Installing child safety equipment now will give you
peace of mind later.

It's important to install child safety equipment in your home before your baby becomes mobile. Danger hides everywhere in your home and they are sure to find it if it's there.

It may sound silly but you might have heard people say "get down on their level and crawl around". This is so that you will see what they will be seeing and if it looks like it could potentially hurt them, then move it up higher or in some other location until they are older.

Keep in mind that anything your baby comes in contact with usually ends up in their mouth. You want to be extremely cautious of small items that can be a choking hazard and poisonous items.

* Be careful of hanging cords. This could be an extension cord or a telephone cord. Your baby could crawl over to the table, pull on the cord and have a lamp come falling down on their head.

* Switch out the outlet covers. I have found that with the outlet plugs that you just pop in, once your baby gets a little bigger, they figure out how to pull these out so opt for the more permanent ones that you screw in.

*Use childproof doorknob covers on rooms or closets that you don't want your child to get into.

* If you have a fireplace or coffee table with sharp edges, you may want to consider using cushion guards.

* Definitely use safety gates at the bottom and top of each staircase. I have baby gates all over my house. I use them for everything! Kids, pets, privacy! I put them at the bottom of the staircase when I have guests over so that all the kids don't go running upstairs.

* Many plants in your house may be poisonous so you may want to double check and keep them out of reach.

* You should also install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on each floor of your home. Set a date on your calendar to change the batteries each year such as New Years Day or the first day of Spring.

* Make sure that all medicines are stored in chilproof containers and locked away or in a medicine cabinet.

* All cleaning products should be locked away with child safety equipment. My favorite is the Tot-Lok.

* Keep knives and other sharps utensils and appliances up high where your child cannot get to them.

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