Baby Proofing Your Home

So it's almost time for the big day, the day you've been waiting for for nine months now. Your baby is on his way but wait, is your home ready? One recommendation is that you should your take a look at your home from your baby's point of view to start. It won't be long before your little one is up and crawling or even walking around your home so you want to make sure they are as safe as possible.

One thing that should always be in place in your home, especially now that you will be bringing home baby, install smoke alarms in each room, each bedroom and make sure you have an escape plan. Be sure to set your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to lessen the chance of burns with water that is too hot.

It is important that you secure all electrical cords and circuits throughout your home, your baby will see these items as toys so make sure you cover outlets with face plates. Anything on the ground is a potential danger to babies so you'll want to pick up any coins, marbles and small loose items since infants and toddlers love to put tiny objects into their mouth and suddenly becomes a choking hazard.

Next, when purchasing a crib, check the safety standards set by the American Society for Testing (ASTM) and make sure the crib does not have elevated corner posts or decorative cutouts that clothing may easily get caught on. Double check all bolts and screws to be sure they are secure to prevent the crib from falling apart. Lastly, you do not want to put any extra pillows, electric blankets or stuffed animals in the crib with your little one since these are potential hazards as well. Also, you want to keep any type of lamps or nightlights a few feet away from the crib and out of baby's reach. For an extra precaution you may even want to place a rug under the crib in case the baby has a fall.