Let’s face it. It is in your own home that your children will have the highest risks of getting injured or harmed. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, most home accidents happen because of many reasons and these include water, fire, toxic materials and risks for the child to fall. If you are worried that your child is prone to accidents then it is best to take precautions. Remember, supervision remains the best defense against any kind of accident. But, if you have to stay away it is best to childproof your home. Here are some ways to childproof your home on a shoestring budget.
Plugging the holes
When you are childproofing your home the very first thing that often comes to mind will be the electrical outlets. These outlets are easily within the reach of the crawling child and with curiosity it can lead to a shocking result. This is why it is best to invest in electrical tape. Plastic socket plugs are great but they can be costly. Electrical tape over the sockets provides the same kind of protection but at a cheaper cost. If you can double it up with duct tape for maximum protection. Hey, it may not be pretty to look at but whoever said that this is a beauty contest?
Secure the heavy stuff
When your child is starting to explore the world around him it is easy for heavy stuff like furniture or bookcases to topple and pin them. Bookcases are naturally notorious because it can easily topple when a toddler would use it to try to pull himself up. It would be great if you can secure the unstable bookcase by bracing it against the wall. Better yet, remove the potential accident hazard. Also, make sure that the table cloth is not easily reached by the children so they will not be pulling it when trying to stand up and topple the table and pin them.
Away from the water
There are several issues that you need to be concerned about water and childproofing. These are burns from hot water, falling into the water and slipping because the water has made the floor too slippery. The only thing that you need to spend money on is to buy some locks on the toilet seat to prevent your child from getting injured from going into the toilet bowl. It is best to find ways to completely cover the taps or to regulate the hot water temperature. It is best to keep the bathroom door closed at all times.
Contacting the glass
One great way of keeping the glass safe for children is to invest on rolls of contact. You can get some contact from supermarket and other stores. Roll contact on the glass panels in your house that can be harmful or dangerous to your child. If in the event the glass gets broken it will not shatter into a million pieces since it will prevent the slivers of glass from hurting your children.
Smoothing the edges
We all have edges around the house and it is easy for children to get injured. Try to get some Styrofoam from your local store and use some duct or packing tape and put it on the edges. This is again ugly to look at but we are looking to protect the child, right?
Covering the cupboards
Cupboards should never be an area that children should be getting into, especially those containing harmful substances and medicines. Invest on inexpensive elastic bands. Tie one end of the knob to an elastic band and tie it to the other knob so it will be harder for the child to open the cupboard door. You can also invest on plastic covers that would prevent the children from turning the knobs. They come in cheap and great to have in your home.
There are other things that you can do in the house that can protect your child without spending much. As a parent you need to be worried about accidents at home. For one good reason and that is because your children will spend most of their time at home especially in the very early stages of life when they are yet to go to playschool or regular school.
Ryan Rivera used to suffer from anxiety attacks for seven years. For more information regarding these topics, check out his Calm Clinic Google+ account.
