Moving can be tough enough, but if you are moving into a new home with a baby, it can pose even more challenges. Not only do you need to consider how to get everything unpacked and put away, you will need to make sure your home has been babyproofed to keep them safe in their brand-new environment. We have a few tips to help you get started on creating a safe home for your baby.
- SECURE FURNITURE: While you are moving your furniture in is a great time to go ahead and anchor each heavy piece to the wall. Heavy cabinets and even televisions can be dangerous to small children once they start pulling themselves up. You can order furniture and television anchoring kits online or in most local home improvement stores.
- COVER ELECTRICAL OUTLETS: The easiest solution for keeping small fingers away from electrical outlets are the plastic inserts that you can purchase very inexpensively at most stores. But these are fairly easy to pull out, and if you find your child is especially curious, then perhaps replacing the outlet plates with ones that have sliding covers that automatically cover the outlet when you remove a cord will provide a higher level of safety and peace of mind.
- BLOCK THE STAIRS: If you have moved into a multi-level home, be sure to block the top and bottom of each set of stairs. There are different types of gates to choose from, but ones that swing open are generally the easiest to use for stairs.
- CHECK THE HOT WATER HEATER TEMPERATURE SETTINGS: This may not be a big deal before your baby starts walking, but it would be good to go ahead and check that your water heater temperature is not set any higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Any higher than that and your child could get severely burned in the water.
- WATCH FOR CHOKING HAZARDS AND CHEMICALS: This can be difficult during the unpacking process when you have things all over the place. Be mindful of items like household cleaners or small screws left out from furniture assembly.
- INSTALL DOORKNOB COVERS AND CABINET LOCKS: When your child becomes mobile, you will want to make sure they can’t open up the cabinets in your kitchen and bathrooms and you should make sure they can’t move freely unattended in the home. Doorknob covers and cabinet locks are a great way to make sure they aren’t getting into anything when you turn around for a second.
When you move into your new home, it may feel overwhelming trying to do all the babyproofing that is needed while you are also trying to get your belongings put away. If babyproofing can’t be done right away, consider creating a space in the home that is safe for the baby until you are able to get it completed.
If you have a move coming up this fall, give Zippy Shell a call. We would love to speak with you and see how our moving and storage services can help you have a smooth and stress-free moving process. We look forward to hearing from you!