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Childproof your home for a grandchild's visit
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It's a toddler's job to explore. It's our job to keep them safe.
My granddaughter arrives for a visit this weekend. It's time to assess my house and make certain it's safe for an active and inquisitive toddling 16-month-old.
My daughter rolls her eyes at this. She's the calmest mother you'll ever meet, despite growing up with me. I was an anxious mom. Where other people saw a nicely appointed home, I saw a minefield of sharp and pointy objects, choking devices and deadly poisons. (In all fairness to me, work experiences in a hospital emergency room and for a plaintiff's attorney will do that to a person.)
It's a wonder my oldest child learned to speak at all. My vocabulary during her first three years of life consisted of monosyllabic words like "NO!" and "STOP." As she got older I added syllables and shouted words like "UH-OH" and "DANGER." By the time my second and third daughters arrived I calmed down a lot... maybe I was just exhausted... but now, decades later, concern for my grandchild has reawakened old anxieties about child safety in the home.
A little research shows that things haven't changed that much -- though far more childproofing products are available these days and the list of things to worry about has grown . Here are some tips and a host of resources for more information:
- If you don't want to install latches on kitchen and bathroom cabinets and drawers, then move and store cleansers, medicines, other deadly substances, utensils and electrical appliances out of reach.
- Keep the kids out of the kitchen when cooking.
- Never leave a child unattended in a bathroom -- well, until they reach an age where you don't have to worry about them.
- Use back burners and keep pot handles turned toward the rear of the stove and away from little hands.
- Buy knob covers for your stove or remove the knobs when the stove is not in use.
- Move countertop appliances, heavy items and small objects that a child can grab, and choke on, away from counter and table edges.
- Do invest in electric outlet covers for those that are easy to reach.
- Position the porta-crib in your guest room away from draperies, window blind cords, electrical wires, shelves, and pictures or other wall hangings.
- Check bookshelves, dressers and rolling kitchen cabinet/islands to see if they might topple. Secure them or move them if they will.
- Move all houseplants out of reach.
- If you have stairs, invest in a baby gate so your kids don't have to cart their's with them to visit you.
- Get down on your knees, lie on your side and back and view each room from a child's perspective. See what she might see under a table, chair or bed.
And, just in case:
- Look up the number for Poison Control in your area today. Post it on your refrigerator or someplace easily accessible.
- Know the route to the closest emergency room.
Frankly, since my granddaughter does not live with me and because we watch her constantly, I am not going to go overboard. I think if I follow the tips I've shared with you and the information in the following links, I can keep the terror at bay, shrieking (mine) to a minimum, and visits to the emergency room non-existent.
For more information about keeping your grandchild safe in your home or anyone else's, visit these sites:
- Totsafe.com: Babyproofing Checklist
- Parenting.com: Guide to Childproofing
- KidsHealth.com: Childproofing and Preventing Household Accidents
- Everyday Health: 10 Ways to Protect Your Child From Poisoning
- Good Housekeeping: Best and Worst Childproofing Products
Share your ideas for childproofing and ways to keep kids safe. Leave a comment.
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