A living room that’s safe for adults is not necessarily a living room that’s safe for babies. Before you welcome your little one into your home, make sure that your living room (which is often the busiest and most lived-in area of the house) is hazard-free. These simple and practical safety tips will show you where to start.
Use soft flooring material
It’s natural for babies to fall often, especially when they’re just learning to walk. You might not be able to completely stop them from tripping over themselves, but you can make sure that your floor doesn’t exacerbate the situation.
Hard floors can be slippery, which contributes to more incidents of slips and falls. Furthermore, its stiff and rigid surface can be hazardous on impact. To avoid this, you can install a soft carpet in your living room to cushion your baby’s falls and to prevent incidents of tripping. Ensure that the carpet is properly installed and that you work with a reputable carpet fitting service in Bristol. Loose and unsecured carpets are just as likely to cause tripping as a hardwood floor.
Dull sharp corners
The sharp corners of tables and chairs in your home can be extremely dangerous to your child. When picking out furniture, opt for pieces that have soft, rounded corners and edges. If you already have furniture that you can’t afford to replace, then you can cover sharp corners with affordable edge guards that come in different materials like foam, rubber, and silicone or DIY your own with these same materials.
Declutter your space
Toys, clothing, and small objects that are lying around in your living room should be cleaned up immediately. When left out in the open, your child might trip over, choke on, or cut themselves on any of these items. Make sure your home is as tidy as it can be to prevent these unfortunate instances from happening. Power cords for electronics should be stowed away properly and hidden from view, and you should avoid running any cords across high-traffic areas.
Secure your furniture
Before you welcome your baby into your home, make sure that your furniture is stable and won’t topple over when bumped into or lightly pulled and pushed. You can test this out by giving your furniture a good shake and moving pieces around to see if any furniture is wobbling or unstable. Freestanding furniture like bookcases, wardrobes, and cabinets should be securely fastened to the wall using brackets. Televisions can be mounted to the wall as well, while lamps can be secured to the floor or table using double-sided tape.
Make sure poisonous substances are out of reach
While most of your chemicals will probably be kept in your kitchen and bathroom, it’s easy to forget cleaning products used in living rooms like multi-purpose cleaners, furniture polish, insect repellant, and air fresheners. These should be safely stored out of reach of children. You might even forget medicines in your living room, which can also be a health hazard to your baby if ingested incorrectly. Plants should also either be plastic or stored away somewhere else since there is a potential for them to be poisonous when ingested too.
Welcoming your baby into your new home is a momentous occasion. Before they even arrive, take the time to make sure that everything is safe to ensure the well-being of the light of your life.
