Baby Safety: Keeping Your Home Safe for Your Baby
With the infancy period, young children gain freedom of movement. Now they have the tools to satisfy their endless curiosity and learn. But the first steps are timid and clumsy. The balance mechanism of the body is not sufficient.
They have no experience with the dangers they will face. That’s why even an innocent seat can be threatening to them. Therefore, parents should take appropriate security measures in various areas of the house in advance.
Baby’s Room
It is important from which materials the products used in baby rooms are made. Furniture designed from hard metal materials are not suitable choices for your baby. Furniture made of natural wood both adds elegance to your baby’s room and poses less risk.
The height adjustment of the baby cot should be suitable for the mother’s ease of use and the baby’s safe sleeping. Considering that after the 7th month, the baby’s movements will increase and he will try to get out of the bed on his own, the height of the bedside should be sufficient to prevent the baby from drooping and falling.
The distance between the bed railing parts should not be more than 6 cm. Thus, the baby’s arm, leg or head should be prevented from being caught and jammed.
The screwing system on the bed should be embedded in the material and should not be easily dislodged. Parts such as screws and nails left outside are dangerous for small children.
If the sheet used on the bed is elastic, it will be prevented from slipping and entangling with the child. In addition, the thickness of the extra materials placed under the sheets to be soft should not be more than 1-2 cm. The raised bed can pose a danger to the baby.
Another safety point to be considered in the baby bed is the pillows and toys on the bed. These act as boosters for your baby starting to stand up after 7 or 8 months.
It is useful not to keep electrical and electronic devices with exposed wires in the baby’s room. It is necessary to be more attentive these days, where the negative effects of electromagnetic waves on the health of people, especially children, are often mentioned.
Living room
The common living areas of the family, such as the living room with many interesting objects, are exciting for your baby in the crawling and walking period. That’s why he constantly wants to touch, pull, take, even put it in his mouth. You cannot destroy these wishes. What you need to do is to ensure your baby’s safety against the behaviors and movements that he will show due to his developmental characteristics.
They like to push, to move objects with their own power. Doors are very convenient toys. In order for the fast closing door not to cause danger and not to destroy your wall; use finger guard, door holder security tools. The materials produced to prevent the door handles from hitting the wall will be very useful.
Electronic systems such as computers, televisions and stereos are super toys. Perfect for little fingers. There are home security tools considered to protect these items.
Edge protectors for pointed furniture and coffee table corners, and cabinet door locks are among the security tools you can use in your living room.
It is very normal for your baby to pull the covers to get the items from the cabinets that are tall enough. So you can remove your laces for a while. Again, you can remove the excess carpets or secure the edges where it can be stuck so that the baby walking with clumsy steps does not get stuck.
To Provide Your Baby With Comfortable Roaming Safety at Home…
- Stairs must have permanent handrails on at least one side. Spacings greater than 90 mm between railings should be avoided.
- The thresholds of the interior doors must be at a height to prevent tripping.
- It should be done in a way to prevent fingers from being pinched in revolving doors. Doors opening in two directions should be designed in such a way as to allow the person coming from the opposite direction to be seen.
- Fully glazed doors or panels must be made visible with frosted glass or guard bands. The glass used must also be resistant to impacts.
- Such architectural approaches should be avoided. If it is not possible, guardrails should be placed to prevent climbing.
- Balcony railings must be of sufficient strength and thickness to prevent climbing. The distance between the poles should not be wide enough to allow children to get stuck in their feet or heads. Care should be taken to ensure that the floors are non-slippery.
Kitchen and Bathroom
Especially the kitchen and bathroom are two important places in the houses. Because it is used by all households. Also, the risk of accidents is very high in these two venues. In the kitchens, the use of heat-resistant countertops near the stove, lighting systems that will not cast shadows in the working area, ovens, if mounted on the wall, should be at the same level with the kitchen counter.
Non-slip materials should be used in the bathroom. Large black and white tiles should be avoided in flooring. Because this type of flooring can create problems for people with impaired depth perception.
The stove should not be near the door or near the window.
The kitchen door should be positioned to minimize traffic. All doors and cabinet doors should be made in such a way as to prevent collisions. There must be a child-proof security lock from the inside.
It should be ensured that the flooring surface is not slippery in wet conditions.
Buttons and sockets must comply with safety rules.
Fuel cans and trash cans must be covered and tightly closed.
Medicine cabinets should be locked and out of reach of children.
Kitchen and bathroom are areas where cleaning chemicals used in homes are found. These should be kept out of reach of children or in a lower cabinet that can be locked with a key.
Stoves are dangerous for small babies. It is necessary not to leave items such as pots and teapots in the reach of the child, and even to use a stove barrier.
Balcony, Garden and Pool
Balconies and gardens should be among the security points we will create in our house. Potted and non-potted flowers and their materials and chemicals present here pose a risk to children. Plucked leaves can be dangerous for your little one who is eager to put everything in their mouth. Likewise, sharp tools and toxic chemicals should be kept in closed places out of reach of children. The floor of the balcony and the sitting area of the garden should not be slippery, or accessories that can slide, such as rugs, should be avoided for a while. Houses with a pool in the garden are one of the most important points to be considered. Although necessary safety precautions are taken, children should never be left alone in the pool area.