Shopping for furniture is just one half of the equation. After buying the kids furniture, one must make sure the room is safe for them to play in. Try as they will, it is almost impossible for parents to keep a constant eye on small children through the day and night. With the right safety features though, one might not have to worry too much!
Furniture And Windows
Safety starts with the basics. Begin by making sure the furniture assembly does not leave the children at a risk of injury. If not assembled well, the furniture might end up falling on the playing kids. This should not just be in the kids’ room. Make sure everything in the house, from the dresser to the TV stand, is strong enough such that when the toddler stands on them, their weight will not be enough to have them topple everything over and get injured or damage appliances. This might seem far-fetched, but another dangerous thing that might happen is having a toddler climb out the window. They might not have done it before, but toddlers sometimes do irrational things.
Choking Hazards
Babies and toddlers generally have a tendency to put everything they come across in their mouths. This tendency reduces as one grows older, but even then they are still pretty unpredictable. When baby-proofing rooms, remove anything that can even remotely be considered a choking hazard. If unsure, remove anything that can fit into an empty roll of toilet paper.
Electricity
Again, babies are unpredictable, and most times will not realize just how much danger electrical cables might get them into. To be fair, this happens even to the rare unsuspecting adults. There are plugs for children’s’ rooms, but when they see their parents removing and replacing them, they learn quickly and might try to imitate them. The secret is to look for safe plates which cannot typically be removed unless an adult is present. If there are a lot of wires in the house or in the toddler’s room, consider concealing them to avoid the danger that comes from their curiosity.
Stairs
If the house has several floors and the toddler or baby’s room is on the first or second floor, then it is safe to consider a gate at the top of the stairs. Once the baby gets out of bed, they might begin wondering just where everyone else is and wander out their room. If they have not yet learned how to go downstairs, this could be dangerous. It only takes a split second to get in trouble and the consequences might be bad.
Other safety precautions include:
- Adding anchoring devices on dressers and book cases
- Teaching and enforcing safe behavior
- Incorporating safety in decorations
Monitoring
Even with all these precautions, the thought of toddlers roaming the house, curious about what would happen if they pulled on wires or climbed out the window can be too much to bear. If so, put a monitoring system in the house or in their rooms, complete with both video and sound systems.
