First, use safety gates. Whether it’s at the top or bottom of the stairs or blocking entrance to certain rooms within your home gates prevent them from getting in to areas they shouldn’t be. Also, if you have a pool or any sort of body of water in your yard a safety gate is a must.

Second, install smoke detectors and a carbon monoxide detector in your home. Make sure there are smoke detectors on every level of your home, including the basement. Also, installing a carbon monoxide detector will help protect your family from CO poising. It’s an odorless gas which is virtually impossible to detect. You should check the batteries on your smoke detectors once a month and the carbon monoxide detectors once a year.

Third, use safety locks on all of your cabinets and drawers. Kids get into stuff really quickly. You could turn your back and they could get into something they shouldn’t, such as poisonous chemicals and sharp objects. Also, keep safety locks on the doors to the outside of the house.

Fourth, once baby has started crawling it’s important that you get outlet covers installed immediately. This will prevent children from sticking their fingers or other objects into the outlet. However, be careful that the covers aren’t easy for them to remove. This can pose a chocking hazard.

Fifth, use anchors for furniture and appliances. Once babies start pulling themselves up on stuff everything becomes a potential danger. They can all be pulled down and crush the child. Also, never install things such as pictures directly over their crib, not only can they fall off the wall, but once the child starts standing up they can pull them down and cut or injure themselves.

Sixth, have a plan for emergencies. Keep a book with phone numbers accessible for the children in case there is a situation where you are incapacitated. If you give them the tools, they will be able to call for help in emergency situations. Also, have a designated meeting spot in the event of a fire or other disaster. Explain to your kids that in these circumstances their safety is the most important. And if you have a specified spot, for example the tree in the front yard, as a meeting point, this will allow them to worry about their safety as opposed to finding you or your spouse.

Hopefully these tips have been helpful for how to secure your home for when baby arrives and for your children as they age.

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