It can be scary being a new parent. You’ve just brought home this tiny, seemingly fragile new family member, and it’s your responsibility to keep them safe, warm, well-fed, and happy. It’s completely normal to feel nervous as a new parent, but making sure your home is a safe place for your baby can help to put some of these worries at rest. Here are a few ways to make your home safer for a newborn baby.
Baby monitors
Baby monitors make it easy to keep an eye (or an ear) on your baby while they’re sleeping. This means you can try to relax in front of the TV in the evening or get on with household chores during their afternoon nap. Baby monitors can transmit just audio or both audio and video, both of which allow you to hear if they are crying. As well as giving you peace of mind, video monitors allow you to be aware of any risks, like a toddler trying to climb out of their crib or your baby spitting up in their sleep.
Baby gates
To a crawling baby, stairs look like an exciting mountain that they could climb. Stair gates at the top and/or bottom of the stairs prevent your baby from having an accident on the stairs, either from falling from the top or from trying to climb up and falling back down. You may also want to put gates in other doorways around the house if there are certain rooms that are unsafe for them.
Babyproofing your home
There are other precautions you can take around the home once your baby starts to crawl and then walk. Here are a few basic babyproofing tips for your home:
- Place cushioning or bumpers on any sharp corners, such as tables and chairs, to prevent head injuries
- Install safety covers on electrical outlets to prevent shocks
- Secure tall furniture to the wall, these could tip over if your child tries to pull itself up using it
- Replace blinds with looped cords, or at least be extremely vigilant about tucking the cord safely away – these cords are choking hazards
- Place child locks on any cabinets or drawers that contain dangerous items – e.g. sharp implements, cleaning supplies, medication
Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
Smoke and carbon monoxide are a potential risk to everyone, particularly while you’re sleeping and may be less aware of the smell of smoke or the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. The smaller bodies and organs of babies and children, as well as the fact that they usually have a faster breathing rate than adults, means that they are at even greater risk if a fire or a CO leak occurs.
Make sure you have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors installed to alert you of any threat. Test your detectors regularly and replace their batteries when needed.
If you need smoke detectors, CO detectors, or any other safety and security system for your home, contact Carolina Alarm for our products and installation.