Baby Proofing Tips

Baby Proofing Your Nursery

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            The nursery is a place where the baby will be left unattended when sleeping, which means that baby proofing your child’s nursery may be the single most important task when baby proofing your home. 

            Special attention must be taken when baby proofing the crib.  The crib is your first line of defense against any other dangers in the room.  If you have a crib that is no danger to the baby and is able to properly and safely keep the baby inside, you should have nothing else to worry about.  But since were talking about our children here, we’ll worry anyway.  Your crib should be free and clear of anything that can fall into it.  This means that any mobile that you may use needs to be properly secured and well out of the baby’s reach.  Once the baby is old enough to pull him or herself to a standing position, you need to remove the mobile in order to avoid potential accidents.  Also avoid hanging any type of picture, painting, shelf, poster, or toy nets in the area because these items can cause numerous types of accidents. 

One important tip is to pay attention to where your child is developmentally.  If you have a baby who is trying to climb out of the crib, you should consider getting a toddler bed in order to keep your baby safe. Also, it is essential that you have minimal things inside a crib; therefore, you should avoid having numerous pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, crib toys, mobiles, and padding inside the crib.  The extra items in the crib can lead to suffocation or other common accidents.  Consider placing your baby in a wearable blanket instead of using a typical blanket.  Overall, have a crib that’s free of clutter, do not place things on the walls near or above the crib, and attach toys on the side of the crib that is against the wall so that the baby cannot use it to aid them in climbing.

Although your baby will spend the majority of his or her time in the nursery sleeping in a crib, it is also necessary to baby proof the diaper changing area.  In order to ensure that your baby is safe, you should never leave a baby unattended at the changing table.  Your baby could roll over within seconds, which could yield tragic results.  Also, make sure to place all powders, creams, and plastic bags (used to dispose diapers) out of the reach of the baby.  Although powders and creams are useful, and can help diaper rashes, powders and creams can be toxic to your baby.  For that reason, you should make sure that all diaper ointments, powders, and creams are kept far away from your baby’s reach.  Obviously, plastic bags, used to dispose diapers, should be kept out of the reach of the baby because a baby can easily suffocate or choke. 

The last item in the nursery that you should baby proof in order to keep your child safe is the toy box.  If you have a toy box, toy chest, or a toy holder, you should make sure that the lid cannot slam down onto the baby’s fingers.  Also, the toy box should have some air holes-just in case the baby gets trapped inside.