As the parent of a toddler, you’ll notice that at some point they’re ready to start exploring everything in their environment. Everything becomes an exciting opportunity to explore new things and make your way into every corner and crevice possible.
However, along with this wonder and excitement also comes a considerable amount of concern. After all, with so much exploration, curious little minds and hands can often get hurt. Striking a balance between encouraging exploration and also keeping your child safe is essential. That’s why toddler-proofing your home is an important part of parenting.
Lock Off Dangerous Areas
Instead of stressing out about where your child is, give yourself the peace of mind of locking off dangerous areas. Whether you have a balcony or a long set of stairs, setting up barriers will help reduce the risk of serious falls. Perhaps there’s a room that is off limits too. Instead of having to be hyper-vigilant, it helps to remove the possibility of them entering that area at all.
It’s as simple as blocking it, then that way you know you can look away for at least a few seconds without worrying about them entering a forbidden zone. This also applies to dangerous cabinets or drawers where there may be sharp objects or dangerous products that could harm your child.
Soften Corners
Your little ones are likely excited to be on the move. As such, they may start walking pretty quickly, which could result in falls. Unfortunately, falling and hitting their head or other part of their body on the corner of a sharp piece of furniture could be not only painful but incredibly dangerous.
It’s not uncommon for toddlers to wind up in the hospital with stitches after hitting a sharp corner of a table. Consider adding rubber corner guards to any sharp corners to reduce the risk of emergency room visits.
Cover Electrical Outlets
If there’s one thing that kids love to do, it’s explore electrical outlets. After all, there are these exciting little portals that are found on every wall. More often than not, toddlers will try to stick their fingers and other objects inside of the outlets, which as you probably already know can be seriously dangerous. These small holes should be covered up with outlet covers that are too difficult for your children to remove. While you’re at it, also consider securing any exposed cords and cables to avoid them putting them in their mouths, or even tripping over them. Basically anything that is electrical should be kept as far out of reach as possible to avoid the risk of electric shock.
Even phone chargers can be a danger, so when in doubt, put it out of the reach of little curious hands.
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