First, get to work on these safety precautions way before your baby starts to crawl! Time flies quickly, especially when you have kids. One day, you’d just take your baby home and spend time admiring him as he sleeps. Next thing you know, he’s trying to sit, stand, roll over and crawl!

Is your home ready for a baby on-the-go?
 

Here’s a handy checklist to get you started:

Bathroom

 ☐ If using a bath tub, fill it up to 2 to 3 inches of water only, just enough to cover your baby's legs 

 ☐ Use warm water, never hot. Test the temperature of the water with your wrist or forearm. (It should be somewhere between 36 to 37.7 degrees Celsius.)

 ☐ Never, ever leave babies in tub unsupervised, not even for a few seconds. Keep a firm hold on your baby; remember, soapy skin is slippery.

 ☐ Put nonslip mats in bathtub and on the floor next to the tub.

 ☐ To prevent your baby from wandering inside, install a hook-and-eye lock high on the outside of the door or place a childproof cover over the doorknob.

 ☐ Keep the toilet lid down. You can install a toilet lock to prevent your baby from lifting the lid. Babies can easily fall in headfirst and drown in as little as an inch of water.

 ☐ Pack away razors, scissors, nail clippers, tweezers, and other sharp utensils in a locked cabinet or high up on a shelf out of your baby's reach.

 ☐ Unplug all appliances that create heat. Put them away after each use to prevent burns.

 ☐ Secure all cosmetics and medications – including mouthwash – in a high cabinet secured with a child-safety lock.

Nice to have: Soft cover for bathtub spout, covers for bathtub knobs, bathtub ring for babies to sit in (this needs your supervision)

Nursery

 ☐ Don't leave your baby unattended when changing him. Always keep one hand on your baby when he's on the changing table. Use a safety strap if you have one.

 ☐ Store baby supplies like lotion, oil, and diaper wipes within your reach but far away from your infant's grasp. 

Crib

 ☐ Ensure that your crib is safe to use. Its slats should be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart to prevent your baby's body from slipping or getting caught between the bars. The mattress must fit snugly. Corner posts or finials should be no higher than 1/16 of an inch. Wood should have no splinters and paint should not be peeling.

 ☐ Check if the crib model’s mechanisms all work, like drop sides. Better yet, opt for a crib that doesn’t use those. 

 ☐ Remove soft, fluffy bedding such as pillows, comforters, or sheepskins under sleeping babies. Don't leave toys in crib when your baby is sleeping.

 ☐ Don't hang anything over the crib with a string that's longer than 7 inches. 

 ☐ Remove the mobile and any toys that hang down into the crib once the baby starts to become more mobile. He can strangle himself if he pulls them down.

 ☐ When your baby can pull himself up, put mattress in lowest level.

 ☐ Position the crib away from windows, lamps, wall decorations, cords, and furniture that can be climbed.

 

Toys

 ☐ Make sure they are securely put together and in good condition.

 ☐ Toys should have no buttons, eyes, beads, ribbons, or other pieces a baby could pull off and choke on.

 ☐ Keep heavy toys out of reach.

 ☐ Remove anything that have strings or cords longer than 12 inches, or can be hung around the neck.

 

Dining and Kitchen

 ☐ Don't carry your baby while carrying hot food or drink.

 ☐ Don't cook and hold your baby at the same time.

 ☐ Check edges of tables and counters, and make sure all hot food and drink are unreachable. 

 ☐ Turn pots around so that the handles are facing away the front of the stove.

 ☐ Use an appliance latch to secure your oven door.

 ☐ Keep knives, breakables, heavy pots, and other dangerous items locked up or out of reach.

 ☐ Secure the refrigerator with an appliance latch.

 ☐ Don't use tablecloths or place mats — babies can pull them and anything on them down.

 ☐ Use a sturdy, stable, wide-based highchair with a safety strap.

 ☐ Don't leave your baby unattended.

 

Nice to have: Plastic stove guard that blocks access to burners; knob covers.

 

Around the house

 ☐ Secure tall furniture to the walls with braces or anchors to prevent them from toppling over.

 ☐ Attach corner and edge guards.

 ☐ Anchor a flat-screen TV with safety straps or mount it on the wall.

 ☐ Put plastic outlet protectors over all unused electrical outlets.

 ☐ Install a smoke detector. Change the batteries at least once a year.

 ☐ Use window guards, window stops, and safety netting on windows, decks, and landings.

 ☐ Cut looped window-blind cords; use safety tassels and cord stops.

 ☐ Install safety gates at the bottom and top of your stairs.

 ☐ Put locks or latches on accessible cabinets and drawers that contain unsafe items.

 ☐ Keep trash cans in inaccessible cupboards or use cans with child-resistant covers.

 ☐ Don't leave even small amounts of water, cleaning solutions, or other liquids in buckets or other containers.

 

Poison Prevention

 ☐ Move cleaning agents, medicines, hand sanitizer, vitamins, toiletries, mothballs, dishwasher pods, laundry pods, and other potentially toxic items out of reach or lock them up.

 ☐ Move all bags out of reach. Your baby might find medicines, toiletries, and other dangers inside.

 ☐ Place toxic houseplants such as philodendron out of reach.

 ☐ Post the number for emergencies near a phone: National Poison Control Center (PGH): 524-1078 or 554-8400 loc. 3276

 

SOURCES:

 https://www.parents.com/baby/safety/babyproofing/babyproofing-basics/

 https://www.babycenter.com/0_childproofing-checklist-before-your-baby-crawls_9446.bc 

 https://www.babycenter.com/0_childproofing-your-bathroom_402.bc 

 https://www.babycenter.com/0_childproofing-your-nursery_418.bc 

 http://www.pgh.gov.ph/en/contact-us-1/