Your baby will be crawling before you know it. Most babies start crawling when they are about six to nine months. Crawling on your hands and knees will help you seek out many dangers to your baby. Take care of these dangers before your baby grows and finds them on his/her own.

Here are some things you can do before your baby starts crawling:

  • Cover all electrical sockets that are not in use with outlet plug covers.
  • Keep all cords and wires out of your baby’s reach. For all cords in use or on the floor, make sure you tack them up to the walls, tape them to the floors or cover them up so your baby cannot see them.
  • Make sure anything heavy around the house, such as televisions, radios, books, and furniture are all secured in place with safety straps so your baby doesn’t pull them down on top of him/her. You’d be surprised what a baby can pull down!
  • Cover up any sharp edges in your home with padding. This may include fireplaces, furniture, counters, etc. If you have a glass table, try slicing a swim noodle down the middle and then wrapping it around the table.
  • Place and properly install baby gates at the top and bottom of your staircase or anywhere that you don’t want your baby to go.
  • Use safety latches on all cabinets and doors.
  • Keep all medicines, cleaning supplies, and other poisons out of your baby’s reach and in a secured cabinet.
  • Remove the rubber tips from doorstops or replace them with one-piece doorstops so your baby doesn’t pull them off and try to stick them in their mouth.
  • Look around for all small objects and get them out of your baby’s reach. Anything that can fit inside a toilet paper roll is a choking danger for your baby.
  • Remove all plants or keep plants out of your baby’s reach.
  • Set your water heater temperature to 125°F or lower so your baby doesn’t turn on a faucet and burn him/herself. If you don’t have access to your water heater, try calling your landlord to discuss getting the temperature changed.
  • Never leave your baby alone with a household pet. Put up any gates or doors that will block your pet from the baby when baby is sleeping.

If baby swallows something you think might be poisonous, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 right away!

Source: www.womenshealth.gov