Do you have an curious little one at home? Jay Martel, founder and owner of the Child Proof Coach, shares his top 7 child proofing tips you can do yourself. Want some professional help to complete the process? Check out the http://childproofcoach.com
1. FINGER PINCHING IN DOORS: Ouch! Take a bath towel, throw it over the top of the door so the door doesn’t close fully and pinch their fingers. Jam it in the hinge to restrict the door even more.
2. REFRIGERATOR MAGNETS: They hit the floor when people brush past them and become instant choking hazards. Often there is a little round magnet glued to something larger. When they hit the floor the magnet detaches. The plastic letters that stick to the fridge are for ages 3 and up. They hit the floor and a small rectangular magnet dislodges. Watch out.
3. NICK NACKS: Like small ceramic and glass figurines, ashtrays, crystal, candy dishes, potpourri, glass frames, coins, purses, etc. must be taken off low shelves and tables. Move ’em up or get ’em out.
4. PLANTS: Forget whether they’re poisonous or not. Toddlers pull off the leaves and choke on them. They’ll play in the dirt. The ceramic pot will fall over and break. The plants on tables with wandering vines will also be pulled off and hopefully not land on anyone. Find a sunny new out of the way spot for them.
5. HOT BEVERAGES: Never drink a hot beverage (coffee) while you are holding or near a child. How many times a day do you JUMP for your child? It seems that jumping or quick movements tend to make liquids fly out of mugs in a hurry. A child’s skin is 10 times more sensitive to everything. So sip away. Way away!
6. MAKE SURE YOUR DOORS CLICK CLOSED: Sometimes when checking a house, I find that some of the doors don’t close all the way. Some frames are too tight for the door to close. Some have sagged and the latch mechanism doesn’t articulate properly. Some people count on that little ball on the top of the door to sit securely in its little housing. If you are going to count on a closed door, please make sure they close.
7. GFI OUTLETS: You know the ones on kitchen islands or in bathrooms? They have the two tiny buttons on them so that the circuit will trip if it senses a short. You can shut the power to these outlets just by pressing the button to deactivate it. We can not change this plate with a babyproofing one because those buttons need to be exposed. Downside, you’ve just shut the juice to an outlet you may want to use.