It’s very exciting when your baby starts to crawl. They’ve achieved a milestone. They are exploring new things, and taking in the world around them. Exploring comes with risks though, and it’s important to take precautions to keep a crawling baby safe.
Once your baby starts to crawl, she will need constant supervision. If something is within her reach, it could easily end up in her hands or mouth. So, baby proofing is very important. Here are some steps you can take to keep your baby safe and healthy.
Baby gates
As they start to crawl, babies will find stairs an interesting obstacle, and may enjoy trying to climb up and down them. You may also prefer to keep your baby from crawling into your kitchen, bathrooms, or unused rooms in your home. Baby gates will keep your baby away from those hazardous. Installing baby gates at both ends of staircases will protect your baby from dangerous falls. While pressure gates work well for doorways and are easy to remove, it’s a good idea to look into hardware-mounted gates for staircases as they won’t fall over if your baby pushes on them.
Electrical outlets
According to the National Fire Protection Association, roughly 2,400 children suffer from electrical outlet-related shocks or burns every year. Luckily, protecting your baby from this hazard is easy. If your home doesn’t have tamper-resistant outlets, you can use inexpensive outlet caps. Don’t forget power strips!
Electrical cords
If a crawling baby spies a cord, she will likely grab onto it and pull it – pulling whatever it’s connected to right on top of her. Strap down cords with Velcro or duct tape, or roll extra-long cords into small coils that can be secured. For offices or entertainment areas, you can also wrap multiple cords together and secure the with a cord sleeve. Finally, consider cord protectors to keep your baby from chewing or bending a cord.
Objects on the floor
Now that she’s crawling, your baby will move fast! It’s a good idea to avoid leaving anything on the floor that could present a danger, such as baby or pet toys, ribbons, cords to window blinds, or any kind of cleaner.