child proofing

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No chances childproofing

By Wendy Walker the mother of 10 month old Jaron who keep her on the go and inspires her and her husband Bruce as they head up Babyproofessionals.

There I was in my heavily pregnant state – back aching, feet more swollen than my baby shower balloons and anxiety increasing with every direction I glanced in my home. Detergents within reach of a creeping crawling baby. Loose bookshelves that threatened to tip if I walked past too quickly, not to mention the climbing antics of a toddler. How would I know if the sweet furnishings n the crib were a secret death trap? What would I do if my bay stopped breathing? As my huffing and puffing turned to gasping, well-meaning friends tried to convince me my child “probably” wouldn’t succumb to any of the hazards I’d seen played out in my mind. Probably wasn’t good enough for me. And so off I went to do my research… and the classic advice “Get on your hands and knees and see the house through the eyes of a baby” just wasn’t going to cut it in my pregnant state, not to mention the drilling and hammering and picking and sticking that would have to follow an expensive spree for baby proofing items.

“There ought to be professionals to do this kind of thing,” I thought to myself. And so it was that BABYPROOFESSIONALS was born – a professional baby proofing service offering everything from assessments and educations to supplies, installations and an online safety store.

In the course  of our training and practice, we have found home items that can be dangerous to your child. Here are 5 of the many examples:

  • PILLOWS: Although you might not be able to sleep without the feathery fluff beneath your head, babies don’t need a pillow of any sort until the age of 2 as they can cause suffocation.
  • IRON AND IRONING BOARD: How many of us leave the iron on the ironing board? The head trauma to a child pulling an iron off the ironing board (which is usually so rickety) is unthinkable – and imagine the burn wounds if it is hot!
  • BATHROOM: The door to the bathroom should be closed with a safety gate to avoid burning and drowning in the bath, toilet or buckets… and I’m sure you’re not too keen on your baby sucking that toilet brush or eating the toilet paper!
  • BATTERIES: Remote controls, cameras, you name it, they’re battery operated! For your child to get their hands on a battery poses first the risk of choking and then – if they manage to swallow it – severe poisoning. Remember to keep all small or poisonous objects out of reach!
  • TABLECLOTHS: This one may seem strange! Depending on what you’re keeping on top of the tables, a baby pulling on a table cloth could end up with a glass vase, a marble statue or worse right on their head. Pack away your table cloths that dangle down to tempt your little one!
  • Of course the average home is riddled with many more dangers than these, but we’ll keep that for another article! Keep SAFE and enjoy your little explorer!

    Have you had any close shaves at home with safety? Tell us about it.