HAYATI LIVING
Furniture and Accessories
Put away any unstable or rickety furniture your baby could pull over.
Fasten high bookcases or other tall pieces of furniture to the wall so your child
can't pull them down.
Keep all drawers closed completely so
your baby can't shut fingers in them or
climb on them.
Keep all medications and cleaning
products stored in a locked cabinet. "You
especially want to lock [low cabinets]
that contain household products that are
dangerous because once your child starts
crawling, he or she can get out cleaning
fluids and drink them," Cronan says.
Appliances
Turn the handles of pots and pans toward the back of the stove or counter.
Use the back burners for cooking whenever possible.
Don't let your baby play at your feet
while you are cooking.
Never leave a boiling pot or sizzling skil66 HAYATI
let unattended on the stove.
Teach your child that the oven is "hot"
and not to touch it.
Keep plug-in appliances, such as toasters
and can openers, put away where your
child can't reach them.
Child safety expert Dave Riley, PhD, offers additional advice. "Get right down at
baby's level and check things out at their
eye level," he says. "Pick up anything that
they can put into mouths including dirt,"
Riley tells WebMD.
Still, baby-proofing doesn't stop there.
"Baby-proofing changes with the age of
the child," says Riley, professor of human
development and family studies at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"As soon as your baby develops any new
capabilities, new dangers arise. So at each
stage, you must really look at the house,"
he says