How To Baby Proof Your New Home

Both moving and having a baby can be life-changing experiences. If you have actually moved with a new baby, then you also need to realize that new home may need some adjustments or 'baby-proofing.' After all, you want to keep the little one safe and far away from any potential hazards. It really only takes a little knowledge and preparation in order to baby proof your new home after a move.

• Get Down On Their Level: Once the little tyke starts crawling is when things get really interesting. At this point, basically, anything left on the floor is fair game and a strong possibility to be placed in his or her mouth.The best way to ensure safety is by actually getting down on their level and seeing what they will see. Yes, literally get on your hands and knees. Look for anything that might be a problem, including nails or items protruding from wooden floors, any stray wires, and other small objects. All electrical outlets should obviously be properly protected.
• Cover Sharp Corners, Edges: As the crawler becomes a developing Walker, things become even more interesting. Now, not only are things on the floor a possible danger but so is everything that might have sharp edges and corners. This includes rectangular tables, which can be protected with soft foam safety guards. If your baby should bump their head, there will be no problem. Plus, these guards are usually removable and reusable.
• Baby Gates: The baby gate is an essential piece of equipment that will block the baby's progress to the stairs. In fact, you can be very strategic in your positioning of baby gates to help control exactly which areas your child will have access to.Gates come in two basic forms. Hardware gates are safer and more secure, but they are also actually drilled and installed into the wall. This does make them difficult to remove. A pressure gate should be used cautiously. While they will be most effective at ground level, be careful of using these for any upper stairs. Even the small weight of your baby could be enough to topple the gate over.
• Lock & Secure All Cabinets: Cabinet locks are an investment that you must make as well. The little one is going to get their hands into everything possible, and they LOVE opening cabinets. There are quite a number of options here, including locks that drill into the cabinet doors or attach with magnets and even those using some type of adhesive. More simply, consider tying the handles together to prevent them from opening.Also, remove any and all toxic chemicals and cleaning items from cabinets that might be at the baby's level. Place them in higher cabinets where the little one has no chance of getting at them.
• Secure Windows Believe it or not, this is very often overlooked. It is always better to be safe than sorry, so just go ahead and secure all windows. Not only that, but make sure windows are never left open and unguarded near anything they might be able to reach by climbing up on something else. Also, move their crib and any other pieces of furniture far away from any windows.