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Babyproofing your home is an essential part of preparing for the arrival of your baby. According to Babycentre, babies begin to crawl between 6 to 8 months, but many start to grab, open and pull themselves up on household objects well before.

The task of making your home babyproof can seem intimidating, after all, nobody wants to do it wrong and put their baby at risk of getting hurt.

Of course your little one’s safety is number one priority, but it can be disheartening to see the stylish aesthetic of your home ruined by mismatched safety measures. 

Thankfully, there are ways of babyproofing your home without compromising on your aesthetic. To find out exactly how you can achieve this, keep on reading!

Secure Heavy Objects in Place Around the House

As babies start to get moving, they love to pull themselves up on furniture around them. Unfortunately, this can result in heavy objects falling onto them such as televisions, lamps and books. Sometimes the furniture itself can tip over too, such as bookcases and side tables.

The best way to get an idea of what could pose a risk is by getting down to their level and looking around. If you see things such as cabinets with heavy items on, it is wise to secure them with furniture straps that anchor them to the wall or take them off and put them somewhere more secure.

Furniture straps are usually fitted behind the furniture to the wall, so they won’t ruin the aesthetic of your home as they usually won’t be noticeable.

Secure Windows

One child under the age of five is admitted to hospital every day after falling from a building, usually from open windows but often from balconies too.

Small children have no real understanding of danger, and before you know it they have climbed up a chair and are trying to see something interesting out of the window.

Their centre of gravity is also very different to ours due to their heads being proportionally larger. This means that they could lose their balance and topple out if they were to lean out of the window.

Fitting window catches, locks or guard bars that prevent windows opening more than four inches can help to prevent this from happening. The least noticeable of these is a latch or window stop that limits the opening range. These can be purchased for as little as £5 from your local hardware store!

Child Safe Blinds

According to RoSPA, on average, 2 children a year die as a result of strangulation from looped cords on blinds and many other children visiting A&E with near misses.

Most accidental deaths involving blind cords occur in children aged between 16 and 36 months when they get the cord tangled around their neck.

At Aspiration Blinds, we are committed to raising awareness of this issue and offer, for a little extra money, to fit child safe versions of our blinds or, for no charge at all, we can install child safety measures which help to minimise the potential risk.

This means you can still have the luxury of stylish blinds or shutters with the peace of mind that your child is safe.

We also advise positioning furniture a safe distance away from blinds and windows to prevent children from being able to reach them.

Don’t allow control cords or chains to hang close to cots or beds, or to gather on the floor. They should always be secured out of reach or a cordless control should be used.

Electricity Sockets

One positive note is that electrical sockets are designed to be safe, so it’s unlikely that your little one will be shocked if they put their fingers near a plug socket, however, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

One mistake many parents make is using the plastic fitting designed to prevent children sticking their fingers inside the holes. This is because in reality, these covers can be easily removed by children and once removed, they have a tool to activate the plug socket with.

Manchester electrician, Steve Palmer, explained that all it takes is for the top pin to be pushed in by an upside down cover for the bottom conductors to be exposed, which is where the real danger comes in.

However, if you’re still worried about your child sticking their fingers in a plug socket, there are special covers for the entire socket with a sliding panel that covers the entry and closes automatically when a plug has been removed. Another positive is they’re hardly noticeable!

Babygates

It can be difficult to find a baby gate that matches your home, but mesh and padded baby gates can potentially blend into your home far better than a white metal one. Not to mention, thanks to the padding they’re much softer too, which means baby won’t bang their head on hard metal.

Hidden Cabinet Locks

Babies love nothing more than exploring. Unfortunately, this includes exploring every cupboard and cabinet in your home. Not only can they risk pulling out dangerous items such as cleaning products, but they also risk trapping their fingers in the door when it closes. 

In order to stop your child from getting into all of your cabinets, consider purchasing magnetic locks that stay hidden from view inside the cabinet. They can be unlocked with a magnetic tool that should be kept out of reach of children.

Corner Bumpers

Children are forever bumping into things whilst playing. To prevent further injury when they inevitably do bump into your sharp cornered coffee table or cabinet, use corner bumpers. 

These are small silicone guards that cover the corners of your furniture. What’s more, most have a clear option available, so they stand out far less in your home.

To find out more about baby and child proof blinds, or to book a free home visit, get in touch with us today!