering your baby’s domain.
The Role of Baby Gates for Child Safety
Good quality, well-designed baby gates are the best way to prevent young children and toddlers from gaining access to areas of the house that harbor danger or where there might be risks. Whether you want to stop the child from accessing a passage that leads to an open-plan kitchen, prevent him from trying to go up or down stairs, or from getting into the backyard, baby gates are the answer.
Cardinal Gates produces a range of baby gates and pet gates that have been designed with child safety in mind. Some are designed to be wall mounted, while others are pressure mounted. Heights are variable, but all can be installed quickly and easily, with minimal drilling and screwing.
If you are a pregnant mom and haven’t considered installing baby gates or pet gates to maximize child safety in your home, contact Cardinal Gates or order products online at cardinalgates.com
