Expecting a child can be overwhelming for first-time parents. With the sudden shift in priorities, goals, and budget allocation, they re-think every practice, habit, and thing they do that would fit their lifestyle of becoming a parent living in a progressive city. One thing they have a look at is the place where they live. The first home of their child as he or she enters this world. Given this thought, expectant parents look around their condo, completely overwhelmed at all the possibilities that may happen to their kid, given the current state of their home, and think about changes that they should make in order to keep their baby safe and away from untoward incidents.
Some first-time parents even wonder if they really have to baby-proof a condo, given its intimate nature. The answer will always be yes. Condo units may have been built to avoid unnecessary incidents. But given the child’s infantile nature and adults’ need to juggle responsibilities, there is a need to somewhat turn your home into a literal safe space for your child. This will lessen the number of times you have to say “no” and give you the peace of mind that they won’t be doing something they shouldn’t when your back is turned for a second. In light of that, here are ways to effectively childproof your condo in Laguna.
Mind Your Water Temperature
Children, by nature, are curious creatures. According to studies, at about 15 months, kids become fascinated with turning knobs, pressing buttons, and sticking their fingers in foreign objects. They move around the house with whatever mobility they can do at that stage and just explore.
One of the things they might do is turn a knob of the hot water and scald themselves. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission in America, the majority of injuries from tap-water scalds involve the elderly and children under the age of 5. A great way around this is to ensure that water heaters are not set to a high temperature. By regulating the temperature of the water, no matter how much your kid plays in the water, they won’t be prone to medical emergencies. Another tip is to ensure that your child is always accompanied by an adult, especially when trying to play or experiment with objects new to them.
Secure Your Bathroom and Kitchen at all Times
The bathroom and kitchen is an area that is prone to injuries. Due to the nature of these areas in any household, it is prone to slips, cuts, and burns for many, even adults. With the many risks it may pose, people are cautious in these parts of a home. With the caution that adults take when in these areas, it must be made sure that these areas are secured for children.
Many experts warn parents that children can drown in small amounts of water, even for just a few inches. Aside from this, toddlers are also drawn into playing in areas such as toilets, kitchen sinks, and cabinets. These areas may contain substances that may be harmful to ingest such as medication, cleaning materials, and ingredients that aren’t orally safe to ingest. According to statistics from the CSPC of America, there are at least 90 children who drown inside households each year. According to research, poisoning has been the leading cause of rushing children to the hospital since 1976. This makes it important to make sure that the bathroom and kitchen are areas that are restricted for children to wander into without supervision or childproof locks.
There will come a day when your toddler learns how to open a door using the door knob or unscrew lids or covers by twisting them or popping open some caps. Once this stage occurs, it’s harder to keep them out of places they shouldn’t go or things they shouldn’t reach.
Keep an Eye Out for Heavy Objects
When infants reach six months of age, they start to move, roll, crawl and play on the floor significantly more often. During this milestone at a kid’s age, this is when parents start to get on the ground with their children. As parents lie down on the floor, they see their children’s point of view. From this view, you would tell yourself “This cabinet above me has all these things that are heavy and pointy”. From this point on, you would realize the need to secure heavy or sharp objects with the risk of falling.
When a baby reaches his ninth month, he will start to pull things, including furniture and fixtures at home. Because of this, as a parent, one is left with the responsibility to anchor furniture to the wall and safeguard items that pose a risk such as lamps, appliances, breakables, and heavy or sharp objects. According to the international organization Kids Worldwide, hospital visits every three weeks are always comprised of children involved with accidents from a television tipping over. During the last five years, a kid has been hospitalized due to an impact from a falling household object.
It is important that appliances and fixtures are fastened or put far from places where they may fall.
Keep Hazardous Material Away From Reach
Earlier today, it was mentioned that many kids take trips to the ER because of accidental poisoning in the household. Among the top products that pediatricians encounter in these incidents are laundry pods. Because of this, it is important that objects with harmful substances must be locked in cabinets or kept away from children’s reach. As your kid develops the skill to climb platforms and open doors, mere shelves or cabinets won’t keep them safe. It is a good practice to store these products in areas that are away from reach, or in certain instances, this is not an option, it is best to keep these areas locked.
Aside from harmful cleaning products, another thing parents must look after are those pills and medications that are in purses or containers, children may mistake their small and cute shapes for candies. For an effective childproof condo, parents must put themselves in their child’s shoes and stay on top of them. It only takes a split second of no supervision to turn a normal weekday night into a trip to the emergency room, and surely no one wants this to happen. While you can’t guarantee 24/7 supervision, it must be important that these preventive measures are in place,
Be Present
What better way to keep your condo in Laguna childproof than being present for your kid most of the time? A great way to achieve this is to live in a home that is close to most key locations that you frequent.
Within Greenfield City’s 400 hectares of self-sustaining networks of residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational communities. Patterned after a park-living concept, is Zadia, Greenfield City’s premiere residential condominium that brings its citizens close to their wants and needs. Situated near commercial areas, schools, hospitals, golf courses, lifestyle centers, and commercial establishments, residents may attend to their needs and creature comforts without dealing with immense traffic and lengthy commute hours. This gives them more time to be present at home, watching every lifestyle of their child as they grow older. To learn more about this family-oriented community, click on the link below.