The Importance of Childproofing at Home
Childproofing or babyproofing is the act of reducing risks to your children by cordoning off part of the home environment to protect your little one. As babies might be teething or curious, they explore the world by putting items into their mouths. Baby mouthing is dangerous as certain things might injure, be toxic or be a choking hazard to babies. Create a much safer home for your baby by restricting areas your baby can access.
How Can You Childproof Your Home?
You can start by assessing safety risks in the home for your child by giving your child the freedom to explore their own space but restricting access to dangerous places with baby safety gates or playpens. Here are some reasons why you should consider limiting your child’s free-to-roam spaces:
1. Keeping a Child in a Play Area
Some parents dislike stipulating an area for their little ones as they feel like it restricts their curiosity and freedom to explore their surroundings. Nevertheless, we all want the safest environment for our children. Although the main concern is safety, as a parent, we want our toddlers to be healthy and free from possible injury.
With certified and tested Baby Safety Gates, you can prevent children from accessing the following hazardous areas and dangers in the home:
Preventing Dangers in the Garden, Balcony or Staircase
In the garden or balcony, a child may pick up and accidentally ingest soil or plant chemical pellets that look like food. We must also prevent fall hazards when babies access staircases or balconies in high rise HDB apartments.
You can limit access by using baby safety gates and play yards to block off these high-risk areas. The locks on baby safety gates are tamper-proof and are designed for a larger adult hand to operate the mechanism with opposing fingers to gain access.
Create a Safe Bathroom Area
A bathroom has a whole range of hazards to your child, these include fluoride toothpaste, make-up, bath products, shower products and cleaning chemicals and laundry detergent. All the above substances present varying degrees of risk to your baby when ingested or touched while unsupervised.
You can prevent your children from picking up these substances is putting them out of reach on high shelves. Another way is to create an area using a waterproof baby playpen together with toys and a bathtub for safe, engaging, and fun bath times. If you wish to prevent unsupervised bathroom access at any time, consider installing one or two sections of the play yard panels at the bathroom door.
Keep the Kitchen Secure
In a kitchen, there are a variety of interesting items for a child. Many of which they would have never seen before! There will be a hot stove or hot water kettles, sharp knives, dangerous tools, fragile crockery, or heavy kitchen equipment that might cause harm your child.
We recommend that parents restrict accidental kitchen access by using a baby safety gate at the kitchen entrance. This allow allows safe parents peace of mind while in the kitchen as you will be able to watch and observe your child when you are preparing or cooking food.
Comfortable and Sheltered Bedroom
A bedroom may seem comfortable, but it might not necessarily be childproofed. There are several hazards like chemicals in the ensuite bathroom, makeup on the vanity, bed frame legs that your children might trip over or on a comfy bed, your toddler might accidentally roll or fall off the bed.
Keeping your children in a comfortable bed with rail guards will provide additional safety for them. Cautious parents can also childproof the ensuite bathroom with a baby safety gate or a baby play pen. Alternatively, they can place them in their cots safely if they are small enough.
Toys and Other Clutter
Some parents dislike getting a play pen or a baby safety gate for their children because of the clutter. As a play pen or cordoned off area is a safe personal space for your children, toys and other baby items eventually become just a storage area for clutter.
When using a baby safety gate or play pen, we need to be responsible for our children’s safety. Having a disorganized play area adds to the chaos, but the mess might cause your children to hurt or trip over them, making a messy play area dangerous.
Make your child’s play area clean and tidy by clearing up toys to keep them safe, one can also sort and organize toys in boxes with a secure clasp lock so that your children will not be able to open them easily.
2. Engaging Your Child in a Play Pen
As a parent, we should allow our child to slowly get used to the play pen and baby safety area. These play areas should be engaging and entertaining for your child while teaching them independence. Sometimes it can be frustrating when babies might throw toys out of their play area. This does not mean that the child is disinterested or trying to infuriate you, but rather, they are learning how to use their newly found motor skills.
Children may not take to the play pen easily, so take some time to acquaint your child to this space. To teach your baby to stay in their play area, you can start with your child behind the baby safety gate for a few minutes a day and gradually increase it after time goes by.
3. Be Vigilant and Alert
Although setting a physical boundary with baby safety gates or play pens helps to childproof your home, it is not 100% childproof as children might still climb or bump their heads on the panels. Regardless, remember to always be vigilant and observe your child in their play area if they are alone and not supervised by an adult. We recommend adding a Baby Play Mat inside the play area to protect children from getting hurt if they fall or hit their head on the base.
Which Baby Safety Gate Should You Get for Your Home?
Babies can start using a play pen once they can begin to crawl, usually from the age of 6-8 months to about 4 years old. Although, you might want to purchase a play pen or baby safety gate prior to that age so that they can adapt to them early.
Baby play pens can be of various sizes, it can be the size of a small crib or a large yard with hexagonal or octagonal multiple panels that can be made as large as you want. Make sure you measure the size of the play pen and the planned area for it.
Baby safety gates are a lot simpler than play pens, just simply wedge the gate in the place of a door. Most baby gates have adjustable widths to fit differently sized doors easily.
IFAM Baby Safety Gates and Play Pens
IFAM is the number one baby safety gate supplier in Korea, their designs are environmentally friendly, creative, match easily with home interior décor, and are practical for baby care. Featuring the best IFAM baby safety gates and playpens for babies and young children. IFAM products are:
- Made in Korea
- Non-toxic and BPA free
- Easy to assemble, no tools required
- Easily expanded if more panels are needed
- Fitted with bigger gaps to prevent children from getting stuck in the gaps
- Fitted with smooth finishings and have a minimal gap for easy cleaning
- Safe with enhanced non-slip bases
- Compatible with various mat sizes
- Fitted with stoppers that prevent foreign objects from entering
- Compatible with every IFAM Play Yard product
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Certified by the Korea Safety Certification, European Safety Certification, US Environmental Certification and America Materials Testing Association
IFAM Birch Baby Play Yard
The Birch Baby Play Yard is a 12-panel various size(s) play pen. This model is a wooden style natural design available in beige and white colours. This play pen size is compatible with a MyLO LUXE Playmat.
IFAM Baby FIRST Play Yard with Door Set
The Baby FIRST Play Yard with Door Set is a 10-panel set with a door that comes in several colours:
- Grey + White
- Pure White
- Cream blue + Grey
- Pink + Grey
- Cream Blue + White
- Pink + White
- Multicolour
The Baby FIRST Play Yard with Door Set is compatible with a MyLO LUXE Playmat and is available in a bundle with a Safety Holder Set.
IFAM Birch Play Yard Thank You Activity Panel with Detachable Melody and Play Board
IFAM Birch Play Yard Thank You Activity Panel comes with a detachable Melody and Play Board to develop your little one’s fine motor skills and excite baby’s senses through sounds, lights, and touch. Each light-up button on the Melody board is recorded with exciting music and/or funny sounds. There are 7 percussion modes and 12 melodies available. The Play Board also comes with 4 fun activities such as Peek-A-Boo Window, Beads (creates sound and sensory activities), Seaweed Rail Play and a Shape Puzzle.
There are no protruding edges to ensure baby’s safety while inside the play yard and the activity panel comes in an ocean inspired design with whale, jellyfish, seaweed, starfish and fish blocks to spark imagination and provide an under-the-sea experience for your child. The play yard panel comes in beige and white colours.
Childproofing for Baby Safety
Childproofing provides safety and comfort for your baby, keeping your child in a safe place behind a baby safety gate or play yard will decrease their risk of injury and accidents at home.
Consider purchasing a baby safety gate or a play pen early for your children to adapt to them easily. Explore our range of essential baby safety gates and play pens here.
Citations:
Staff, F. E. (2021, July 7). Child safety: Keeping your home safe for your baby. familydoctor.org. Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://familydoctor.org/child-safety-keeping-your-home-safe-for-your-baby/
Iftikhar, N. (2020, October 16). Baby mouthing - aka why do babies put everything in their mouths? Healthline. Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health/baby/baby-mouthing
Vincent Iannelli, M. D. (2021, January 8). Step-by-step guide to childproofing your home. Verywell Family. Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/childproofing-your-home-2634228
Are playpens necessary? (read this before you buy one). Dadometer. (2021, April 24). Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.dadometer.com/are-playpens-necessary/