Fundamentals of Child Proofing

Prevention is better than cure, says the adage. It is based on this principle that we get the children inoculated against many diseases. It is equally important on the part of the parents to employ means to prevent a child getting injured within the house itself. There are various ways in which they can manage it.

Any sharp corner, be it on a table, a toy, or a tool, is dangerous to a child because pointed objects can cause deeper injuries in a child than in an adult. Any such projecting points within a house should be covered with corner guards or cushions. Another necessary child proofing is keeping all potentially dangerous things like medicines, lotions, chemicals, and cleaning agents firmly locked. The doors of the cabinets, in which they are kept, should be secured by child safety locks. In lower drawers and shelves, the child's toys can be stored, so that he can get all the joy of exploring and pulling things without hurting himself.

Varieties of Safety Mechanisms

Next in the list of things to which a child should be denied access are electrical outlets. If you get the chance to design and build your own house, the best thing to do is have plug points at a height where only adults can access it. Since that choice will not always be there, use plastic covers to cover the electrical points. Different types of covers are available and it is important to check the quality of these covers since many children can be clever enough to pry open flimsier ones.

Child proofing by child safety gates is important in restricting the kiddies' entry to unsafe areas. Of the two types of gates that are available, gates that can be screwed to the walls offer better protection. For both types of gates, quality is assured if they have a JPMA seal on it. With regard to windows, besides the window screen, there should be a safety net on a window, or a guard that prevents the window from opening out in full.

Child Proofing Needs Are Endless

Other baby risks are breakable objects on a table, especially those on smaller tables. Electrical cords, curtain cords, leaves of potted plants, are all a baby's enemies in one form or other. He may pull at it, bite it, chew it, or entangle it with some other thing inside the room. The same goes for knobs, handles, or buttons that he can reach.

While all these are bad enough, water is an elephantine problem. Leave alone a swimming pool or a bathtub, even half a bucket of water is dangerous for a child. And bathing water temperature should never be above 120o. Proper lighting inside the home is also mandatory. In the room in which the baby is sleeping, there should be a low watt night light so that the child does not become frightened or disoriented when he wakes up.

These various child proofing measures may not be fail safe methods for preventing injuries to a child. But they do alleviate the level of risk and you can add more safety measures by observing the child. The availability of child safety equipments in the market is increasing in leaps and bounds. That will also help a lot.