Babies can be fun around the house, but as they grow and develop remarkably, so does their urge and curiosity to explore their immediate environment and the world around them.
From those adorable gurgles to the first attempts at crawling, every milestone brings a sense of pride and amazement.
While these changes may signify precious moments of development for babies, it’s also a cause for concern about their well-being, one of which is creating a safe and nurturing living environment for them.
Babies can’t identify dangers around the home, such as sharp objects, unstable furniture, etc.
They also don’t know they’re restricted from specific areas like the home office and delicate equipment.
This is why you must protect them from their inexperience by creating a safe living space for them and restricting their access to certain areas by babyproofing your home.
That said, we want to guide you step-by-step on babyproofing your home in just 16 weeks from today.
We will take it slow, telling you what to do from the first week to the sixteenth.
From accessing your home to identify potential hazards and safeguarding electrical outlets to padding sharp edges, each step you take every week will mitigate potential risks and create a safe living space for your baby.
Baby-proofing Your Home By 16 Weeks From Today: The Breakdown
Week 1-4: Home Assessment
- Identify Potential Hazards In Each Room:
To protect your child at home, you must first identify any threats. This includes sharp edges, shaky furniture, hazy surfaces, electrical cables, and fireplaces.
Infants and toddlers’ frequent home accidents include falls, burns, poisoning, drowning, choking, furniture turned over, and smothering while sleeping.
Understanding these risks can help you decide how to baby-proof your home to minimize these risks.
Additionally, it offers confidence that you may enjoy your infant without worrying about security difficulties at home.
- Take Note Of Developmental Stages:
Your child will become much more skilled at picking up, holding, and manipulating objects as they become much more mobile, rolling, scooting, crawling, or even pulling themselves to a standing posture.
Babyproofing is necessary since your tiny explorer won’t be able to recognize hazards like a hot stove, sharp items, or unstable furniture.Â
You must keep an eye on your child’s new development and understand how to deal with the challenges that come with these phases.
Week 5-6: Essential Installations
- Set Up Safety Gates In Key Areas:Â
Having safety gates is especially crucial if your home has stairs. Falls from stairs are the main reason for visits to the emergency room in children under two years old.
The top and bottom of the stairs should have safety gates installed, but the top is the most crucial location.
Remember that any gate you purchase must be no less than 22 inches tall and have a minimum 3-inch gap between the bottom of the gate and the ground.
The gate you purchase should be at least three-quarters as tall as your child to deter an adventurous child from climbing over it.
Pressure-mounted gates, also known as wall-mounted gates, must be more adequately secure to stop collapses.
In houses where children under the age of two live, install gates. Take down the gates when the child reaches two or when they can climb over them or open them on their own.
- Secure Furniture And Appliances:
You should consider furniture anchoring because children can be seriously injured by heavy or tall furniture.
Any heavy objects should be held in place by being anchored to the wall, whether in the dining room, nursery, or living room.
Furniture anchors can readily stop childhood injuries. So that your little sweetheart can continue to attempt to scale any surface safely, use two anchors and make sure they are screwed into the wall studs.
Week 7-8: Electrical and Sleep Safety
- Cover Every Electrical Outlet:
About 2,400 kids receive treatment yearly for burns and shocks from messing with electrical outlets.
That equates to around seven kids every day. What’s more, roughly 12 kids die from these injuries every year.
It’s crucial to baby-proof your electrical outlets because doing so could save your child’s life.
When preventing a baby from using an electrical outlet, you have a few options: Plug-in plastic coverings made of plastic.
You can utilize This cost-effective choice by plugging it in. Infants will have difficulty removing the covers because they fit tightly inside the outlet.
Taping over outlets that aren’t in use if you need an instant fix for your outlets or would want a cheap, temporary fix while you hunt for outlet covers is also a good idea. Every low-lying outlet in the home should be covered by one roll.
- Create A Safe Sleep Environment:
Families are advised to share a room with the infant until they turn one. Fitted sheets should be used with a firm mattress in a separate sleeping area.
Remove all additional bedding, including blankets, cushions, bumpers, and any clutter, such as plush toys and stuffed animals. It shouldn’t be too warm in the room.
Week 9-10: Kitchen and Bathroom
- Child-proof Kitchen Cabinets And Appliances:
One effective approach to child-proof kitchen cabinets is to use rubber bands on the cabinet doors.
To keep curious children out, you can wrap tight rubber bands, hair ties, or rubber bracelets around the cabinet handles or knobs instead of one of the many plastic safety locks.
You can even consider installing a baby lock on the door to baby-proof your refrigerator and oven. Protect the stove. Use knob covers to ensure your child can’t turn the knobs on the gas stove.
To keep hot objects out of your child’s reach, turn pot handles toward the back of the stove or utilize the back burners.
- Implement Bathroom Safety Measures:
To avoid the following unintended injuries, it is advised that all bathrooms be child-proofed, including your newborn may drown because, compared to the rest of their body, the size of their head impairs balance.
A toddler cannot get out of a toilet after falling in head first. Another important consideration is bacterial poisoning.
When his hands come in contact with toilet water, your infant will likely contract bacteria.
Another issue to consider is chemical poisoning. We aim to prevent kids from drinking or touching toilet water that contains a potent cleanser.
Week 11-12: Living Area and Play Zones
- Anchor Heavy Furniture Securely:
Buy furniture with sturdy bases or wide legs. Install drawer stops on each one to prevent drawers from being opened past two-thirds.
Put heavy objects on shelves that are close to the ground. Use safety straps or L-brackets to fasten furniture to the wall.
- Designate Safe Play Areas:
A playpen is a tiny, straightforward example of a child-safe play area. A backyard fence is a larger one.
The play area should not include water features or drowning dangers, but it should have toys and other playthings to make it a pleasurable place for kids to play.
Week 13-14: Emergency Readiness
- Assemble A Comprehensive First Aid Kit:
To treat common injuries, including cuts, scrapes, bruises, sprains, and more, a first aid kit is a box, bag, or other container that contains all the necessary tools.
Advanced first aid packs may include extra conveniences like water, food, blankets, local maps, and emergency survival supplies.
Saline nasal drops (AAP-approved in place of cough and cold medications) should be included in a baby’s first aid kit.
Sterile gauze and petroleum jelly (for circumcision treatment) clippers for baby nails. Simethicone baby gas drops, which have AAP approval, or gripe water.
- Learn Infant CPR And Basic First Aid:
Do the following to carry out CPR on an infant:
Step 1: Grasp the breastbone just below the nipple line with two fingers of one hand.
Step 2: At a rate of 100 to 120 beats per minute, push straight down for about 1.5 inches (4 cm).
Step 3: After each compression, allow the chest to return to its natural posture.
This is just a typical breakdown of the process. You can learn more here.
Week 15-16: Final Checks and Adjustments
- Ensure All Measures Are In Place:
Create a system that helps your baby stay secure and gives you the necessary peace you deserve.
- Make Necessary Adjustments As The Baby Grows:
Keep observant and know when to modify and restructure your methods.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)Â
How Do I Identify Potential Hazards In My Home During The Assessment Phase?
Reviewing your baby’s accident and illness records can detect less evident threats.
Consider non-routine actions like upkeep, cleaning, or adjustments to production cycles. Consider health risks, including manual labor, chemical use, and stress-related factors at work.
What Are The Key Areas To Install Safety Gates?
Before the child becomes six months old, install gates at the top and bottom of all stairways and in the spaces between rooms.
Use only gates that are mounted to hardware at the stairwell apex. Pressure-mounted gates, also called wall-only gates, need to be more secure.
How Can I Secure Furniture And Appliances Effectively?Â
Your child-proofing routine may include installing latches, gates, and table bumpers; that’s fine, but don’t stop there.
To prevent furniture-related tip-over injuries in the first place, mounts and anchors should be used to secure furniture and other flimsy objects.
Are There Any Alternatives To Covering All Electrical Outlets?Â
The only alternative is to always keep a close eye on them so you can monitor their every move, which is quite stressful, so it’s best to save yourself the stress and cover those spots.
How Can I Child-proof The Kitchen And Bathroom?Â
One effective approach to child-proof kitchen cabinets is to use rubber bands on the cabinet doors.
To keep curious children out, you can wrap tight rubber bands, hair ties, or rubber bracelets around the cabinet handles or knobs instead of one of the many plastic safety locks.
You can even consider installing a baby lock on the door to baby-proof your refrigerator and oven. Protect the stove. Use knob covers to ensure your child can’t turn the knobs on the gas stove.
To keep hot objects out of your child’s reach, turn the pot handles toward the back of the stove or utilize the back burner.
What Are Some Considerations For Setting Up Safe Play Areas?
The play area should not include water features or drowning dangers, but it should have toys and other playthings to make it a pleasurable place for kids to play.
What Should Be Included In A Comprehensive First Aid Kit?Â
A first aid kit is a box, bag, or other container that contains all the necessary tools.
Advanced first aid packs may include extra conveniences like water, food, blankets, local maps, and emergency survival supplies.
Saline nasal drops (AAP-approved in place of cough and cold medications) should be included in a baby’s first aid kit.
Sterile gauze and petroleum jelly (for circumcision treatment) clippers for baby nails. Simethicone baby gas drops, which have AAP approval, or gripe water.
Where Can I Learn Infant CPR And Basic First Aid?
Here is one of the best places to learn about infant CPR and basic first aid.
What Adjustments Should I Make As My Baby Grows?Â
Each developmental phase will show different characteristics and growth levels as your child grows.
The best way to know possible adjustments is by studying your child and learning the potential hazard associated with that phase and how to handle it.
Conclusion
Conclusively, child-proofing your home is essential because of the peace of mind associated with it and also giving your child a safe environment to play in without injuries.
Ensure you create an environment that helps secure your child from trauma or injuries.Â
We hope you found this content helpful. Thanks for reading.