Ask the Safety Guy: I have a newborn; where and when should I begin my babyproofing?

Dana | Jul 23, 2010 | 0 | Posted in Baby Talk

It is not too early to start making your home safer for both you and your baby.  You are right to recognize that you have several months before your baby becomes mobile enough to get into a lot of trouble, but here are several issues you may want to address right away.

The Basics:  Be sure you have smoke detectors with fresh batteries in each bedroom, in the adjacent hallway and on each level of your home.  Consider obtaining a Carbon Monoxide (CO) monitor as babies, due to their high metabolism, are more susceptible to CO poisoning.  And do not overlook the importance of having a fire extinguisher mounted to the wall on each level of your home and an escape ladder for the second story.  Consider keeping an extra infant carrier with the escape ladder to ease your exit with baby in tow.

Do It Now:  Evaluate your furniture and securely brace to the wall anything that may topple in an earthquake.  Do not overlook dressers and shelves that your toddler may attempt to climb a year or so from now.  Check your water heater temperature setting to ensure it is as low as possible and not greater than 120 degrees.  Finally, make sure your throw rugs have fresh grips beneath them.  Otherwise, a grandparent or babysitter may slip and fall while carrying your baby.  This is also a good time to prepare or purchase your disaster kits that you can supplement with baby supplies and food.

Sooner Rather Than Later:  Technically, you probably do not have to address the safety hazards hidden in your cabinets until your baby is mobile.  However, if you latch your “dangerous” cabinets prior to your child exploring them, you can use a lower cost and more adult-friendly latch.  Latches installed after a child has explored the cabinets need to be much more sophisticated in order to be effective.  Door stops with removable caps (choke hazard) are one of the first things an infant will discover and thus they should be removed or replaced with one piece units.  Electrical outlets are the next potentially hazardous fascination (using the sliding plate covers rather than the old-fashioned push-in plugs).  

Think About Your Guests:  Many of us experience an influx of guests and visitors upon becoming parents.  Many of these guests may also have young children, so you may want to accelerate the installation of some safety features (i.e. gates, pool fencing, etc.) to facilitate safe and stress free visits.  And do not forget about Grandma and Grandpa.  Adding railings on the stairs or grab bars in the guest bathroom with ensure a safe stay for them as well.

In summary, my advice to you is to get started right away with the above referenced tasks as soon as possible.  But while you are at it, enjoy and savor this time as much as possible as the days of laying your baby on a blanket (and her actually staying there) are so special and too short-lived. Then at the first signs of mobility, jump into high gear to create a safe environment for your little to explore, grow and learn.

Submit your questions to pros@homesafety.net.  Martin Simenc, The Safety Guy, is the President of Home Safety Services, Inc., the Bay Area’s largest and highest rated baby proofing company.
They can be reached at 1-888-388-3811 or www.homesafety.net

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