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The approaching due date of your baby means that you need to start looking at your home in a whole new light. Babies and toddlers are naturally curious, so is your home full of lurking dangers? There are hundreds of childproofing gadgets out there that can help to keep your baby safe from everyday harm, but you still need to be ever vigilant for possible dangers. Don’t wait until there is a problem before you find a solution; with a little careful planning and some necessary tools, you can make your home ready for when your baby is ready to explore.

Preventing Falls

Falls are one of the most common causes of injuries in babies and young children in the home, so here are some ways to prevent them from happening:

1. Use safety gates and doors to keep your baby from crawling to places he shouldn’t be, and especially make sure you have one at the top of every flight of stairs.

2. Always tidy up clutter on the floor around stairwells so that there are no tripping accidents. Similarly, always remove or repair damaged or worn carpet in the home if it could pose a tripping hazard. Ensure that stairwells are always well lit and that the banisters don’t have any climbing footholds.

3. Put non-slip pads under rugs and mats.

4. Attach some sort of cushion on corners and edges in the house. They may not prevent a fall, but they can lessen the likelihood of serious injury should a fall occur.

Protecting Fingers

Power point covers are a great way to prevent your child from sticking his fingers or other objects into the power point, and to prevent your child from plugging in appliances that may be dangerous, such as hair straighteners. Be aware of other features that could pinch fingers, like hinges, ironing boards and deckchairs, and consider buying hinge protectors. Don’t forget about everyday objects that may be sharp and dangerous for tiny digits, such as pens, scissors, letter openers, staplers, paper clips and so on.

Keep the Air Clean

In every home, there are less obvious dangers that can’t be seen, such as harmful toxins and chemicals floating around in the air. Airborne toxins come from many sources, such as paints, carpets and commercial cleaners, so you should try to prevent these chemicals from building up in your home and potentially making your baby sick. To rid your air of harmful pollutants, you can periodically open windows, use natural paints and cleaners, and place some plants and flowers around the home, which act to clean the air.

Other Hazards

1. When you drop anything into the rubbish bin, think about it as a potential hazard. If you are discarding batteries, paper clips, plastic bags or any other potentially dangerous items, place them out of your baby’s reach.

2. Hide appliance cords behind furniture or conceal them with a special flex-holder device. Make sure to anchor tall lamps and remove anything else that could topple over.

3. Keep a fire extinguisher handy, as even the smallest fire can spread quickly and threaten your child’s safety.