Baby Proofing 101

Nine months of work growing a human being is more than picking names and paint colors. You also have to prepare your home and vehicle for their safety. Of course, as parents we’ll do anything to keep our children safe -- even if it means locking the toilet seat.

There are a few things you might want to consider getting situated before your little bundle of joy arrives. Although your baby won’t be mobile for several months it’s best to get much of your baby proofing handled ahead of time when you still have a decent amount of energy, and enough time to do so. Start your baby proofing with some of these tips:

●     Secure all wall adjacent furniture like shelves, cabinets, entertainment centers, dressers, and TVs to the walls using brackets. Once mobile, babies will use pieces of furniture to pull themselves up onto their feet. Unfortunately, unsecured furniture poses a risk of tipping over on top of your child. Accidents like these result in 25,000 injuries to children every year and 1 fatality every 2 weeks. 

●     Once your baby has started crawling, then walking, you’ll have a hard time keeping them still. A helpful tool you might want to consider is installing temporary or more permanent baby gates to keep your child in a safe area.

●     Electrical outlets might seem pretty ordinary to adults but to a baby an outlet is full of mystery. The first thing your child will want to do is stick their finger in it or eat it. A cheap and simple outlet cover may save you an emergency room visit down the road.

●     Wire management is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it’s also extremely helpful to you and your children's’ safety. Grab some cable ties or velcro at your local hardware store to bundle your wires and cables and get yourself organized. It also makes things so much easier when you need to make changes if you label each cord.

●     Even as adults we get our hands, hair, and fingers caught in doors. This is much more likely to happen to a baby. A simple door pinch guard can help prevent these situations.

●     Consider installing a home security system for your piece of mind and protection to keep you and your family safe.

●     One thing you might not have considered before bringing baby home, is making sure your vehicle is ready and reliable. Scheduling an appointment with your local mechanic to have your vehicle inspected and any required maintenance completed will help ensure you and your baby have a safe trip home, and to any upcoming appointments. 

●     Don’t wait until D-Day to have your car seat installed. Plan to do this a month or so in advance and have it checked by a professional for your baby’s safety.

●     Review the coverage on your home and auto policies to be sure you have sufficient coverage when you need that extra sense of protection. Having a simple conversation with your agent could make all the difference in case of an accident, weather event, or emergency.

When it comes to growing your family, you want to do all you can to prepare ahead of time. Use this list to get started and contact an NYCM Insurance agent today to learn more about what you can do to protect your family.