My Learning Tidbit: Childproofing My Home

It was another eventful evening.  My little girls were playing pretend, the bigger one was the doctor while the little one, Nemo, was the agitated patient.  Doing the general check-up, the doctor decided to clean her patient's ears with a cotton bud.  She ran to her grandma's room to get one and started cleaning.  Within seconds, pretend play was done and the little one cried and shouted real loud - the unmistakable pain evident.  

Since my husband and I work the afternoons, their grandma looks after them while we are away.  She made the nervous call to us because my little one's ear is bleeding and then she and my brother took off to the Emergency Room.  Hours after that, we were sent home with a anti-tetanus shot and an order slip to see an EENT specialist.

Scary.  We are bringing her today.  I pray her ear drums are intact and there are no serious damage on her ear.

You can take precautions to make our homes safer but it is also necessary to watch kids at all times.  My girls can be Houdini-apprentices sometimes.  They can do tricks while you're watching them and, if you're not at par with their speed, you'll realize they've done their magic tricks on you.

Childproofing is important.  Here are some tips to make our home safer for them:

• Scope out the Territory - It is important to take a child's view of your home.  What dangerous can they get?  What can interest them?  No one knows what entices them better than you.  If you can't childproof all the rooms, make sure they do not have access to those that are not.

• Secure Your Windows and Doors - Can they easily open them?  Is it easier to reach especially with chairs or tables around?  There are window and door guards to stop them from falling and accidentally pop them open.  

• Know Your Furniture and Appliances - You will be surprised at how children can innovate.  They can ladders out of drawers, "swimming pools" out of linens over hard floor, "trees" to climb on with furniture that are "strategically" together.  Bolt whatever you can to the wall.  Put heavier and bulkier stuff on the bottom shelves so they are harder to topple over.

• Prevent Drowning - Do not leave your children unattended in the tub, even if they are on a bath seat.  Drowning does not take a lot of water.  It only takes a few inches of water.  If they lose their balance while looking at our trusty ole timba (a bucket the Filipinos can't live without), they can fall and drown.  This can happen when they look at the toilet so latches are handy,

There are a lot more tips which can be found in this article that I saw in babycenter.  The key takeaway here is keep our homes safer while we watch our kids closely at all times.

~Rose