Having a toddler in the house can be exciting and terrifying at the same time. While you want to bask in the pride you feel when your child takes his or her first step and begins to waddle around barely holding onto anything for support, there is also a heightened degree of risk that comes along with this significant accomplishment. A mobile child can often equal disaster if you have not begun childproofing drawers, cabinets, the stairs, or anything in your house.
Childproofing your home is one of the most important parts of keeping your toddler safe. The leading cause of death in children ages one to 14 are unintentional injuries in the U.S., and UNICEF also reports that thousands of children are killed this way globally. Some of the main contributing factors of these injuries include cuts, burns, scrapes, and drowning.
Toddlers are always ready to explore, feel different textures, and chomp down on the nearest object to see what it tastes like. Their propensity to get into everything makes childproofing drawers, using wall outlet covers, and erecting a gate in front of the stairs imperative.
Here are a few other tips to prepare your house for your toddler’s great exploration.
- Poison Control — Most of the pills and potions you have in your medicine cabinet can be fatal or extremely dangerous to your toddler. Poisoning comes in third behind cuts and burns for the most frequent unintentional injuries suffered by children within the household. You may think that childproofing cabinets is the best way to avoid this kind of disaster, but sometimes, toddlers can be persistent enough, and open the doors. It would be best to relocate all your bottles to a top cabinet to avoid unnecessary danger in the event that your toddler breaks in.
- Reorganize Your Desk — Cuts are the number one cause of unintentional injuries to infants, toddlers and children. This is often caused by loose paper on the floor that can cause paper cuts, scissors or staplers that are left on the edge of a desk, or a letter opener loosely hanging from a desktop organizer. If your toddler can stand up holding a coffee table, he or she can certainly reach on top of your office desk and pull down sharp objects. Pencils and pens should also be pushed further back on a desk or placed in a locked drawer.
- Roll Up Your Cords — Burns are the second major cause of unintentional injury in a household, sending 13% of children to the emergency room for treatment every year. It is easy to set up a computer or flat-screen TV, and leave the cords hanging because you do not want to deal with rolling them up. Toddlers will put anything in their mouths, and if they are able to break through the plastic or vinyl coating on your cables or wires, they could suffer electric shock and burns from the surge of electricity that runs through them. By rolling them up and placing a cinch strap around them, you can avoid this danger.
A toddler on the move requires constant supervision, and careful childproofing in your house. While you continue childproofing drawers, cabinets, doors, and installing countertop corner guards, keep in mind that the least obvious places in your house could also pose the greatest risks. You never know where your adventurous child will head to next, but you will want to be as prepared as possible. Get more on this here: rhoost.com
