The joy of parenthood is quickly overcome by a sense of responsibility. Having a child at home can be very exciting for every parent. A lot of new parents forget to childproof their houses or if they do, they miss a couple of things here and there. Who can blame them? The months leading up to a child’s birth are no child’s play (no pun intended). Children unlike adults don’t know any better and as parents/guardians it is our job to provide them a childproof safe environment. Things we often overlook as adults can be dangerous to a child. Given below is a checklist to ensure your home is safe for children.

1) Keep household chemicals out of reach: We often keep household chemicals like floor cleaner, phenyl, dishwasher liquid etc… in the lower cabinets. They need to be moved to higher cabinets, and out of the child’s reach.

Tip: Alternatively you could lock your cabinets to ensure your child cannot access them.

2) Cushion furniture corners: As adults we have a sense of our surrounding (well some of us still run into the table occasionally but that’s a topic for another day). Children could easily hurt themselves on table corners, bed edges and other such places. It’s a good idea to cushion these to help prevent any accidents by childproof.

A quick search on ebay can get you many corner guards like these.

3) Install Safety Nets: Apartments and Villaments in Bangalore are on the rise. Parents living in houses that are either in the first floor or higher need to make sure they put some kind of childproof safety nets in their balconies.

4) Keep breakable pieces out of the child’s reach: Items like costly electronics, showpieces etc… should be moved to the back, towards the wall and if they are standing on a piece of furniture that can be easily pushed over, both the breakable piece and the furniture need to be moved.

5) Keep medicines in locked cabinets: There’s a lot of medication given to the children during the early years and some parents themselves use regular medication. All of these should be stored in locked cabinets. If children have access them, accidental overdose could lead to serious problems.

6) Cover Electrical Outlets: This prevents children from accidentally sticking fingers or objects into them.

7) Install Door Stoppers: If the house you live in does not have door stoppers, it is advisable to get them installed. Children can easily get their fingers or toes stuck under moving doors.

While some of these guidelines might seem unnecessary or even outrageous to someone, they by no means are to be taken lightly. Remember, “It’s better to be safe than sorry!”

As parents having a child at home can make us happy and at the same time concerned for their safety. By taking some of the steps mentioned here we can ensure we spend less time being concerned and more time being happy with our children!

Happy parenting from all of us at Habitat Ventures! 🙂