Your baby will change and grow so much within the first year of life.
The helpless infant you brought home from the hospital will soon be a little dynamo, tearing across your floors faster than you ever thought possible.
Even before babies begin to walk, they start to crawl and cruise and can find trouble quicker than it can find them.
Baby proofing your home is vital once your baby is out of the baby carrier and exploring the big, wonderful, and possibly dangerous world that you call home.
Assessing Your Needs Take a long look around your home.
Try to see it from the viewpoint of a baby.
If this means you must get down on all fours, then get down there.
Babies are naturally curious and they satisfy their curiosity by grabbing and putting things in their mouths.
You want to look at your home with an eye to what your little one can reach, such as loose wires, tempting doors that lead to toxic cleaners, large objects that can be accidentally pulled onto your baby, etc.
Accidents That Are Just Waiting to Happen Leading causes of fatality in children under the age of four are suffocation from objects that they have put into their mouths and mechanical suffocation.
Home fires and drowning can are also big risks for young children.
Being aware that a baby on the loose is an accident just waiting to happen can help you prepare not only your home environment, but wherever you and your baby travel as well.
Infants and Suffocation Infants can roll into spaces that you least expect them to, and it is in this way that many suffocation deaths can occur.
Never place an infant on a bed for adults surrounded by pillows.
The pillows may prevent the baby from rolling off the bed, but it may inadvertently cause suffocation instead.
Soft surfaces such as cushions, pillows or large stuffed animals, are dangerous for newborns that have no real control over their bodies yet.
Those who have a water bed should never allow their babies to be on it unsupervised.
Things that go Bump Babies are curious little creatures and if they can get their hands on something, they will pull it.
Never place your baby's crib near a window.
Your curtains or blinds may have pull cords that a baby may want to yank on.
Toys with long strings should also be avoided.
Keep ribbons and cords out of the crib and never attach your baby's pacifier to a string around her neck.
Your living room may be a dangerous place for a crawling baby to explore.
Be sure that all of the electrical sockets are covered to protect probing, little fingers and there are no loose cords that a baby can become entangled in and pull something heavy down on top of them.
Be sure that all stairways are protected with baby gates at both the top and bottom of the stairs.
You want to be sure that your gate doesn't allow your baby to get his or her head stuck.
Baby Proofing: Not as Hard as You Imagined New parents can feel overwhelmed by all the new things they need to learn.
Rest assured that you will learn it, though perhaps not all at once.
When it comes to baby proofing your home, you will be able to see the dangers when you learn to look at the world the way your baby sees it.
You need to be aware of what your child is capable of and the things you can do to prevent unintended accidents from happening.