Our last home was pretty well baby proofed. I even had a professional baby proofer come to give me advice. I worked hard to make sure my son’s surrounding were safe for a baby on the move. We had gates, outlets were secure, blind cords were up high, and the drawers and cupboards all had locks on them. Even though there weren’t too many moments that I wasn’t keeping a careful eye on my son, if I wanted to step away, I knew I could. Now, we are in our new home and I am ashamed to admit we have done none of that. Everything is free game. But as I watch my son maneuver around our new home with his new found freedom I realize that NOW is an even more important time to baby proof because as he gets older he will get more freedom, and sometimes (or most of the time) he just can’t be trusted to make the right decisions.
Baby Proofing For Your Toddler
I can just tell that my little man LOVES that he can go up and down stairs now at will. He thinks he is so cool because he can go and get something that he wants in his room whenever he wants. He’s so proud. He also loves the space our new home gives us and that means that I will sometimes be a room different than the one he is in. That’s when the trouble could occur.
I was upstairs while he was downstairs and could hear him rumbling through a kitchen drawer. I immediately came down to tell him to keep out, but it was then I realized how easily he could grab a knife or something just as dangerous when I wasn’t paying attention.
The oven? Now that he’s taller he can reach up to the oven to open it as well as can just about touch the flame on the stove. It’s even worse now that he is showing more interest in helping me cook dinner. I turn my back for a moment and he’s close to the stove. I close my eyes and can just picture the horrible outcome if he got close enough to the flame!
Same goes for the furniture straps I have have delayed putting on. I can now picture my son wanting something from the top of his dresser only to decide that as a “big boy” he could climb the drawers to get it himself. Would it tip and fall on him? I can’t even believe how dangerous the littlest things can be!
I think we all forget how little our children think about the choices they make. When left to their own accord you should bet they will always choose the most wrong and most dangerous one. Our homes are pretty much a death trap. So it’s now that they need the most protection. I guess it’s back to locked drawers for me!
It’s better to be safe than sorry!
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