Written by The Foam Factory
To a new parent, the world can suddenly seem filled with potential dangers—seats become precarious drops, doors threaten squished fingers, and tables seem a collection of forehead-height edges. Since cuts and bruises should be the least of a parent’s worries, every parent should consider childproofing his or her home with foam pads. Here are some suggestions to help keep your home safe for your child as he or she learns to move through the world with confidence.
Examine Your Home for Unnecessary Clutter
The first step in child safety involves knowing your home inside and out. Parents should comb their home for those objects that lie within a child’s grasp, and remove them to a location that only adults can reach. Objects dangerous to children include obvious items like knives, alcohol, and lighters, cleaning products (soap, detergent, bleach, furniture polish), personal hygiene products (such as nail polish remover), over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and supplements. Anything small—stray buttons, coins, or pens, for example—present choking hazards to children, and should also be removed.
Clean Your Home Thoroughly
Now that you’ve moved dangerous and potentially harmful objects out of harm’s way, it’s time to give your home a deep clean. As you clean surfaces such as tables, chairs, couches, floors, and carpets, pay attention to your surroundings. Ensure electrical safety plugs are not choking hazards; affix window drape cords tautly to mounts; remove plastic bags from the floor. Afterwards, make sure to move your cleaning supplies to a secure place.
Install Foam Protection on Sharp Corners and Doorways
It’s time to see your home from your baby’s point of view. Get low to the ground and look at the furn
iture for sharp edges or corners. Lightly bracket in pencil the areas where your child might bump their head—these areas can be outfitted with subtle foam padding that ensure your child won’t injure himself or herself while moving around. Mark the doorways in the areas where your child is allowed to go—we recommend equipping them with foam door stoppers to prevent your child’s fingers from getting crushed accidentally.
To best protect your home with foam, look to online vendors who carry child safety products. Online foam vendors offer a variety of doorstoppers and slip-on cylindrical bumper pads that don’t require adhesive, so you don’t have to worry about gunking up your home.
As a last precaution, test your furniture and other home fixtures for stability, making sure that nothing is at risk of falling when force is applied.
With Your Home Secure, You Can Enjoy Being a Parent
Parenting is a full-time task, to be sure, but it’s comforting to know that you’ve prepared adequately for your child’s safety. In your deeply cleaned, foamed-out home, it’s great to be able to enjoy time with your child. Just remember where you keep you first-aid kit for those unavoidable slips and spills.
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The Foam Factory (TheFoamFactory.com) is an online retailer of quality foam products, including sofa seat cushions.