05 Jan Childproofing 101

When it comes to childproofing your home, “better safe than sorry” is the ultimate motto.

Healthychildren.org reminds us that “most poisonings occur when parents or caregivers are home but not paying attention.” Maybe in an ideal world, we could devote all of our time and attention to our growing, inquisitive bundles of joy. But laundry needs to be done, meals need to be made, errands need to be run, and parents need to shower sometimes, too. As a result, there will be times when your child may be briefly left unattended, and thoroughly childproofing your home will make sure your child stays safe when that happens.

That being said, here are five tips to help you in the childproofing process.

Five Childproofing Tips

1. Pay close attention to “under the sink” areas. While you should be weary of all cabinet space accessible to children, we’re specifically referring to the bathroom and the kitchen. Often, cleaning supplies and personal hygiene products are stored here, and we don’t need to tell you that these products can be deadly to your child. Invest in child safety locks—or even better, move all of these products up and out of reach altogether.
2. Add the Poison Control phone number to your contact list in your phone (the number is 1-800-222-1222). We hope you’ll never have to use it, but if anything ever does happen, you will save valuable time by already having the number in your phone instead of having to Google it.
3. The earlier you start, the better. If you wait to childproof your home until your child is already scooting here and there, you’ll probably be so busy chasing your baby around the house that you’ll miss something in the childproofing process. Start childproofing while your baby is still an infant, before they start moving and getting into everything. Taking care of this sooner rather than later will give you peace of mind when your child starts becoming more mobile (and you’ll probably do a more thorough job since you won’t be distracted by an agile baby).
4. Remember that it’s a process, not a one-time deal. It would be so nice if we could childproof once and be done, but if we’re being honest, childproofing is a constant thing. As children grow, they find creative ways of getting places they haven’t gone before. Childproofing means outsmarting your kiddo in this regard, and as they get older, you’ll have to up your game.
5. See the world from your baby’s point of view. We mean this literally. Sit on the ground so that you can see exactly what your baby sees and look for potential hazards. There’s a significant difference between our line of sight and that of our child, so if we’re only childproofing what we can see from our grown-up point of view, we’re bound to miss something.

For more information on the web, visit healthychildren.org or aap.org. If you have questions or would like to discuss any concerns you have regarding childproofing your home, you can schedule an appointment with me, Dr. Kathryn Mandal, by calling 817-617-8600 or scheduling online at continuumtx.com.