Having a baby is happiness for the whole family. Many modern parents do not believe in prejudice, and even before the baby is born, they begin to acquire a dowry for him. One of the most important tasks of mom and dad is not only to buy all the necessary accessories for caring for the baby, but also to ensure the safety of the child at home.
A cozy house is fraught with a lot of dangers for the baby
At first glance, it seems that the average housing of a prosperous family is ideal for a child. Now try to imagine how the baby behaves in the first years of life, and look at his own house through the eyes of his little resident. In any apartment there is a mass of furniture with sharp corners, drawers of cabinets and doors at any time are ready to painfully pinch small fingers. Where do you store medicines, household chemicals, cosmetics, and other potentially dangerous items? Few people think about such trifles before the birth of the baby. But if you do not take care of how to ensure the safety of the child at home, the likelihood of unpleasant incidents after his appearance will increase significantly.
Preparing for the appearance of the child in the house
Many families make repairs in the apartment where the baby will live. And this is a great opportunity to equip the room in the most suitable way for the child. Move the electrical outlets higher, preferably closer to the middle of the walls. But the switches should, on the contrary, be positioned low enough so that a 3-5 year old child can reach them on their own. For decorative decoration, choose environmentally friendly and safe materials. It is also advisable that the walls and floor are easy to clean. Try before the birth of the child to solve the issue of organizing the storage of things in the house. On the lower tier of cabinets and chests of drawers, in the reach of the baby, place safe objects - for example, clothes, shoes and unbreakable dishes. All the most dangerous - sharp and sharp objects, chemical compounds (including cosmetics and medicines), small household appliances - it is better to store at the eye level of an adult. Examining each thing, try to assess the degree of its danger to the baby. A harmless, from the point of view of an adult, a plastic bag or scarf can harm the child during games. This also applies to small items - boxes with buttons, vases with decorative pebbles must be removed from the reach of the baby.
Who needs a baby monitor: device description and owner reviews
Many manufacturers of children's goods are thinking about how to make the house safer for the baby. One of the latest innovations in recent years is the baby monitor. This is a baby watch device. Point the camera at the area where the child is sleeping or playing, and feel free to go to any other room. You can watch the baby in real time. Sounds tempting, doesn't it? But is a baby monitor really so good? Reviews of mothers who have tried this device personally differ. Many parents find a high-tech assistant very helpful. The actual use of a video nanny in large houses and apartments. Putting the baby to sleep, you can go to any of the rooms, constantly watching him. In this case, the mother will not have to worry about the baby waking up, and his crying will not be heard. The baby monitor reviews are negative among parents living in small apartments. This device does not make sense to acquire those whose home consists of less than 4 rooms. In small apartments, you can usually always hear the baby crying without special appliances.
Safety rules for babies
The first weeks of a newborn's life are a fairly calm time for his parents. The child sleeps for a longer time, during his waking hours, feeding and hygiene procedures are carried out. But soon you have to think about how well the child’s safety at home is ensured. As soon as the baby learns to roll over on its own and begins to master the art of crawling, he should not be left alone in the room for a second. At about 6 months, you can purchase a playpen. Be prepared for the fact that very soon the baby will become bored often being in such a limited space. And this means that it's time for a child to walk on the floor of the apartment. To begin with, it makes sense to allocate one room to the baby. You can use special fences for doorways.
Creating an enabling environment for young researchers
As soon as the child begins to move freely on the floor of the apartment, it's time to once again verify compliance with housing safety rules. Even if the baby only learns to walk and crawls more often, make sure that he cannot get to potentially dangerous objects. Purchase and install childproof lockers. Check the stability of furniture, get rid of flimsy interior items or strengthen them. Cabinet cabinets, bedside tables and tables often have sharp corners. One of the easiest and cheapest ways to smooth them is to purchase protective corners for furniture. You can also neutralize any sharp elements in the interior by gluing pieces of foam rubber to them on a double-sided tape. Regularly sort out the baby's toys, if something is broken, throw it away without hesitation. All children enjoy playing with their mom’s personal belongings or household items. It is possible to give a child to play with something from adult objects only after making sure of their safety. Try to always watch the baby, even if he plays alone.
Everything is locked!
A significant danger for children under three years of age is the interior doors. Take care of installing the clips. Budget option for protecting children's fingers - special soft pads. Such devices should be placed in the upper part of the door leaf so that the baby does not remove them on their own. If interior doors have locks, lock them if possible. Latches are best removed or moved as high as possible. A useful purchase is plugs for sockets. These plastic devices are quite inexpensive. At the same time, the plugs reliably protect babies who want to get to know the electric current better. Doors of cabinets and drawers should be fixed with special devices, which you can buy in assortment at any children's store. If your apartment has rooms in which the child should not be, use door locks or special fences. Be sure to check the reliability of window fittings. If it seems to you that the child can open the window on his own, use furniture locks as well.
Minimalism in the interior - a guarantee of child safety
While the baby is small, it is better to remove most of the decorative interior items. Floor vases, souvenir figurines and other little things placed on tables, cabinets or directly on the floor should be folded into boxes and hidden. It will be useful to leave tables without tablecloths, as many children are not able to resist the temptation to pull a beautiful napkin off the tabletop. Books are best kept in lockers. If you have high racks or shelves, make sure nothing falls on them from the child. Many parents believe that a children's hat-helmet is the best addition to the baby’s home suit. Indeed, such equipment will protect real fidgets, accustomed to demolish everything in their path.
Safety in the bathroom
It makes sense to keep the bathroom and toilet rooms always closed until the child learns to use the plumbing on his own (4-6 years). If the bathroom floor is tiled, be sure to put
rubber mats on it
. It is useful to purchase a special litter for the bath itself. Never leave your baby while bathing alone, even for one minute. What devices are not offered to us today in order to ensure the safety of the child at home. You can even purchase a set of special clips that protect the taps from children's pens. If the bathroom has furniture with doors, do not forget to block them.
The kitchen is the most dangerous place in the apartment
According to statistics, babies receive the greatest number of domestic injuries in the kitchen. Here you can prick with a fork or cut yourself with a knife, knock over boiling water or drop something heavy. The greatest danger to the baby is household appliances. Be sure to purchase a gas shield. This device covers the work surface from three sides. Large household appliances: dishwasher, microwave should be closed using door locks. Get these cooktop guards if you have an oven. Be sure to turn off small household appliances from outlets; it is advisable to store them in a place inaccessible to the baby. Shattering utensils, cutting and pricking objects in the kitchen should be kept locked. Do not forget to clean dangerous products every time: vinegar, bitter and spicy sauces, alcohol, spices.
We equip the nursery in accordance with all the rules
The first piece of furniture that belongs personally to the child is his crib. At three years old, most parents decide to organize a more adult sleeping place for the baby. If the new bed does not have protective walls, we recommend that you purchase a special limiter for it. This simple device will not allow the baby to fall to the floor in a dream. In the children's room, be sure to use the locks of the cabinet doors and plugs for outlets. Wires from household appliances are best removed from the floor. In children's rooms of very young children it is not recommended to place potted plants, cages with pets and aquariums. For games, allocate enough space on the floor, cover it with a soft carpet. If your kid loves active games, often falls and bumps, you will surely like the children's hat-helmet. This is a protective headgear that will protect the child from injury.
How to talk about home dangers to children of different ages?
Talking about the safety of the house and outside the apartment with a child follows from a very early age. For children under 2 years old, it is enough to briefly remind you that “you can’t” touch something, briefly explaining the reason. As soon as the child celebrates his second birthday, conversations about safety and rules of conduct should become more serious. Tell your baby that you can’t put inedible objects in your mouth without touching scissors, needles or knives without asking. Prohibitions should also apply to electrical outlets and appliances. The rules of home safety for children are recommended to be repeated regularly. Children over three years of age can be asked questions about how reckless handling of a potentially dangerous thing can result. It is very important to comply with the rules of home safety and timely introduce the child to them. Try not to miss this moment in the education of the baby.