Having a child is an experience that’s both truly unique and wonderful. That being said, there are many changes that need to be made in your life and home in order to ensure the safety of not just the child, but yourself and your partner as well. As grownups, we tend to know exactly how to navigate throughout our homes with next to no problems, but that doesn’t mean there will be no dangers for the child. Here’s a quick peek at a few things you can do both in your life and in your home to make things safer for your entire family.

Clean Up Your Life

Unfortunately, some of us tend to develop a dependency on one or a variety of things. This can be dangerous–not just to the person with the dependency, but to everyone in the home. Organizations like AA in Orange County and its counterparts in other areas exist to help people with these types of issues. The thing is, whether you have a family or not, cleaning up your life is only going to be good for you.

Clean Up Your Home

Not all of us are hoarders or keep dirty houses all the time, but cleaning does more than simply getting rid of dust, dirt, and germs in your home. Cleaning also ensures that there is less of a chance of injury from falls. When it comes to your child’s injuries, the majority of them are attributed to falls. For this reason, it’s important that you ensure that you lower the chances of this occurring. You should consider things like installing safety gates at entrances to stairs and at the entrance to any balcony you might have. Children can also fall out of windows, so consider window guards, especially in upper-story windows. 

Prevent Scalding and Burns

Another category of the common home injuries includes burns and scalding. There are quite a few things in the typical home that can cause burns. These include things like heaters, ovens, and even hot water. You can keep your child safe from a lot of these by blocking the entrance to the kitchen. As far as hot water goes, one good thing to do is to set the temperature on your hot water heater so that it doesn’t go above 122F.

Improve Fire Safety

There are quite a few things in your home that can cause a fire. For this reason, fire safety is critical. The number 1 preventive measure to take is to install smoke detectors in each room and hallway in your home. The legal obligation in many countries is a single one for each floor though. Yes, installing more will mean a higher cost, but what is the safety of your family worth? You should also invest in a fire extinguisher that is centrally located for emergency situations. Don’t forget to check your smoke detectors monthly, and change their batteries on a yearly basis.

Remember Water Safety

If you’re one of those households that’s complete with a pool, never leave your child by themselves around it in case they fall in or get into trouble in the water. Fences with locking gates are highly recommended. However, that still leaves the bath. Never leave your child alone in the bath, even with an older child present. Water accidents can be fatal and it only takes a small amount of water to drown someone.

While there are plenty of things you can do to make your home safer for your family, the ones you’ve read here today will give you a good start. Keep your eyes open for anything that appears dangerous to you in your home and life.