In any household, a new baby is an exciting event. Every stage of development during this time seems to fly by, and before you know it, your child will be roaming around the entire house, grabbing at everything in sight.
For this reason one of the main pieces of advice for young parents is to plan ahead for their little one’s adventures, and begin childproofing the house early. Even though most children do not start walking until they turn one, according to Parenting magazine, each child’s development varies, with some children taking their first steps earlier, and others only starting to waddle around after 18 months.
At any of these ages, it is important to get the house ready with wall outlet covers, glass table corner guards, finger pinch guards, and blind cord winders to get the long cord out of the way. In addition to these more common babyproofing tactics, there are others you may not have considered.
- Grip Knob. The day will come when your toddler will be tall enough to reach doorknobs. While a beginning walker may not be able to stand tall enough to touch it, as children watch parents open and close doors, they will quickly pick up how a knob works. To prevent your child from attempting to open the door, you can buy a grip knob cover. These are typically plastic, and require grasping the cover with its easy-to-grip holes. Because this contraption is bulkier and it covers the majority of the knob, toddlers have a hard time wrapping their smaller hands around it.
- Bath Spout Cover. Most parents know that they should never leave their child in the bathtub unattended. This could lead to drowning, which is more common that you might realize, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the highest drowning rate is attributed to children between the ages of one and four. But not enough attention is placed on other dangers a tub presents. The spout is almost always made of metal, and has sharp edges that can easily scratch or scar the soft skin on a baby’s head. By putting a rubber cover on the spout, you can protect your child from these accidents.
- Toilet Locks. The name of these gadgets speak for themselves. Toddlers have a habit of opening everything in sight, and that includes the toilet. They may stick their hands in there, either trying to play with the water, or even worse, lifting a few drops to their lips. It may not seem as important as proofing your cabinets, but could be the best advice for young parents if they want to stop their child from reaching into potentially the dirtiest possible water source in the house.
All three of these babyproofing tools are relatively inexpensive with grip knobs costing about $4 a piece, spout covers about $12 depending on the design, and toilet locks a mere $6 or $7. By following these snippets of advice for young parents, and scouring every corner of the house for potential dangers, you will be on your way to making your baby’s ascension into childhood safer than ever.