This is a broad space to talk about. Home is where most people feel safest. By home it is not just the place but the people who live in it. This is the same for kids too. For a child, the mother's womb is the safest place. Every kid would want to be around available parents. By available parents, I mean physically, mentally, and emotionally. This might sound overwhelming. I feel you. Let me help you with details of how you can take this in small steps and execute it at home.
Inside the home
Many times we as adults get hurt from nowhere in the house. Many women get their regular tattoos from the kitchen. JK(Just Kidding). I feel that despite extreme care sometimes it goes out of control for us adults. Imagine if a fully grown human being can face these situations, kids need our assistance for sure. Remember, precaution is better than cure. We must observe the possible hazards that can exist in an ordinary home. For a newborn from 0-3 months, the baby can hardly move from their place. Let us consider that as the safest age. The back turns and crawling is when we need to be cautious. The numbers are very huge when we count on infants falling from their beds during this age. Sometimes in a span of a 5-minute break, a mother takes to the loo. We can avoid this by
Putting pillows around the baby. This can help infants that just started to turn back.
Putting the baby to sleep in a crib. Safest option.
Not everyone can afford a crib or when you think it is a temporary thing to spend on. You can use pillows around the kid and on the floor too.
Once the child starts crawling and walking, it is important to childproof the entire home. The child would not want to stay in the crib at all. The sharp edges in the home are a real hazard. I had my friend's kid who got a deep cut on his forehead by hitting a corner of the wall when he was 4. Let us see what we can do
Install corner protectors, they are rounded rubber covers to the corners of the walls and sharp ends of the furniture in the house.
Securing heavy furniture to the wall to prevent tipping.
Covering electrical outlets with safety plugs.
Make sure you accompany them while taking stairs or elevators.
It is great that parents are encouraging kids to cook at an early stage. Rihansh(my LO) started cutting veggies at the age of 5. He also used to peel and cut his apple. We just need to make sure the knife is child-safe, and not too sharp. Also accompanying them actively could prevent any possible hazards in the kitchen. We don't need to push them away from the kitchen, as we all know cooking is a life skill. Learning to cook their favourite food, can also make them feel confident and empowered.
Let us now look at safety measures that can be taken room by room in the house.
Room-by-Room Safety Tips:
Living Room:
Securing TV and entertainment units.
Using corner protectors on sharp furniture edges.
Keeping small objects and toys that can be choking hazards out of reach.
Kitchen:
Installing stove guards and using back burners when cooking.
Locking cabinets that contain cleaning supplies and chemicals.
Keeping knives and sharp objects in locked drawers.
Bathroom:
Installing non-slip mats in the bathtub and on the floor.
Keeping medications and toiletries in high, locked cabinets.
Ensuring water heater temperature is set to a safe level to prevent scalding.
Bedrooms:
Using cordless blinds or securing cords to prevent strangulation.
Ensuring cribs and beds meet current safety standards.
Keeping nightlights out of reach to avoid burns.
These were some of the tips. You know your home well. Please look around and take the necessary safety measures. You can leave your comments if you have any queries and I will try to help you with that.
Our presence
In this digital world, when we are busy with our mobiles, we can get distracted easily. It is natural to get into the social media loop. Despite that, thank you for coming to this site and reading so far so you could take care of your child. I appreciate that. Having a child could make you feel that you must let go of things that you did earlier or why you must not watch content. You don't have to do that. All I suggest is to define a certain time interval for consuming content. Don't do it for the kids, this will help you also not get into the scam of social media. Some parents are showing content to their kids too. Which is where the problem arises.
We must understand that it is okay to share content with your child as long as it is safe. There is child-safe content available on the web. This content doesn't provide irrelevant or any adult adds as well. Every visual kids watch has an impact on them. Hence, let us be cautious and make our home child-safe by dedicating watching content online when the child is not around.
I will end this post by saying that you are trying, which is great. You are an amazing parent. Despite all the challenges, you are showing up every day. Parenting is an underrated and undermined full-time job. Kudos to you and I wish you happy parenting.
Because happy parents = happy kids!
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