Expecting a Baby in 2023? 4 Ways to Make Your House Child-Friendly

Expecting a baby is a wonderful time of life, and a monumental event to look forward to. 

Whether it's your first, or fifteenth child, you might be thinking about ways to make your house a more child-friendly environment for a small child, and we’ve put together an essential list to help get you started.

Stair Gates

A must have essential for every parent-to-be’s shopping list, a well-designed stair gate will be your closest pal for the coming months once the baby begins to crawl and explore.

Ensure that you consult trusted reviews before investing in a stair gate, and that it can be fitted snugly and safely according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 

When used well, a stair gate can help you to fence off access to high-risk rooms like the kitchen, or areas that feature steps or hard floors, particularly when your baby is experimenting with trying to crawl or even stand.

Replace Doors

Trapped fingers are one of the most common household injuries for small children, with an estimated 50,000 children suffering crushed or trapped fingers every year.

To minimise this risk, you might want to consider investing in sliding doors instead, where there’s far less risk of trapped fingers. 

Companies like Oakwood Doors use exceptional customer service to help you find the right aesthetic for your home. Whether you need panelled sliding doors, or those with inserted glass to help you see who is on the other side. 

Use Child Locks and Plug Socket Covers

Child locks and plug socket covers are a fantastic way to ensure your child’s safety from an early age for natural hazards in the home.

For areas like the kitchen where there may be cupboards at head height for a small child, child locks are a saving grace for keeping cleaning fluids, appliances and sharp objects out of a child’s sight and grasp.

Additionally, you can find plug socket covers from high street pharmacies like Boots. These are disks of plastic with three prongs, which are designed to be inserted into a plug socket the same way an electrical plug would be, protecting your child against electrocution.

    

Use Corner Protectors

It’s inevitable that you’ll most likely have low furniture like coffee tables with sharp corners, and these can be the perfect height for a small adventurous child.

Some babies will try to stand as early as 9 months old and will often use furniture to try and pull themselves to their feet. Often these efforts are accompanied by lots of falling over or abrupt drops, as knee joints develop and build strength as the baby grows and gains more experience with standing.

Using corner protectors from companies like BabySecurity on sharp furniture can help to protect against cuts and bruises from falling onto furniture or bashing their heads.