JOIN USGet your home ready for the little ones by ensuring they have a safe area to grow up in, writes Mala Ashok.
You are going to be parents for the first time! You are excited and wondering what you need to buy to prepare for the arrival of the new one. Generally, we think of all the cosmetic things but forget the things we need to invest in to keep the baby safe.If you are one of the lucky few who have a separate room for the little one, you are probably going to invest in a crib. Make sure you look at the design of the crib from all angles. It should not have any sharp edges. Since you will most likely be keeping the crib for a while, your baby may be able to sit or stand up in the crib. While doing so, they should not get their head stuck in the bars surrounding the crib.If, like most of us, your baby is going to sleep with you for some time, you need to ensure that the baby does not roll over or worse, you do not roll over and suffocate him
.Safety net
Baby-proofing becomes an important factor when your baby is crawling around and eventually becomes a toddler. Many parents say, “We don’t need baby-proofing since we will be watching her very carefully.” Unfortunately, we cannot do it continuously as our generation is so pre-occupied.
Our phones, tablets, and even television competes for our attention. And everyone expects instant response from us for texts and calls. Baby-proofing involves one parent devoting 100 percent time for watching the baby.
As far as physically baby-proofing your home goes, sharp edges, corners, and electrical outlets are the first things to deal with. We are fortunate that in our country outlets are not usually at low level. But if they are, they should be capped. You need to install locks on the lower cupboards and drawers, particularly those in the kitchen and bathroom where breakables, sharp items and hazardous chemicals are stored. Also, be aware of where medicines are stored and ensure they are kept away from babies and even small children. If these locks are very expensive, you can, with a little ingenuity, make it into a DIY project. For example rubber bands can work as door locks. However do know that a badly created DIY item can be hazardous in itself.
Most of us live in apartments or flats so we don’t need to worry about indoor stairs, but if you leave your front door open, and your child has access to stairs, beware! Since they are community stairs you cannot install a gate. You can however, ensure that the front door cannot be opened by your kids.
Some parents believe that the best baby-proofing is to yell no. They watch their child constantly and say no very assertively and keep pulling the baby back till she gets the message. If you are going to do this, you need to be very consistent.
One example of this consistency is when your toddler comes near the countertop, where the stove or gas burner is. You should ensure that you say no regardless of whether your gas is on or off. The child is too young to differentiate between a dangerous fire and a harmless burner which is off. So being consistent in barring them from this area will help. So make sure you say restrict them from such areas all the time.
It is always the best bet to baby-proof your home professionally, but remember that you need to enjoy your baby’s first days without getting paranoid about their safety. By and large, you can learn as you go along, and in most cases, common sense dictates what you need to do in order to protect your beloved child.