Walking is a fundamental stage in a child's life. The discovery of mobility and independence is both thrilling and frightening for both parents and children. It becomes increasingly difficult to keep children safe as they stagger and fall. You can avoid accidents by creating a safe environment where your baby can learn to walk.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Keep Your Eyes Open on your Child
Step 1. Help your child learn to balance
A new walker is still trying to figure out how their body works, so always keep an eye on the baby as he starts walking. Help him understand how to balance by supporting him and holding his hands as he takes his first steps. He will soon learn to stand and walk on his own, but by holding his hands, you will help him avoid many of the falls that occur on first attempts.
Step 2. When he starts walking, take off his shoes
Having bare feet will help the child to stand upright, as they will be able to improve their balance by reducing the amount of falls.
When the child is out of the house or in public places, make him wear a pair of special shoes to take his first steps
Step 3. Assess the extent of falls
If your child falls (and he certainly will), weigh the severity of the fall and, as you comfort and support him, check for any injuries.
After several serious injuries, check the baby for healing. If he feels sluggish, lightheaded, or leaning more on one leg or side of his body, take him to the doctor for a visit
Step 4. Follow the basic rules for a safe home
Increased mobility means that there are few things that the child cannot reach. Secure the house. You are probably already aware of which areas are dangerous for crawling and crawling. The most typical areas include:
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Stairs, where it is important to place a gate both at the top and at the bottom.
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Hot surfaces, such as radiators or ovens, which need to be covered with a grill or made inaccessible with other accessories, so that a walking child cannot reach them.
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The electrical sockets, which must be covered with plastic safety caps, to prevent the child from sticking his fingers in them. To check that you have everything covered, get on all fours to have the same view as a child - this way you can see the potential dangers.
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Method 2 of 4: Make the Home Safe for Your Child
Step 1. Remove the clutter from the floor
Pick up things off the floor, including rugs or anything else that could trip the baby over. Floor variations are particularly tricky, so try to be on the lookout for uneven or misaligned flooring.
Dangerous floors can easily be covered with a foam mat for playing. Most mats come in different sizes and are made up of interlocking squares, so you can customize them to fit the space available. Simply put the mat on the floor for a safer walking surface for the baby - no equipment or installations required
Step 2. Secure large furniture that could tip over easily
Attach furniture such as shelves and entertainment systems to the wall. These pieces could easily tip over if your child were to get on them or if they wanted to try to climb on them.
Secure the furniture with special childproof hooks; you can find them in specialty stores or you can just use a few extra screws or hooks to make sure everything is securely anchored to the wall
Step 3. Be alert for sharp edges of furniture
Put some foam on the edges that are usually at head height, and remove and replace dangerous pieces. Complements made of hard materials, such as glass or stone, can be particularly harmful. You can buy ready-made furniture bumpers; just slide them over the dangerous surfaces.
You can also create bumpers yourself with the filling of a duvet or with swimming pool floats cut in half and placed on the hard edge
Step 4. Keep the baby safe when he is in his crib
Now that he is able to stand and walk, his room is not safe either. Adjust the cot to the minimum height by removing the mattress and changing the position of the screws or springs (refer to the instructions for your cot), so that the child cannot climb out during the night.
Move the crib from dangerous areas, such as windows and doors, or places where the child can climb or fall
Step 5. Fix the childproof windows
Most children probably can't reach the windows before they start walking, but at this stage they become a major safety threat. Install protective guards or adjustable mesh guards to prevent the child from being able to open the window and fall.
You can find window gratings that are structured in such a way that they can be adapted to various sizes, and that can be placed on the internal frame. The result is a barrier that does not block the view, but blocks the child's attempts to open the window or to fall outside
Step 6. Tie back loose curtains or their cords to avoid the risk of strangulation
An easy way to do this is to create a loose knot on the curtain cords or tie the cord around a reel to leave it untangled and out of the baby's reach.
Step 7. Keep the baby away from the fireplace
Fireplaces are particularly dangerous because children can be hurt in so many different ways, but for a toddler on the go they are also very interesting. Protect your child from fireplaces by putting a spark arrestor door in it. It is similar to the one for the oven, and most of them install on the wall with an adhesive strip that makes it difficult for a child to open the door.
- If you have a larger hearth and fireplace area, install a dedicated gate that wraps and closes the entire area. These doors are typically installed with screws or hooks, which fasten to the wall on both sides of the fireplace, and completely wrap around the front.
- Place furniture bumpers on the hard edges of the fireplace, to create a soft landing.
Method 3 of 4: Be careful in the kitchen and bathroom
Step 1. Keep lockers closed and safe
Lock up hazardous liquids and chemicals, such as medicines and detergents, and make sure lockers have child-resistant locks. There are simple brackets that can be screwed onto the cabinets and connected to the doors, making them almost impossible for a child to open, but not too uncomfortable for adults.
Other popular locking methods use magnets to connect locker doors and which can be deactivated when the child is not around. Go to one of the stores in your area and see what products you can find
Step 2. Place hazardous products in cabinets that are very high above the floor
Be even more careful in the kitchen, moving dangerous utensils, such as knives or heavy plates, to higher cabinets that cannot be reached by a toddler on the go.
Step 3. Keep the baby away from the stove
Protect it from the stove and oven when it is hot by installing a control cover that stops the child from accidentally turning them on. Most models simply cover the knobs and can be removed for adult use by opening the hinged front.
The oven cover is also easy to install using an adhesive strip, which connects the top of the oven to the door, making opening the door by a curious child virtually impossible
Method 4 of 4: Observe Security Outside the House
Step 1. Remove any dangerous objects from your garden
Search outside areas to locate and remove any objects that may be hazardous to a moving child.
Items such as garden machines, older children's toys, and gardening tools should be kept in a locked shed, out of the child's reach
Step 2. Install a motion sensor in the garage
Call a specialized technician to have a sensor mounted on the garage door to make sure it stops closing if it intercepts your child's movements nearby.
Step 3. If you have a swimming pool, take precautions
Install a special outdoor baby gate around the pool and be sure to always monitor the baby when he is out. A fence that is at least 120 cm high and with meshes of no more than 7 cm should be mounted around the perimeter of the pool. For added protection cover the pool with a motorized rigid shelter, as a thin plastic cover could fail if a child were to walk on it.
The specialist retailers in your area will be able to recommend which specific products are to secure your pool, and how to install them
Step 4. Configure an alarm system
If you have an alarm system in your home, install it so that it sounds every time a window or door is opened. This will help you to intercept a child who is going out and you can prevent some disaster in time.
Advice
- Provide your child with a free and safe area to start walking.
- A child who begins to walk brings about great changes for both the child and the parents. Creating a safe environment will allow the child to have more and more confidence to walk.
- Always be on the lookout for items that hang and can be pulled, such as window cords and tablecloths.
