Room by Room Home Safety

Everything on your home is open to exploration for an inquisitive baby or toddler.  While you can spend hundreds of dollars on toys and activity sets, inevitably your child will want to play with the remote control or DVD player.  As a parent you strive to protect your child from harm and to encourage them to learn in a safe and protected environment.

Once your child is crawling and able to move about freely it's time to do a room by room safety check.

Getting started

First step is to protect your child from major harm--electric shock, dangerous falls, ingesting poison--you get the picture.

What you'll need:

• Drawer Locks  can prevent children from shutting their fingers in drawers and also keep children from access sharp and dangerous objects.
• Cabinet guards  will secure poisonous cleaning solvents and small electric items from your child.
• Window guards  are essential to protect your child from falling out of your home or apartment.
• Outlet covers  help children avoid electric shock and should be placed over all unused outlets.
• Cord covers  should be placed over any wires or cords in your home.

Make an Inventory:

• Instead of placing two or three orders on the Internet or running to the hardware store a dozen times, count and recount your outlets, make a list of the cords and drawers you need to lock and then place your order.
• The best time to do this is when you can have a friend or spouse assist you as you travel room by room in your house.
• Friends with older children can proves especially adept at this task, as they've already been through the child proofing process.

Next?

After you've tackled basic disaster prevention, it's time to get to the specifics. Here are the products design to protect your child from very specific injuries.

Living Room
Table Edge Bumpers  These table edge guards are expandable and flexible, providing a soft cushion around normally unforgiving corners. Measure your tables before you buy to make sure you get a snug fit.	Safety Edge Guards  These foam guards adhere to furniture by double-sided tape, though you may want to glue it yourself for extra-strong adhesion. You don't have to measure furniture with these since you can cut them to your desired length.	Furniture Brackets  Protects children from pulling over heavy objects. Keeps display cases and bookshelves safe from children.

Misc. Living Room devices:

• DVD/DVR guards --prevent you child from jamming a fork into the DVR player and ruining your "24" viewing experience.
• Carpet adhesive --Your baby is going to walk like a drunk at first, make sure the carpet doesn't slip or slide underneath them.
• Fireplaces can be hazardous. Gate off the area off from your little explorer and hide the shiny fireplace tools.
• Use the eHow.com site to double check your home.

Bathroom
Bath Thermometers  Alerts parents to tub temperature. Prevents children from entering scalding hot water	Spout Covers  A soft and fun faucet cover will entertain your baby while you soap them up. Protects delicate heads from faucets, and tender fingers from hot metal spouts.	Toilet Lid Locks  It doesn't take much water to create a drowning hazard Toilet locks prevent babies from opening toilets.

Misc. Bathroom Devices

• Make sure all your medicine is in childproof bottles. 
• Affix non-slip adhesive decals  or a non-slip bath mat  to your tubs to prevent your child from a soapy spill.
• Step stools  are handy for washing hands and getting into the tub.
• Check out Dr. Spock's complete guide to bathroom safety.

Nursery
Crib Safety Bumpers  Keeps little legs and arms safely inside crib. Prevents child from getting stuck between crib slats.	Sleep Positioner  Doctors recommend all babies be placed on their backs for sleep. This device helps reduce the risk of SIDS by maintaining a safe sleeping posture. Aids breathing and digestion.	Baby Monitors Allows you to hear your baby when you aren't in the room and alerts you to the baby's activities. Models come with different ranges. Check out our buyer's guide.

Misc. Nursery Safety Ideas

• Once your child is in a toddler bed, you may want to add bed rails  to prevent nasty night time spills.
• Always use the belt on your changing table.
• Don't hand any heavy picture or mirrors over the crib or bed.
• Another checklist! This time from The Baby Corner.

Kitchen
Appliance Locks  Prevent babies from opening ovens, dishwashers and other large appliances.	Stove Guard  Guards protects child from touching hot surfaces or pulling down boiling liquids. Consider adding stove knob protectors  to your stove.	High Chairs Your child can eat without falling off an adult-sized chair. Check out our buyer's guide.

Misc. Kitchen Proofing

• Consider moving all toxic cleaning supplies to a locked closet.
• Small appliances, think toasters and microwaves, should never be reachable by toddler hands.
• Good News for Family Care--all the way from the UK--a guide to baby proofing your kitchen.