My Son’s Head Banging Has Become a Nightmare!
You’ve tucked your child into bed, after a long day juggling work, family and the infinite pressures of parenthood. You kiss your son goodnight, turn off the light and head off to snuggle into the comfort of your own bed. And suddenly, you hear it. The steady “thump, thump, thump” coming from your son’s room!
What would you do if your son or daughter started banging their head repeatedly? A worried mom came to us with this very query. Her son bangs his head on the floor, on surfaces, on walls and she’s quite at her wits end! Scolding him or banning him from doing so has never worked, and she asks if anyone has a solution for her!
Mariyam Sufi J A says, “Even my baby does this..actually loves doing this! He bangs his head to the walls, chairs, sofa, bed, mattress…to just anything! It’s quite a common occurance in children and you should not worry about it. He will grow out of it soon!”
Almost 20% of babies go through the head banging phase, banging their heads on surfaces on purpose. When your precious baby suddenly bangs his head on the wall, it will surely look scary and disturbing! But it’s usually nothing to worry about as in most cases, babies under 3 years cannot even generate enough force to injure themselves.
Head banging is just a normal part of a baby or toddler’s behavior. Sometimes when babies feel angry and frustrated, they don’t know how to deal with these emotions and use head banging to relieve stress. Some doctors even group head banging into the same category as thumb-sucking – a self soothing technique to calm themselves down.
However, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on how often your child bangs his head and how intensely he does it, and report this to your doctor. Most pediatricians advise parents not to interfere when your child’s banging his head. Kids don’t intentionally hurt themselves and should stop if it becomes painful. Most children under 3 can’t generate enough force to seriously injure themselves anyway.
While head-banging can be a symptom of developmental issues, it’s usually only a problem if it continues beyond age 4 and occurs along with other troubling behaviors, such as repetitive motions (like hand-flapping and rocking), developmental delays, and a lack of social interaction with parents and peers. If your child is otherwise healthy and happy, there’s probably no reason to be concerned.
We hope our Mommy advice has helped this Worried Mom out. We hope her son grows out of his habit soon!
Thank you Mariyam Sufi J A, for coming to the worried mom’s rescue!
CONSTIPATION IN TODDLERS
Dealing With Constipation In Toddlers
Constipation is a very common concern among the moms of toddlers. Some of the common causes of constipation in toddlers are toilet anxiety, dehydration and diet. Swati’s two and half your old child has the problem and she came to SOS moms for their advice on the same. Let’s take a look at what our SOS moms have to say to Swati.
Moms Noopur Agarwal, Sowjanaya Kumar, Tanuja Karunakar, Anita Rankar, Shaveta Rahajan, Ritu Mishra Tripathi Sahrvani Aneel, Leena Parikh, Ameena Sayeed, Deepshikha Das, Sakshi Batra, Tanushree Ganguli and Sayonee Mishra all agree that Swati’s little one should be given ripe bananas and papaya in different forms to ease his problem. Both banana and papaya are rich in fibre and can help with constipation. These two fruits can also be given in the form of milk shakes, juice and any other form to make them seem less boring to your active bub.
Also moms like Tanushree Ganguli, Jyoti Kapil, Mridula Shirwali, agree that spinach and greens will help Swati’s child to a great extent.
Moms Sneha Satam, Sathya Ramu, Srividya Mushunuru suggest Swati to feed that the child should be fed black raisins soaked in water every morning. Chetana Suvarana Ganatara suggests that a porridge made of oats and prunes (packed with fibre) will help. Shanti Gupta says dried figs soaked in water overnight will also work wonders.
Preeti Khanna and Manasi Joshi suggest that the little one should be given milk with two drops of ghee in it. Milk may cause constipation but milk with ghee has a reverse impact. Sweta Bharadwaj, Sonia Sonu pipe in with their suggestion of feeding the tot with curd regularly.
Diana Samuel says, “Try 1/2 tsp honey in 1/2 tsp warm water on empty stomach in the morning. It worked for my child when she had severe constipation. Note: water must be warm not too hot nor cold. Give him lots of warm water throughout the day. Hope it might help.” Harsha Rajiv suggests, “ Water intake should be increased. Fruit juice, fresh fruits in puree form is also effective. Fibrous food like palak and other greens in soup can be given. Also Palak kichdi, carrot soup, carrot milkshake etc work. Do include greens in your baby’s diet at least once a week.
Other SOS moms also agree that Swati’s little one should be given warm water throughout the day in equal intervals. Also the child should be made to sit on his potty seat everyday even if he doesn’t pass stool to build a habit. Constipation can be easily resolved with a few key changes in diet and momma’s care of course!
We thank all the SOS moms who rushed in to aid Swati with her problem:
A Healthy Diet Rich in Fibre Keeps Constipation at Bay
Tanushree Ganguli, Jyoti Kapil, Mridula Shirwali, Noopur Agarwal, Sowjanaya Kumar, Tanuja Karunakar, Anita Rankar, Shaveta Rahajan, Ritu Mishra Tripathi, Sahrvani Aneel, Leena Parikh, Ameena Sayeed, Deepshikha Das, Sakshi Batra, Tanushree Ganguli and Sayonee Mishra, Sneha Satam, Sathya Ramu, Srividya Mushunuru, Harsha Rajiv, Diana Samuel, Pratibha Gautam, Swati Agarwal, Shama Mittal, Nausheen Sharieff, Amrita Singh, Sarika Singh, Dia Bijlani, Namrata Mandowara, Chetna Ganatara, Bindiya Yadav, Sakshi Batra, Simpy Jalan and Reema Verma.
How To Treat Ear Infections In Small Children
Ear infections are one of the most common health problems seen in children. If the kid is very small and cannot even talk, it might take some time to understand that he is suffering from any kind of ear infection.
You will notice that the child might scratch his ears or rub his ears again and again. Sometimes there is inflammation in the ears and they become hot to touch.
In cases of the worst infections, there might be formation of pus inside the ear, which might come out as discharge. The pain in the ear can also be accompanied with slight fever.
Taking the child to the doctor
There might be many factors responsible for the ear infection in children. Sometimes unclean nose and mouth can also lead to ear infections as the ear, nose and throat have a single pathway. So chances of infection traveling fast are quite common.
Taking the child to the doctor will help in understanding the right cause for infection. Some babies have complaints of chronic ear infections and need to be treated by antibiotics quite often.
It is also important to know which part of the ear is infected. Depending upon the kind and extent of the infection medications are prescribed. While some kids might need antibiotics as treatment, some might not.
Home remedies for dealing with ear infections in small kids
Many moms have used garlic oil for dealing with ear infections and pains in their kids. Natural garlic oil is available readily in many stores and you can keep a bottle handy to treat your child’s ear infections.
Put few drops of this oil into the infected ear so that it reaches the Eustachian tube of the kid. Usually a single dose of this treatment is enough for combating the infection. But if required, the process can be repeated as well.
Dry heat can also be applied to the ear. This will help in loosening up any liquid deposition inside the ear and drain it out. The heat also helps in providing relief from the pain and discomfort caused by the infection.
Encourage your kid to drink loads of fluids during the infection. Swallowing the fluid will help in moving the fluid deposition in the ear to pass out via the Eustachian tube. Keep your child away from passive smoke as that might cause irritation in the Eustachian tube.
Take your child to the doctor as soon as possible as ear infections can be very painful for a small child.
Image courtesy of Sura Nualpradid / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
My Daughter Has Head Lice: SOS Moms Reply
Debolina Choudhury wrote to us and told us about a concern she has for her 2.5 years old daughter. She says that her daughter has got lice in her hair from playschool and applying Mediker has been of no help. She is concerned and has asked us for some advice.
We asked our community of moms for their suggestions and have incorporated it in the article below.
You can use Perlice cream – it is a very effective and popular lice remedy. Just read the manual and follow the instructions. It works wonders and you can say goodbye to lice.
Licil oil is another effective remedy available at most chemists. Just apply it, cover her hair with a scarf for an hour or so and wash with Mediker. For a more natural way to get rid of lice, try buttermilk and salt mixed in water. Gently rub her scalp with it and rinse thoroughly. Repeat after 7 to 8 days.
You can apply camphor in coconut oil. Leave it on for half an hour and use a fine comb to comb out the lice from the hair. Camphor stuns the lice and they lose their grip and can be combed out easily for up to half an hour. Follow it up with Mediker shampoo.
Neem oil is also a tried and tested home remedy for lice. Or you can make a neem paste and apply it in her hair for 10 to20 minutes. Grind tender neem leaves with a little sour curd. Apply on the scalp thoroughly and leave for few minutes. Rinse well with shampoo. Repeat this once a week for 4 washes.
You can also boil a few methi seeds in coconut oil on a low flame, store it and apply it on a regular basis as a preventative. It is also very good for hair growth. You can try a solution called Kesavardhini, found in the supermarket, in the oil that you use to apply daily.
There is a product called Jungle Formula, that helps elimination of lice as well as eggs. There is also a lotion called Scarab that does the same. You can try that also.
For a more drastic way to get rid of the lice altogether, you can just shave your daughter’s head.
Thanks to all the moms below for their wonderful suggestions.
Noorain Yayha, Lopamudra Nayak, Aradhana Mohapatra, Chandra Negi, Pooja Agrawal, Shruti Khanna Soin, Tejpreet Oberoi, Deepti Rahul Singh, Shreya Jiya Vijay, Hima Neeli, Inie Minie, Nishma Aggarwal, Sharmila Chakravarty, Sukoon Jethani Chopra, Toolika Bhatt Singhal, Priyanka Akash Khandelwal, Manisha Rahul Sonawane, Mohita Mathur, Shabana Shaikh, Kavita Mehta, Misha Bhattal, Subharthi Chakraborty, Geet Paryani, Elizabeth Chakma, Jeydevi Venkataraman, Swapna Sahoo.
Image source: naturalbugeliminator.wordpress.com
My Child Is Agressive and Violent: SOS Moms Reply
Nitu Singh wrote to us and told us about a concern she has for her son who is almost 4 years old. She says that he is violent and aggressive at home as well as in school and has also started hitting people wherever he goes. She wants to know how she can handle this behaviour of his. She is concerned and has asked us for some advice.
We asked our community of parents online for their advice and have incorporated their feedback below.
Although it is shocking, aggression can develop even in normal kids, who may react to fearful incidents or to other people with violence. A lot of the time it happens because kids are unable to express themselves in healthier ways, such as verbally.
Most kids outgrow such behaviour as they learn to express themselves verbally. However, this does not mean it is acceptable behaviour.
First, assess whether it is something in your child’s environment that is causing the aggression. Too much exposure to violent cartoons can cause behavioural changes in kids. Limit his exposure to television and any violent games or influences.
Ensure that he is not being abused, either physically or emotionally, by a maid or a member of the household. Ensure that you and your spouse are dealing with your differences in a healthy manner. If there is any abuse or violence in the household, the child will pick it up as acceptable.
Respond quickly to any aggressive or violent behaviour. Do not wait until it gets too bad and never lose your own temper. Stop your child calmly, but firmly, and give them a brief “time-out” to cool down. Remove them from any situations where they may cause harm to themselves or others.
Be consistent in setting limits. Do not give in at any time and never allow them to get away with hitting or any other acts of violence. Ensure that there are consequences, like missing out on fun with others, or taking away their games or toys until they calm down.
Try to get your child to talk about their frustrations when they have calmed down. Make a genuine attempt to understand what they are going through. You could also keep a behaviour chart and reward good behaviour with stars and a treat at the end of the week.
Make sure your child is expending his energy in a healthy way. Let him take up a sport, perhaps something that you can be part of, so that he vents in a healthy manner. Spending more quality time with your child may also help.
If all your efforts fail, take your child to a child psychologist for an evaluation.
Our thanks go out to all these helpful parents:
Puneet Wadhwani, Nivedita Poddar, Misha Bhattal, Pooja Ahuja, Vyona Lobo Ribeiro, Pooja W. Mazumder, Bharath Reddy, Madhusmita Mishra, Misha Bhattal, Aman Tiwari
Image courtesy of Photokanok / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
How To Treat Heatstroke In Children
Summers can be quite exhausting, resulting in a lot of sweating and fluid losses from the body. Adults become conscious of the climate but kids hardly care about these things.
They play in the heat and might quickly become victims of heat exhaustion, heat cramps and heat strokes.
Summer heat can be very dangerous, going well into the 40s in many places in India, and it is important to take the right kinds of preventive measures for kids to avoid any kinds of problems.
Heatstroke in kids often occurs when the child’s body is not able to regulate its own temperature. For instance, if the kid keeps on playing in the scorching sun or does some rigorous physical activity, it will lead to loss of fluids from the body.
There have been cases where kids have been locked inside the car accidentally on a hot humid day and have suffered heatstroke as the body cannot control the temperature as per its needs. The excess rise in body temperature might lead to brain damage and other fatal consequences.
If your kid has been affected by heatstroke, here are some tips on how you can treat them:
• It is very important to shift the child to a cool and shaded area, preferably inside the house where the heat does not reach directly. The fan or air conditioning should be switched on to beat the heat.
• If there is high body temperature, undress the kid and sponge with cold water. Pouring cold water will lower the body temperature quite a bit.
• If the child loses consciousness, do not try to administer any fluids as that will only add to the problem. However, if he is in senses and behaving normally, giving fluids is highly recommended. Ask the kid to take in the fluid in small sips instead of gulping it down all at once.
• Appropriate clothing is an important part for dealing with heatstroke. Make your child wear light-colored and fully cotton clothes. The clothing should preferably be loose fitting, so that there is enough ventilation.
• Drinking adequate amounts of fluids is highly recommended in the summer season. Even if your kids are not involved in any physical activity, make sure that they drink a good amount of water and other refreshing drinks to keep themselves hydrated (Do not give them aerated drinks). Fruit juices are great sources of energy as well as help in keeping the body cool and nourished.
Even if your child starts recovering from the sunstroke with some basic first aid, take them to a doctor for a complete checkup and proper medical treatment.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
My Son Has a Dry Cough That Won’t Go Away: SOS Moms Reply
Aditi Sharma wrote to us about a concern she has for her son. She says that her 2 year old son is coughing during the night. She says that all of a sudden he starts coughing nonstop and cries and vomits. His cough is a dry cough and sometimes his nose is runny.
She has been giving him expectorants and cough syrups as suggested by her pediatrician but it’s all in vain. She has also mentioned that the medicines are not helping. She is concerned for her baby’s health and has asked for some advice.
We approached our parent’s community for advice and have included their responses below.
There are many reasons why the medicines are not helping, but the most important fact is that the pediatrician needs to re-examine your child and try another approach. Sometimes the medicines take a few days to take effect, so be patient and continue the treatment that your doctor has prescribed.
You might want to try a home Nebulizer, but only on the doctor’s recommendation. This is a medical issue and it must be treated by a registered medical practitioner. You could try homeopathy for preventive care but it takes time to work, so allopathy is better in emergencies.
However, if you wish to try home remedies, along with the prescription medication, to soothe your child’s cough, you can try giving a spoon of honey with 2 or 3 pinches of turmeric powder mixed in it. The honey will soothe your child’s throat, while turmeric is renowned for its antiseptic properties.
You can mix one portion of ginger juice to 3 portions of honey and give one teaspoon after dinner. This will reduce dry cough. You can also boil 15 to 20 tulsi (Basil) leaves in a jar or water, filter it and feed the baby a little warm water whenever he asks for it.
Zinda Tilismath is an age old Unani herbal medicine, which is used for treating many common ailments like cold, coughs. Add 1 to 2 drops in half a cup of warm milk and feed it to your baby. Pankaj Kasthuri is an Ayurvedic medicine that you can try.
Take 2 Malabar nut leaves in a full cup of water and boil them until the water reduces to half. Then give this water to your child. Tie ajwain leaves in a cloth, warm it on a pan and then apply this on the chest.
Heat some mustard oil and add garlic and methi seeds. Filter and store in a jar. Apply some of this warm oil on your child’s feet after sleep. It keeps the baby warm and cures runny noses. You can also rub Vicks for children on his feet before sleep and cover the feet with socks. It helps a lot.
The cough could also be due to pollution or a dust allergy. Keep your child away from agarbattis, mosquito repellents, deodorant and perfume sprays, and avoid areas where construction and painting are being done.
Make sure your child is getting plenty of fresh air. Vacuum the house regularly and dry his bed clothes, mattress and comforter in the sun every day.
We wish to thank all these helpful parents:
Azaad Chaturvedi, Krithika Vijay, Jyotsana Verma, Neha Jalan Agarwal, Akipeed Lawar Magin, Akipeed Lawar Magin, Rose Hu Quadros, Esha Gosain, Lavanya Reddy, Aqueela Syeda, Namrata Thakur, Amitava Pathak, Mainka Vig, Inderpreet Kaur, Neha Dutta, Nandini Rathore, Krithika Vijay, Joyeeta Dasgupta, Janki Shah, Esha Gosain, Poonam Chauhan, Lavanya Reddy, Maseera Husain Ahmed, Shruti Goyal, Niloufer Sharma Mahajan, Bhawna Rai, Sujata Kalandi, Papiya Dawn, Papiya Dawn, Poonam Tejwani, Sonal Singh, Preety Anup Dimri, Amruta Shetty, Kiran Singh, Kirti Jethava, Jheyabharathi Soundararajan, Anitha Thomas, Amruta Shetty, Aditi Sharma, Payal Jain, Sonal Singh, Neha Kharkar, Davneet Kaur, Sheenam Mehra Gupta, Paras Bagchi, Shweta Rustgi Gupta, Ravneet Shahi, Deep Brinderjeet Saini, Deepti Dani.
Image courtesy of imagerymajestic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Safety For Little Ones: Tips For Newborns To 5 Year Old
Children fall and tumble and this is a part of life. But there are few things which we could do to make sure that our kids avoid major accidents and injuries.
The house can be a very dangerous place for infants if it is not childproofed properly. Here are a few safety tips which parents should implement to childproof their home for infants and young children.
Newborns
• Try to change your baby’s nappy on a changing mat on the floor as they may roll off the bed if not supervised.
• Unless the baby is safely in its crib, don’t leave it unattended at any time of the day, even for a second.
• Prevent choking by ensuring nothing goes into their mouth except their own fingers, milk bottle or any safe and chewable teether or toy.
• One of the most common accidents for newborns is falling off high places. Avoid this accident by keeping one hand on your baby at all times or having pillows and cushions around it on the bed or installing a bed guard.
One To Three Year Olds:
• Always keep low furniture away from the windows. Install window locks or safety catches that prevent babies from climbing out.
• Cover all electrical outlets with safety covers and plugs so your little toddler cannot poke its fingers into the plug points and get a shock.
• Attach corner covers on sharp corners of furniture to prevent injuries.
• Don’t ever allow your baby to use a baby walker alone, as they are very dangerous and can cause serious accidents.
• Cover all the gaps between the balcony railings with boards or safety nets.
• Attach safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs, so that the baby is not able to climb stairs without supervision.
Three To Five Year Olds
• Remove all small items that can easily get stuck in the child’s throat.
• Keep them out of the kitchen, away from kettles, pans and hot oven doors.
• Attach a safety lock on drawers so your child does not get its hand trapped or stuck in them.
• The backyard should be kept safe by having a soft surface underneath.
• Fence the backyard and keep power tools and garden equipment out of their reach.
• Keep all medicines safely locked away in a cabinet. Never leave them lying around the house.
Child safety continues to be one of the most important issues for parents even before the baby comes home from hospital. Most people think of their homes to be safe for their children, but unfortunately this is not true.
There are many objects and areas that adults can handle but might prove dangerous for kids. As a parent, you need to begin inspecting the house and taking measures for your child’s safety.
My Child Refuses to Drink Water: SOS Moms Reply
Sindhuja Pradeep Kumar wrote to us and told us about her 7 month old daughter who doesn’t like to drink water. She says that her daughter just spits the water out and starts crying if you try to feed her water. She is otherwise healthy but Mrs. Kumar is worried about this habit of her little girl’s and asked us for some advice.
We approached our community of mothers and asked them what they thought she should do about it. Here is what they said.
Do not force your child to drink water. She will form an unpleasant association with it. You could instead try putting mishri (crystallized sugar lumps), honey or palm candy in the water and reduce it over a period of time, or give your child fresh fruit juice instead of water. You can also soak khajur (dates) overnight, filter them and feed them to the baby.
Try boiling saunf (fennel seeds), mulethi (liquorice) or dalchini (cinnamon) in water to add some flavour. You could also wash a leaf of tulsi in her water bottle. It is healthy and might get her to try it out of curiosity. You can put roasted ajwain in boiled water, filter it and give it to your baby. You could also use Electral if they like the taste.
Ask all family members to drink water in front of the baby and say good things about it. Babies love to observe and imitate their parents. Also use a sipper cup as they might not like drinking water from a feeding bottle.
Thanks to all these helpful parents:
Bhawna Walia, Rutika Sevak Upadhyay, Nisha Sood, Sonal Kapur Sinha, Anita Arun, Jyoti Rathi Toshniwal, Roshani Hitesh Patel, Vinita Yadav, Jyoti Rathi Toshniwal, Rucha Kamble Shedge, Shikha Sourabh Dixit, Parul Sinha, Amtul AS, N Mukesh Vyas, Richa Arora, Sonal Maner, Nidhi Karan Garg, Anamika Mishra Jha, Brindha Karthikeyan, Brindha Karthikeyan, Rashmi Keshri, Vijayalakshmi Shanmugam, Arshiya Khan, Lavanya Reddy, Shilpa Munagavalasa, Neha Saxena, Greeshma Rahul, Pooja Suresh, Swati Shukla Mishra, Radhika Dhanrajani, Tejpreet Oberoi, Alice Bathija.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Learning Disorders: How To Spot Them
Learning disorders in children are not a problem with motivation or intelligence, or kids being lazy or dumb. In fact, most of these kids are as smart as their peers. However, it’s just that their brains work in a very different manner from the rest.
Often children being taught a second language show symptoms of a learning disorder as they get confused between the language of communication.
Thus, before any remedial steps are really taken, an assessment should be made to see whether the child is fluent in a particular language and a second language learner.
Here are some common symptoms that can help you figure out if your child has any kind of learning disorder.
Impulsiveness In The Classroom
In some cases, children might get impulsive at situations and tend to shout repetitively. For example, when asked to raise hands before speaking, they tend to get impulsive and shout rather than following discipline.
Additional symptoms include throwing books off tables or other stationary when they don’t want to complete a particular task. Such behavior is more indicative of a learning disorder rather than behavioral problems.
Difficulty Learning Numbers
Reading, doing math and writing letters might be tough for your child at first. But when those early troubles don’t fade away after a certain age and repetitive trying, it may be possible that your child has a learning disorder.
Some kids may have particularly language disorders, meaning they have trouble understanding language and understanding what they read.
Auditory Processing Disorder
If your child has a problem with distinguishing sounds from background noise and following spoken directions, or may find it difficult to remember things they have heard or have a problem in telling the difference between similar-sounding words, it may be a symptom of an auditory processing disorder.
Disruptiveness
As children begin doing print based work in kindergarten and have trouble focusing or paying attention to what is being taught to them, they tend to get distracted and avoid tasks.
Moreover, some also become aggressive and tend to behave as if they just don’t want to follow instructions. Distraction is a major symptom of a learning disorder.
Visual Disorders
If your child has trouble interpreting visual information, he or she will not be able to read or tell the difference between two things that look similar. These children usually have trouble with hand-eye co-ordination, which explains their visual processing disorder.
In simple words, children with learning disorders can see, hear and understand things in a different way as compared to their peers. These disorders are very difficult to diagnose because there is no definitive list of symptoms that fits every child. To add to the difficulty, many children also try to hide these problems, making it very difficult to diagnose.
However, if you sense a learning disorder in your child, it is important to take proactive measures about your child’s learning difficulties. The quicker you are able to diagnose, the sooner you would be able to deal with the child’s problems.
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Baby Proofing Your House: Putting Safety First
An important task when you have a baby in the house is to make it safer for your child. When it comes to baby proofing your home, all you need to do is employ these simple child safety starters and you are on your way to creating a safer environment for your little one.
Pay a visit to the nearest superstore with a baby-proofing aisle and you are sure to find many products that are available to ensure safety for your baby. All you need to do is to include these simple child safety products and implement simple safety measures in your house.
Kitchen
Make sure that the kitchen cupboard, drawers and fridge have locks. Put sharp utensils and cutlery away to where they are not easily accessible by babies.
Don’t let your baby touch the oven door and make sure you do not push any hot drinks and knives to the back of your workup surfaces. If possible, keep your dustbin in a cupboard with a child resistant catch and store plastic bags out of your child’s reach.
Create Safe Havens
Make sure that your baby’s bedroom is well protected with electrical outlet covers, drawer latches, and furniture brackets and definitely with stairway gates. Your baby can then play safely in these spaces without you having to be around always.
Likewise, you may want to mark out certain rooms, like the formal living and dining rooms as baby free zones, so you can still enjoy some adult décor.
Bathroom
Always turn your home water heater down to 120 degrees to prevent the risk of burns on your baby’s soft skin. Never ever leave a child unsupervised in the bathtub with any kind of liquid.
Install toilet seat locks to prevent drowning and place all the medications and cleaning liquids out of your child’s reach. Keep the bathroom door closed when not in use to prevent your child from crawling inside.
Garden
If you have a pool, surround it with a fence that has a child resistant gate. Lock away all the garden equipment and pesticides in a secure shed area and check that there are no gaps in your fence or else you may find your little one finding their way out.
In addition, always ensure that low-level windows or doors have safety grills. The carpets shouldn’t be loose and make sure you tie up all blinds and curtain cords, keeping them well out of your baby’s reach. Install smoke detectors and fix latches and fly screens on the windows so they cannot be fully opened.
Even though child proofing is a never-ending task, how much or how little you do is completely up to you. But more than anything, it is constant supervision by one or more members of the family that is the finest safety measure of all.
Image source: monigirl
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