Seeing your baby grow and develop is a source of huge joy for any parent.
But it can also be anxiety-inducing as they take to their feet and start to explore the world around them.
A few cuts and bruises are the norm as your child becomes mobile.
But you want to save them from serious harm or injury, so baby-proofing your home will be necessary.
Toddler-proofing your home
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It's a good idea to crawl around your home so you can see the house through the eyes of your child. Then you'll be able to more easily identify the hazards.
To prevent serious injury, and to protect your valuables, here are 12 top tips to toddler-proof your home.
- Window locks: You can invest in relatively inexpensive locks for your windows to keep your child safe. It's also important to keep chairs, beds and benches away from windows so they can't climb up
- Curtains: Buy curtains instead of blinds as the chords on blinds are a choking hazard
- Bed rail: After your toddler has moved out of their cot, put a temporary safety rail on their bed to stop them falling out
- Socket covers: Buy the plastic covers for all your electric sockets to stop little fingers poking inside
- Oven door guard: A transparent oven door guard can stop burns
- Adjust your thermostat: And/or water heater so that your hot water doesn’t go above 120 degrees Fahrenheit
- Cleaning products: Move all bleaches and cleaning products to cupboards that are high up and out of reach
- Pool cover: A large cover is essential when you have kids to avoid anyone falling in
- Stair gate: Use these to keep little ones away from stairs and even out of certain rooms
- Furniture corner covers: Safety guards can be fixed to any sharp corners
- Cupboard locks: Buy temporary locks for all cupboards within reach of little hands. You can also get some for your toilet seats
- Free-standing furniture: It's advisable to affix free-standing furniture like bookcases, dressers and shoe-racks to the wall to avoid toppling accidents.