Toddlerhood is a magical time for parents. It’s when your baby begins to talk and reason with you, making two-way communication more fun, engaging and memorable. It’s also a time when toddlers can be curious, exploratory and defiant. Your unbelievably energetic child will spend all their waking hours trying to roam around and investigate their surroundings without regard for their safety.
Use dresser drawers as ladder rungs? Check.
Climb a windowsill or rummage under a sink? Been there, done that.
Here are some tips to get ahead of your toddler’s natural but dangerous instincts.
Declutter Every Living Space
Pretty much any object is a weapon a toddler can use to harm themselves in one way or another. Anything small enough to fit in your child’s mouth but too big to swallow is a choking hazard. Sharp items can cut them, while breakable ones can shatter. Chemicals and medications are, obviously, toxic if they get ahold of them.
Clean and organize your house to reduce the chances of self-inflicted injury. Decluttering also helps safeguard your kid from overstimulation to the detriment of their development.
Cover Reachable Electrical Outlets
Wall plugs are intriguing to children. Your little explorer may stick a metal fork, hairpin or paper clip into one. Fingers and tongues can also go in the outlet holes. Not good. So install tamper-resistant face covers to keep your toddler from getting shocked or worse.
Hide All the Cords
Dangling and scattered cables are too enticing for children to ignore if they’re at eye level or within reach. These strangulation hazards are fatal to kids 8 and younger 48% of the time, so go cordless or use window treatments with retractable cords.
Plug chargers, extension cords and electric appliances as close to outlets as possible to keep them from dangling or lying around the floor. You can hide cables in use from view with organizers or fasten them to the wall. For unused cords, bundle them and keep them out of reach.
Cushion Edges and Corners
Toddlers are still developing their coordination and balance, so they often trip and fall. Sure, they need to hone their gross motor skills enough to walk and run properly. And that means you need to make your home a safe environment for them to work out their gross motor movements. Add edge cushions and corner protectors to tables, chairs, staircases, countertops and ledges. These childproofing devices soften the blow of an impact, shielding your child from more serious injuries.
Reinforce Exit Points
It only takes a little time for a toddler to move between rooms and escape the house — even when doors and windows are closed. Barricading means of egress and covering door knobs can keep your toddler out of harm’s way.
For example, window guards prevent your child from falling by serving as impregnable barriers. About 15,000 kids sustain injuries from window-related falls yearly, so don’t take this matter lightly.
Some openings are larger than others, as required by building codes. Put a premium on creating an exact fit to eliminate any gap your toddler may exploit to bypass window guards.
Lock Everything That Opens
Using latches to keep your toddler from getting into cabinets and drawers usually only works for a while. By age 2, your kid gets better at imitating grown-ups and may figure out how to open it by watching you do it several times. Set up locks instead.
Flex and magnetic locks are more challenging to circumvent. Furniture comes in various designs, so use locks that fit how your pieces work. The same logic applies to operating windows, such as casements and double-hungs.
Moreover, old-fashioned chests are unsafe for children. If you have one, use a keyed lock to keep it shut.
Reimagining your space so it is more conducive to toddlerhood takes work. Although you can’t think of every scenario that may imperil your little one, these tips should eliminate most dangers.
Jack Shaw is the senior lifestyle writer at Modded with and a single father with a special interest in navigating the ins and outs of being a parent. As fathers, the work we put in isn’t always recognized, but it’s absolutely essential to the health and well-being of our children. You can find more of Jack’s work in publications like Tiny Buddha, Daddy’s Digest, Parent.com and more. Contact him via LinkedIn.
