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Community Corner

Last-Minute Baby-Proofing

The top 6 things you must do to secure your home

The moment has arrived. Your baby has rolled for the first time and you panic — those knickknacks are still on the shelves, your cupboards are falling open, there isn’t a baby gate in sight. Your child has become mobile faster than you ever thought possible and she’s just going to get speedier as the days go by.

Now what? How do you catch up before your baby has an accident that could have been prevented? Here are six ways to quickly baby-proof your home:

  1. Go cordless. Not phones… we’re talking window blinds. Over 50 million shades and blinds have been recalled within the past two years by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission due to choking and strangulation hazards. “Find window treatments that are truly cord-free,” says Michele Spahr, president of Safe Start Baby, a professional babyproofing company serving the D.C. metro area. “If replacing all the blinds in your home is not in the budget, you can also visit the Window Covering Safety Council for a free repair kit.”
  2. Mount your monitor. “I often see monitors placed on the crib or within arm’s reach of a baby. Even an infant can inadvertently pull the monitor wire into the crib posing a serious strangulation hazard,” says Spahr. Safest spot for your monitor? On the wall. And keep all wires secured (in and out of the nursery) with an adhesive wire cover.
  3. Don’t let your child take the fall. Where there is furniture, there is something to explore, and thus many potential dangers for your busy baby. “Deaths and injuries due to falling furniture and TVs are on the rise,” says Spahr. “Anchor your TV and furniture to the wall.” Visit The Baby Proofing Blog for more recommendations for preventing tip-over accidents in your home.
  4. Be tech savvy. From cell phone to Blackberry, every techie tool comes with a charger. “Find a designated charging station in your home that is out of your child’s reach,” recommends Spahr. “The unused end of a phone charger could easily find its way into your child’s mouth and will certainly give him a jolt!”
  5. “Stair” down danger. Did you know that falls are the leading cause of unintentional injuries to children? Your kid is bonking his head and bruising his knees enough on his own. Eliminate any possibility of a more severe injury by installing hardware-mounted gates on the stairs and window guards on windows.
  6. Smoke out danger. Are there smoke detectors on every level of your home? There should be. Every sleeping area should have them as well, says Spahr. Don’t forget to test your smoke alarms regularly and practice an escape plan with your child. Get more info on fire prevention and safety from Safe Kids USA.

To be even more in-the-know, subscribe to RSS feeds from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for info about recalled products. Feel confident in your ability to protect your child in an emergency by taking infant and child CPR, recommends Spahr. And if you feel like you’ve overlooked obvious dangers in your home, Safe Start Baby offers in-home safety assessments so you don’t have to guess at what needs to be secured in your house.

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