A home should be a safe place where you and your children can relax and enjoy your time together, as mothers with older children will know the years go by fast. For the first 6 months, you may not need to do much around the home, but when 8 months comes along, the age at which most babies start to crawl you may find yourself shocked by the amount of mischief they will get up to.
This post takes you through the stages of baby mobility and some of the safety modifications you may need to make.
Crawling
To a new born everything is new, interesting and in order for them to learn they must explore, at this stage you may not have to worry about the objects out of reach but you must think about what they can see at their level.
Protecting their fingers, toes, knees and head is vitally important. Simply making sure the floor is clear of hazards and covered by soft play mats will make any bump much softer, large vinyl puzzle pieces work a treat. Children also like to grab anything nearby, so move any hazardous objects and put them out of reach.
Obviously, you can’t place soft cushioned flooring throughout the home, so baby gates are necessary. The staircase, kitchen and bedroom are good places to put up gates first.
Plug sockets are also very intriguing to children and should be closed by plastic plug covers. Just make sure switches are off, just in case.
As you get used to your baby crawling they will suddenly start finding their feet, using the furniture for balance, this is when even more protection will need to be put in place.
Cruising
When children reach the cruising stage it’s time to anchor down that furniture and remember to move that cup of tea or glass of wine, because they will grab it. Secure the heavy pieces of furniture to the walls and watch them like a hawk in case they decide to take a climb up the bookshelf.
If you have table cloths, doilies or coasters you may think about removing them as a baby will pull them in curiosity. Sharp corners are also a hazard but can be covered using coroner guards, although as they grow they figure out how to remove these, so be on the ball.
Walking
Eventually when your child becomes steady enough to walk alone they will be into everything, so you must learn what intrigues them and be proactive. Some little ones decide to run before walking and this can be exhausting as some have no clue when to stop, so you may even need to place some padding on doorframes and walls too.
The outdoors is highly interesting to a baby so a window guard could be just what you need, as well as locks on doors in case they try to escape!
Toddlers
It doesn’t stop at the walking stage, as your babygrows into a toddler their curiosity may grow too. Don’t remove what you have in place, instead remember to have a lock on medicine cabinets, cleaning cupboards, cutlery draws and place any hot items out of reach.
Cords can also be a danger so you must remember to tie them back or make them slightly shorter.
Finally ensure your whole house is secure with home insurance, so if the worse was to happen you are covered.
