Tips for Baby-Proofing Your Apartment

A baby is like an over-energetic fluffy ball waiting to explore your apartment. You need to create a baby proofing apartment then. Usually, you must lock the hatch prior to the ‘fluffy organism’ approaching it. After the baby starts crawling then the ‘fluffy machine’ is activated in it. Let us use our primal minds to secure any door, gate, and chair. In this post, we will learn about creating a baby proof apartment.

1. The First Step

Stop the baby from entering certain areas. Those areas include the bathroom and kitchen for sure. We have painstakingly arranged the babyproof checklist for each room. Read along to find how to baby proof your home. Also read some apartment security tips.

Baby’s Perspective

When you use the perspective of a baby you will get an idea about where the baby will travel. Even if it means that you have to bend or crawl.

Remove all potentially risky stuff around the apartment.

Check for tiny things and big things. Don’t restrict to any size. Even an old wire and a forgotten small plastic part can be life-threatening to a baby.

Concentrate on Tiny Stuff

Remove all tiny and small stuff. It can be a dead insect, dust bunny, coins, a magnet, buttons, battery and similar stuff.

In this process, you will get the benefit of cleaning the rooms properly. This stuff is visible to anybody’s eyes. Get ready to baby proof your home.

Keep Poisonous Stuff Locked

These items include all poisons, chemicals, old cosmetics, cleaning liquid, powders, and old food.

Don’t forget to remove all poisonous plants and animals too. Either throw them in the trash or lock it in a box in the attic. These are ways to DIY baby proofing. Consider some DIY small apartment hacks.

2. The Items that Need Baby-Proofing

I know that almost everything you see needs to be baby proofed. But we must start the process from somewhere. Let us work towards a better baby-proofing house.

Locking and Latching

This is the first line of defence when it comes to babies.

This easy job can prevent the baby from many dangerous materials.

Use the latch and lock that is tough and will not open until maximum pressure is used. At the same time, those things must also open. You will need the materials some other day. Place poisonous stuff and tiny coins and pins like stuff on the highest cupboard or cabinet.

Secure Gate

Use a gate to prevent babies from entering certain areas. Don’t use accordion-type doors. Such doors are life-threatening. Measure each passage properly and fit the gate or wall wherever applicable. Only an adult must be able to pass these passages by all means.

Guarding Windows

These guards work perfectly. They use pressures and are modifiable. But you must also open them in an emergency.

Corners of Destruction

All corners of things and rooms have a sharp edge. These edges are a nightmare. Hence start covering these corners with soft materials that will not break open, too. Use the covers that are not toxic. Plus they must be choking-proof.

Cover Power Outlets

The small hole in power outlets is dangerous. Place covers over these outlets. They must open and close through a sliding mechanism. Check the quality for choking risks.

3. Check the Whole Apartment for These Items

Indoor & Outdoor Plant

Place these plants at the highest level where no babies can touch them. Check if creeping plants reach lower heights. You can also read the eco-friendly house construction methods in Kerala.

Pet Foods

Concentrate properly every time you feed your pets. Any pet food can create choking risks. Throw away old pet food and store pet food bowls away from babies.

Lead Paints

Some old homes or low-quality paints have lead in them. These paints once dried can chip off easily. Lead is highly toxic to babies and humans. Test every part of the apartment for lead paints.

Unused or Used Battery

Tiny button-type batteries are extremely dangerous. Toys or electronics will have this deadly stuff. See that every item has these batteries sealed or safely locked with screws.

4. Living Room & Bedroom

Windows

Check if there are loose chords or chords that dangle. Window guard can prevent the baby from tumbling away from the windows. Check if curtain cords and curtains are having safety standards. Also consider some apartment living room ideas.

Tiny Hazards

Any knick-knack, antiques, toys, tiny stuff, or decorative items in these rooms pose a threat. Keep them away if you love your baby. Even broken parts of stuff can injure the baby’s soft body.

Electrical Cord

The new digital age has invited so many wires and cords into our apartments. Keep them wound, neat, and far away from the baby. The cords can strangulate humans and think about how horrid it must be for poor helpless babies.

TV

Don’t place the TV on the dresser. The TV can tumble and fall on the soft baby easily. Place the TV with a strong anchor.

Table & Furniture

Cover all the edges of these items with a soft cloth that is non-toxic. Keep bookcases away from the floor since babies can climb over them.

Fireplaces

If you have a fireplace fix a guard to prevent the baby from entering it.

5. Garage

You may have storerooms to place car-related items. Check these items:

Items that are Flammable and Dangerous

Throw away unwanted paints. Keep any sharp object, chemical, cleaning product, and locking tool inside a baby-proofed box that is locked.

Bin & Bucket

These items can carry lots of water and can drown any baby. Keep this upside down or keep them one over the other upside down to avoid any rainwater or liquid from entering it. Even a dustbin or trash bin can be dangerous. Also read the tips for how to compost in an apartment.

Car

Yes, keep all vehicles locked. Any baby can enter a car and start using it. Sounds funny but it’s a high-risk item.

6. Underground or Storerooms

Some apartments may have extra rooms. See if these tasks below are done:

Cleaning Products

Keep the cleaning products in a cabinet or cupboard that can not be accessible to babies. Save numbers of first-aid hospitals or doctors in your phone.

Harmful Gas Level

Always check the level of carbon monoxide or other gases inside your apartment. Place alarm-monitors at places where kids or adults sleep. Keep them near kitchens where you use gas or fuel appliances.

Washing Machines

Keep these locked tightly. Any baby can enter the tiny doors of these dangerous machines.

7. Nursery

The baby’s room itself has these dangers:

Changing Table

Place all products on the table and place the changing pad on the floor.

Toybox

The toy box must have a hinge guard. Moreover, the toy box must not lock the baby automatically in it. Please keep them safe.

Cribs

See if the crib has the standard safety features.

Stuffed Toys & Bed Material

The soft material in these items can choke any baby. Keep these away from the baby for some years.

8. Bathroom

Toilet

Lock up the toilet box or commode. It is not a place for a crawling baby. The commode can drown the baby in seconds.

Bathtub

Buffer the spouts in it to help your baby survive. Place anti-slipping mats to help a baby out. Keep the heater down always when not in use. Use a thermometer to check the baby’s bathwater always.

Cosmetics and Dental Hygiene Stuff

Keep all of these in a locked cabinet these contain dangerous chemicals that can be found in cleaning liquids.

Medicine

Some people place medicines in the bathroom. Keep these locked in a cabinet where only you have the key. Save first aid or doctors numbers in your phone or diaries.

9. Kitchen

Cupboard

You will love babies to play with the kitchen utensils. But check if you have any dangerous items in the cupboard. Check if you have cleaning liquids, Alcohol or tobacco, Sharp stuff, Knives, glass items, plastic bags and per bags. Plastic bags can kill any baby. So keep those nightmarish bags away from homes.

Vitamin Container

Vitamins are useful stuff. But in heavy doses, iron can become toxic to babies and kids. Place these at heights where only you can get to them.

Fire Extinguishers

When an unfortunate accident happens you need a fire extinguisher. Today with all the novel cooking ideas we have only invited more ‘fire’ into the home. But place the extinguisher high or far away from kids or babies. The fire retardant is toxic for sure!

Stoves & Ovens

Needless to say, these are the most dangerous. The knobs on these items are inviting to your baby. They see it as turning toys. Keep those knobs covered always.

Show Magnet

We love to place these magnet sets on fridges. But they can be easily swallowed by your baby and can cause choking or toxic infections. Throw them away if you love your baby.

Any Appliance

Unplug all appliances like the coffee maker, oven, toaster and mixer.

Take a slow breath now

Okay! That was too much to find out about how to baby proof your house. I know it is tough to read all of this childproofing house information. You can relax now.