This is a sponsored post. I received compensation from Owlet Baby Care to write this post. All text and opinions are 100% my own.
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you were able to read Debra's, from Housewife Eclectic, article yesterday on baby safety at grandparents' and other people's homes. I am very excited to be part of this blog hop with some amazing bloggers. We're working with Owlet during Baby Safety Month to help educate parents about all aspects of baby safety. This is something that I am very passionate about and I tend to be a bit obsessed with this topic.
One day I was doing the dishes and my baby was on a blanket around the corner from the sink. I was able to hear her cooing and then all of a sudden it stopped. So I dried my hands and I peeked around the corner. She had scooted to the edge of the blanket. This was the first time she had done that! AND she was chewing on something.
I stuck my finger in her mouth to retrieve the object and it was a piece of wood! AHHH! I about died! It was the setting for a perfect storm and right then I knew I couldn't have my house in the shape that it was currently in. I now had a scooter!
Before I go on I must explain myself a bit. I'm sure some of you are thinking, "A piece of wood?! What in the world?" Yeah that's exactly what I thought. That is when I realized that we have been doing TONS of home renovations and there must have been a piece of wood that came off a 2x4 that we were shaving down. It blended perfectly with my rug that I had laid the blanket on. Please don't judge me. I am still upset about this and it was months ago.
It was an eye opener for sure and it got me to quickly make my home a safe place for my sweet babe. I knew I had to get control of the little hazards that were all around my house. I thought about each room and how each room was a hazard zone. I had to take control of each and every room in my home.
So that is exactly what I did. I went room by room and took control of baby hazards once and for all. Once I did that I was able to rest assured that my sweet little one would be safe in her own home. I wouldn't have to stress about something like the horrific "wood in mouth" event that happened. I get that nothing happened at that time, but I was dying just thinking of all the things that could have happened!
So lets take a journey room by room and help get control of hazards that could possibly be in your home as well. Let's go!
Tips for all around the house and to make your life easier
- Electrical outlets need to be covered. Little ones are so curious and will focus on little things as small as an outlet for a long time and it is so scary to have them fixated on one thing. So it is very important that they can't hurt themselves while being fixated on it. Covering the outlets is so important. The covers are inexpensive too. Please don't overlook this.
- Doors need to be locked and if easily opened then make sure to put door knob covers on.
- My older daughter is very friendly so she will open the door for complete strangers. Well I should say she DID open the door for a complete stranger (luckily it all turned out), but I had to have a talk with her to not open the door unless I was there. Kids/babies are very trusting and in this world we live in you can never be too safe.
- Make sure all cleaning supplies are put up high. Make sure that while you are cleaning you either have your hand on the cleaner or it is higher up so the baby can't reach it.
- I have all mine put in a cupboard above our washer and dryer. That way my baby can't get into any of them and possibly swallow any of the contents.
- When it comes to little stuff make sure to collect every little thing in your home and either throw it out or put it up high.
- Before my daughter was mobile I went through the whole house and did this. In the playroom we went through every single drawer and container and pulled out anything that was small. We have a big Tupperware on the top shelf in our playroom that has these small accessories or parts of toys that could harm our baby. My older daughter knows the only time she can play with those things (barbie shoes, marbles, little balls, small figurines, etc.) is when my youngest is sleeping and then she has to play with them in my room. That way if one of the little pieces is overlooked during clean up then it is in my room with the door shut.
- Candles/Scentsy burners should be up high. Once again babies are very curious. Being curious is a great thing, but it can cause them to hurt themselves. So make sure that you burn candles or have warmers up high.
- I have a really cute burner for my daughters' room, but I currently don't have a secure place to put it with a baby. So I have removed it until I can find a great place for it.
- I also love the plug ins that go right into the wall, but I again had to only plug them into outlets that are out of her reach.
- Pack n Plays are your best friend. NEVER get in the shower without having the baby contained. Use a pack n play to help your baby stay safe. If you know your attention will be on something else more than the baby then again use the pack n play (dinner prep, deep cleaning, a phone call, etc.)
- I like to take showers while my girls are asleep, but sometimes that isn't possible. If I have to get in the shower while they are awake I put my baby in the pack n play in the play room and then my older daughter is in the play room outside of the play pen.
- Baby Monitors. Video baby monitors are fantastic for checking on your baby during the night or if they are in the play pen to keep an eye on them.
- I actually don't have a video baby monitor (long story), but I do have security cameras in the play room and my daughters' room. This is a great way to watch them (maybe while I'm in the shower or prepping dinner). It gives me piece of mind to be able to check on them.
- Make sure all window blind strings/pulls are tied up so there aren't any strangling hazards.
- I have very few blinds in my home and I honestly think this is part of the reason. I love the look of drapes, but I also love that there aren't any strings. In the rooms that I have blinds I make sure to tie or drape up the strings.
- This might sound a little crazy, but the best way to know your baby is safe is to watch them. Babies are fast once they can get around and like I have said many times they are curious and nothing will stop them unless they are stopped by an adult. So make sure to have your eyes and ears open at all times to insure they are safe.
- If there is a TV in your living room then make sure it is secured and not able to fall on top of your babe.
- Make sure that all small objects are put away. This could include games that have dice or other little pieces. Although, your baby might not be able to open the game box NOW that doesn't mean he/she won't be able to in the next few minutes. This isn't even an exaggeration. My story above proved that.
- My living room is separate from my family room. I like to completely block off my living room from my sweet baby. I do this because of many reasons.
- I have book shelves in my living room that have lots of breakables on it. I like to keep them there because this is the room that you see when you enter my house. I like all the decor items I have in there and I don't want to change it.
- Another reason, is that my front room is hard wood. My baby likes to climb on the chaise and couch and it makes me nervous to have her do that when she could fall and hurt herself pretty badly.
- Lastly, is I have an upright piano in that room. I do not want it falling over on top of her. Although I know it would be quite difficult it still scares me so I eliminate that by keeping her out of the room. It doesn't have a door to it so I have to use a baby gate.
Kitchen
- Latches for kitchen cabinets/drawers is huge hazard reducer. That way babies don't slam their fingers or get into anything that they shouldn't be (pans that can hurt them, food that can be dumped or drank, or food in glass containers that could be broken and cut them).
Bathrooms
- Shutting the doors to bathrooms is the best option.
- If I don't shut the doors then I worry about her trying to climb into the tub and falling. I worry about her opening the toilet and falling in. I also worry about her getting into the trash can and eating random stuff from there (GROSS)!
Playroom
- Keep small things on top shelves in the closet that even older siblings cannot reach. This makes it so only an adult can get down those small things that can cause babies to choke.
- This is the one room I want her to be able to be her, but I have an older daughter too. I want her to be comfortable in here as well. So it was a little tricky. See my advice above. It works fantastic for us.
- Make sure that any TV's are secured.
Bedrooms
- Secure nightstands or other furniture pieces that babies can pull over on them. If you can shutting the door is a great option to help keep the baby safe.
- My little baby LOVES to pull nightstands over. Well at least try. I have 90% hardwood in our house so the nightstands slide. I have found that keeping her out of the bedrooms is best. That way I don't have to worry about her slamming her fingers in the doors to the room or the closets and I don't have to worry about her knocking over the nightstands. So shutting the doors is what I do while she is awake.
- This has to do with sleeping. Babies are to be laid down on their back in their crib. Other hazards are lose clothing and blankets, instead of blankets use sleep sacks since they are more safe.
- Use monitors to help hear or see your baby.
- I like to be able to see my kids so I have a camera in their room.
- Another monitor that is so very nice and comforting is the Owlet monitor. I am so glad that there is a product like this now.
- I never had anyone tell me or warn me that I would constantly worry about my kids not breathing during the night. It never crossed my mind until I had my first baby and then it was a CONSTANT worry. I would lose sleep over it. If she didn't move for a period of time I would run in the room and almost wake her up like a crazy person. This product helps eliminate that constant fear.
If you don't know about Owlet then read below for basic information and then you can visit their website to check out this amazing product even further.
The Owlet Baby Monitor is the only baby monitor that uses hospital technology—pulse oximetry—designed to alert you if your baby stops breathing. You probably know pulse oximetry as the little red light they clip on your figure at the hospital to measure heart rate and oxygen. Owlet has miniaturized this technology into a tiny, snuggly baby sock that your little one wears to bed. It's totally wireless and connects via bluetooth to a base station and Wi-Fi to your smartphone so you can view live vitals.
Once again I am so happy to be apart of this amazing blog hop. Be sure to read what Whitney from Beauty, Baby, and a Budget shares tomorrow.
This blog hop alone isn't great enough, it gets even better! There is a giveaway!!!! It is amazing and I am quite excited for the winners. There is about $850 worth of prizes and there will be 4 winners total! Enter below for your chance to win. Good luck!
9 comments:
I would be totally ok if NO ONE else entered this drawing. HAHA this is a great read! Thank you. :) How does the giveaway work? Does the winner win everything or is it one prize to a different person!
Would love to win this! We are expecting in a few weeks and haven't done this baby thing for quite some time.
There will be winners. Each person will win one of the prizes above.
I'm so excited for you! You will be such a great mom...again!
There is nothing more important for a new mother as piece of mind. I would love to win an Owlet monitor, it is such an innovative product. Thank you for this opportunity to win a monitor and other lovely prizes!
What an amazing giveaway! I remember so many times after putting the boys to bed sitting there with my monitor zoomed in as far as possible and trying (unsuccessfully) to watch and see their tummies move to make sure they were breathing, this monitor would have been so, so amazing. All of these products are incredible! Thanks for the chance!
I agree piece of mind is HUGE for a new mom. You are very welcome! Good luck!
Hahaha. I did the EXACT same thing! Good luck!
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