I remember when my oldest son was born, I couldn’t’ wait for him to hit his milestones. Every day seemed like an eternity until he finally started cooing, smiling, laughing, grabbing, pointing, rolling-over, sitting, and crawling. Oh crawling… what was I thinking trying to rush that moment. I was eager for him to reach that milestone but not everything else that came along with it. When your baby is crawling, almost everything in your house is a hazard. That seemingly harmless planter? Your baby can reach in there and eat the dirt and small pebbles. That cute doll with all of the bright and small buttons that your grandmother sewed as a companion for your your little one? It’s a potential choking hazard. Your favourite coffee table that you inherited from your great-grandparents? It has sharp edges that can be a hazard to your mobile baby.
While most new parents have done their research and know some of the pertinent places and items they to bebaby proofed – like putting a gate on the stairs, installing external timber balustrade, putting covers on sharp edges or covering up the electrical outlets through the help of experts like JEOAH Electric or this electrician in Cleveland, OH, – they may still not consider baby proofing other important areas in their home. The modern home is changing, and so are the things we need to consider when childproofing, like the home office and laundry room. Some of these changes include USB outlets which are increasingly replacing classic three prong outlets, shattered smartphone screens that can be tempting to touch, and new innovations in cleaning – like liquid laundry pacs.
Safeguarding the Laundry Room
Like millions of other families, I have integrated laundry pacs into our laundry routine as an easy and effective detergent option. It’s a 3-in-1 laundry solution, that consists of a detergent, stain remover and brightener all at once. It’s hard to imagine using anything else now. Of course, this change came with the additional step of ensuring we use and store them safely.
Our laundry room is located in the basement, next to kids toys room and the bathroom. So I always have to ensure that they don’t have access to the liquid laundry packets. Laundry pacs should be stored in a secure container, like the one Tide created with the first-ever child-resistant design with a Child-Guard zipper. Even with the sealable bag, it’s important to keep laundry packets up and keep them closed, so you can keep little ones safe. That’s why I always place my liquid laundry packets high on top of the dryer, out of their reach. If your laundry room has a cabinet, like the one pictured below, that’s an even better place to store your laundry products. While every laundry room is different and some spaces allow for better storage than others, always ensure that you never leave your laundry packs accessible, unsealed and within arms reach of your kids.
Now that my kids are older and they help me with the laundry, I find it as a great teaching opportunity. Not only to be independent and self-sufficient, but also to speak to them about potential hazards. My four year old son Ryan always asks me what the warning labels on the laundry pacs mean. It’s a great conversation to have and it provides them with a lesson to learn that when they see a warning sign, they should stay away!
What tips or advice do you have to share regarding baby proofing your home?