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How to Childproof Your Apartment
November 23, 2016 •
Apartment Living
Raising a child can be one of life’s greatest trials, and as everyone knows, it’s rarely easy. Curiosity is perhaps one of the defining features of being a kid, but when it comes to your home, unbridled curiosity might not be the best thing to encourage. Every home will have its own unique childproofing needs, but you would do worse than starting with these common methods.
Block Off Restricted Areas
Although you may keep a careful eye on your youngster, you need only look away for a second to find they’ve escaped and gone off exploring. As you well know, some areas of your home are for adults only and could pose risks for children. That’s why many caretakers invest in child gates and cabinet locks. A little exploration can be healthy for a child, but there are some places that will be off-limits until they’re much older.
Watch the Sharp Corners
When children start learning to walk, they fall… a lot. The last thing in the world you want is for your toddler to take a tumble on something sharp. As much as it hurts when that happens to us, it’s worse for children whose bodies are still developing. You can buy corner guards to install on your tables and furniture, but if you’re especially handy, you can make your own using foam piping or even pool noodles.
Take Precautions With Electronics
It’s common advice to put child covers over all your exposed electrical outlets, but that isn’t the only way you should be childproofing your electronics. Also be mindful of any cords running around the ground that could cause your kid to trip or pull electronics off a higher area. And, for your own sanity, keep expensive devices like phones and tablets tucked away. Kids love to mess those up.
Move Plants Out of the Way
While getting electronics out of reach may be fairly common sense, there could be something equally dangerous in full reach. If you keep house plants at home, take caution that they aren’t poisonous. Common house plants like daffodils, lilies, and philodendrons are toxic if ingested. While you might not have the urge to eat a handful of plants, a child doesn’t know not to do this. Even if your houseplant is non-toxic, it’s still not a bad idea to keep it out of the way, unless you don’t mind cleaning up spilled dirt.
Secure Heavy Objects
It’s worth taking a walk around your home and checking for any heavy objects that could fall down if pushed or pulled on. A wobbly wardrobe or tipped-over media center might not be hazardous to your health, but children aren’t quick enough to get out of the way of a falling object, which could seriously hurt them. Use furniture straps to tie heavy objects to your walls and consider using putty to keep vases and other objects on the shelf, where they belong.
That may not be everything your home needs to be completely childproof, but it’s certainly a start. After you’ve given your apartment a once-through, consider going through each room again, thinking now from your child’s perspective. If you have to get on your hands and knees, so be it! When it comes to a child’s safety, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
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