HEALTHY FAMILY
Your Guide to Baby-proofing
Your Home
BY HEATHER M. ROSS
B BABY: LOSTINBIDS/ E+/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; HEADSHOTS PROVIDED
aby-proofing is an important step
in every parent’s journey. As chil-
dren grow, so does their curiosity.

The goal is to make your home a safe place
for them to play and explore without risking
injuries. To create our baby-proofing guide, we
reached out to two pediatricians — Jonathan
Miller, who practices at a Nemours Hospital
clinic in Wilmington, Delaware, and Rachel
Plotnick, a member of GMBC’s Pediatric
Group, in Towson, Maryland.

Both have three children of their own, and
each pediatrician has more than 16 years of
experience. Here’s their advice on how and
when to baby-proof.

The Time is Now
Baby-proofing needs to be done by the
time your little one is rolling, crawling and
exploring, and most parents wait until then,
but Plotnick recommends doing it before
the baby is even born. Once the baby is
here, you’ll have your hands full, she says.

So where to start? Miller recommends
a somewhat unconventional method: get-
ting low.

“When I talk to families about child-proof-
ing and safety, usually when kids are around
6 months old, I encourage people to get
down on their hands and knees and crawl
around their home. You’ll find outlets [and]
cabinets that have things you don’t want a
baby to have access to,” Miller says.

Here are some of the top hazards to
address when baby-proofing:
Stairs Miller says falls down the stairs are one of
the most common mishaps he sees. Stair
safety should include baby gates at both the
top and bottom of the stairs, he says.

“Teach your child how to navigate the steps
safely by crawling. Bring them to the steps,
position yourself below them and teach them
how to crawl down the steps feet-first. That
way, if they do find themselves with steps,
they know how to do it safely,” Miller says.

Burns Another common injury Miller
sees is burns to the face and
chest from children pulling hot
Jonathan Miller
Rachel Plotnick
foods or drinks off of tables.

“Think about anything you
put on a surface or near the edge of a surface Plants
that infants may not see but can get their Plants in and around your home are usually
hands on,” he explains. “Don’t put hot, sharp harmless, unless you start putting them in
your mouth. Many common plants can pose
or breakable things near the edge of a table.”
a danger to infants, including unripe toma-
This is important guidance to give visi-
toes, potato sprouts, nightshade, azaleas and
tors, too, Miller says, because more often
oleanders. Even peace lilies can pose a seri-
than not, it’s a friend’s or grandparent’s cup
ous danger to young children.

of coffee.

Review CHOP’s poisonous plant guide
Furniture at chop.edu/centers-programs/poison-control-
Think about things that could fall down if center/poisonous-plants.

shaken or climbed on, such as bookshelves Water
or dressers. These items can be anchored “Kids can drown really quickly and really
to the wall to keep babies safe. Another risk silently,” Plotnick says.

area, according to Plotnick, is around cor-
According to the Children’s Safety Net-
ners and furniture with sharp edges.

work, nearly 900 children in the United
States die every year from unintentional
Doors Toddlers will open doors before you’re ready drowning. Drowning doesn’t always hap-
for it. Occasionally, they’ll open doors they pen in a regular pool; it can happen in a tub,
aren’t supposed to open—the scariest of those a kiddie pool or even in a bucket. Children
being front doors, Miller says. Add childproof should always be supervised around water,
and bathtubs should be drained right away
knob covers and make a habit of locking any
when not in use.

doors that can lead out of the house.

Medication and Drugs
Small Items
Another common household hazard par-
Some of the most dangerous things to look
ents should pay special attention to is
out for are the smallest—those small enough
placement of medication or recreational
to fit in an infant’s mouth or be swallowed.

substances like cannabis or liquid nico-
When Plotnick’s children were born, she tine. Liquid nicotine from e-cigarettes,
switched away from laundry pods entirely. e-hookahs, vape pens and other elec-
The brightly colored pods can look appe- tronic nicotine devices can be absorbed
tizing to young children, who often explore through the skin or swallowed. Even a
with their mouths.

small amount can be fatal in the hands of
Other small items with a big risk attached a toddler.

are button batteries. “Button batteries can
“Know when you have these products in
cause damage in three ways,” according your house and store them far away, and be
to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia careful when you use them,” Plotnick says.

(CHOP). “They can create an electrical cur-
Prescription medications often arrive
rent, put pressure on sensitive tissues and from the pharmacy in childproof bottles. Be
leak harmful chemicals, which can cause sure not to transfer them to baggies or other
easier-to-open containers.

burns to the throat and stomach.”
WashingtonFAMILY.com 27