Posted by Buying a new apartment is an exciting and thrilling time for you and your family, as you are deciding where to put your furniture, accessories and getting settled in to start this new chapter. Maybe you were looking at Birmingham homes for sale and found your perfect apartment, but nervous about child-proofing the entire space. When you have a child and you’re just getting settled in your new apartment, it can be a little more challenging since there are so many hazards in plain sight. Whether you have a newborn child or a 10-year-old, we’ll make sure we cover all the bases of child-proofing your new apartment.
Get Down to Their Level
It may sound silly, but bending down and doing a walk-through or crawling on your hands and knees around the apartment will allow you to see everything that they will. Being an adult, our eye level is much higher than theirs and we often look past anything near the floor. Hide or remove anything sticking out in plain eyesight that would be of interest to them and you shouldn’t have to worry about your child getting into any trouble.
Lock Cabinets and Doors Containing Hazardous Items
Cabinets under the sink are home to cleaning fluids, poisonous chemicals for drain cleaning and so on. Sadly this is a common occurrence for children finding their way into the cabinets and ingesting these chemicals, leading to a poison-control call. Amazon sells locks that are made to specifically fit around cabinet and door handles and you can be sure your child won’t be able to figure out how to open them.
Make Sure Furniture is Sturdy
Remember the incidents when clothing dressers were tipping over and falling on children? Now, when purchasing dressers, they often come with a fastener that attaches them to the back wall. This is important because these items are so incredibly heavy and lead to fatal accidents. Not only dressers, but another furniture item that can tip over are side tables and ladder shelves that are just propped up against the wall. Side tables are eye-level for children and if they reach up and lean on the top, the whole table will tip over, and the same thing goes for the new and popular ladder shelves.
Create Safe Play Areas
Obviously the most important place to make safe is the area that your child will be playing in. Their toys and games will all be in this place, so fully child-proofing this spot will ensure your child has their own area to play in without any hazardous items. Sharp edges on coffee tables should be padded or removed from the area, electrical outlets should be covered and house plants should be moved to a higher spot that’s out of reach.
Taking care of these beforehand will ensure your child has a safe play area to call their own, and that all hazardous items are locked away and out of reach. It will give you peace of mind knowing that your new apartment is fully furnished for your needs, and your child’s. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and taking all of these precautions will save you from panicking and something going wrong.
