Baby Proofing Schedule

I admit, I was one of those Moms that baby proofed while I was still pregnant. Makes sense right? Diapers – check! Crib assembled – check! Car seat in the car – check! Cabinet latches secured and wall outlets plugged – check!

Let’s be honest…you really don’t need to baby proof until your child starts crawling. That was 7 months for my daughter and we were ready! In fact, we were prepared so far in advance that our cabinet locks were starting to get loose and our wall plugs were constantly missing because we were sick of messing with them.

http://travelingwithbaby.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/health-happy-round-up-child-proofing-tips/

Trust me, you don’t want to put in all this effort while you are pregnant just to have to struggle with locks for the first 7 months (or more) of your baby’s life for no reason. So I’ve come up with a list of things to child proof and at what time in your child’s life you need to accomplish these things:

–  Make sure all fire and carbon monoxide detectors are working and have new batteries.

– Put new lamps and nightlights away from bedding and window treatments.

– Make sure you have the correct bulbs in for lamp’s requirements.

– Secure any rugs or put rugs on slippery surfaces

– Make sure crib and bassinet mattresses fit snugly and there is no loose bedding (think sheets).

– Take an infant/toddler CPR class.

– Secure all mini blind cords.

– Have your local poison control’s number in your phone or on your fridge.

– Put outlet plugs in all lower outlets.

– Secure all bookshelves to walls.

– Put padding on any sharp corners (think glass coffee table, fire place bricks…).

– Put non slip padding in bathtub and a cover on faucet.

– Secure all lower cabinets and drawers.

– Put ALL cleaning supplies and other toxic materials in a high cabinet.

– Secure medicine cabinet.
–  Invest in baby gates to block stairways and other areas you don’t want baby exploring.

– Install door handle locks for rooms or closets that are off limits.

– Make sure all doors leading outside the home have locks that baby can’t reach.

Although you won’t use everything right away, it is still a great idea to put all this stuff on your baby registry! And don’t be cheap either…you’ll have to spend a bit extra to get higher quality (longer lasting and easier for Mom and Dad to use) products. Here are some of our favorites from Amazon!

4. Door Knob Safety Cover – $3.54 for 2 pack

This can all seem like a lot of work but it is worth it for your child’s safety! Nothing says this better than the relief you feel after you see your 2 year old walking around with a screw driver near an outlet that is safely covered. Now if we could only find a better way to secure that screw driver we’d be set!