A Guide To Child-Proofing Your Home
Before your baby becomes mobile, make sure your home is safe for them. Here at CBS New York, we've rounded up A round-up of the top childproofing tips, consultants and classes for parents.We spoke to Phil Oliveri, who is a professional childproofer with Safety 1st Pros. Oliveri suggested hiring a professional childproofer. "A professional can identify hidden hazards you weren't even aware of – for example Front-load washers, flat screen TVs and treadmills can dangerous to children if not secured properly," he said.
Tips From The Pros
1. Gate it! When your baby is crawling, secure your home with gates for stairs, doorways, irregular/ custom areas, fireplaces and windows. You may want to spend a little more on a gate that's higher quality, so you don't have to replace it later on. You don't want to cut corners for something that will be used for several years, especially if you have more than one child.
2. Have "Off Limits" Rooms. It's okay to limit your child's access to certain parts of the home, like the guest room, garage, laundry room, older sibling's room, office, and gym. You can secure these rooms with door locks.
3. Bathroom Basics: Don't leave your child alone in the bathroom, even for a second. NEVER leave your child alone in a bathtub - babies and toddlers can drown in just a few inches of water. The medicine cabinet should be latched securely. Oliveri also recommended a toilet lock and a thermometer to avoid scalding in the bathtub. Make sure that all cleaning products are locked away too.
Additional Precautions
1. Make sure that all cleaning and hazardous substances are out of reach or contained in locked cabinets.
2. Electrical outlets should have hard-to-remove plugs or covers that slam shut when not in use.
3. If you can't gate your kitchen off, make sure that the burners on stoves are protected. Ovens and refrigerators should also be secured.
4. Swimming pools should be securely fenced in. Children should never be left alone near them.
5. Door hinges should have pinch guards (the foam ones are around $3)
6. Secure furniture (i.e. dressers and bookcases) to the wall, since children can pull or climb on them.
8. Perform the "small parts test". If a toy or an object in the home fits through a toilet paper roll, your child can potentially choke on it.
Childproofing Services
Safety 1st Pros
N.Y., N.J. and CT
Phil Oliveri
Stamford, CT
(877) 717-7823
safety1st.com/
Allsafe Childproofing Inc.
Long Island and New York City.
Plainview, NY 11803
(516) 935-2399
allsafechildproofing.com
Baby Proofers Plus, Inc.
N.Y & N.J.
Summit, NJ
(908)598-0676 (NJ)
(212) 628-8052 (NY)
babyproofersplus.com
Childproofing Classes
Babysaver CPR and Child Safety at Beth Israel Medical Center, NYC
$50/ per person, $80/ per couple.
Contact Honey Shields, Director of Child Life for dates and times:
Hshields@chpnet.org; (212) 420-2429 or (212) 420-4323
Baby Safe
Thursday, November 4, 2010
NSLIJ - Plainview Hospital, Lecture Hall
888 Old Country Road
Plainview, NY 11803
(516) 465-2500
northshorelij.com/
$20 per person / $35 per couple. Pre-registration required.
Nancy Johnson Horn is a blogger with Mom in the City (www.mominthecity.com).
