5 Unusual Ways to Baby Proof Your Home

5 Unusual Ways To Baby Proof Your Home
5 Unusual Ways To Baby Proof Your Home

I'm not honestly one of those moms who gets crazy with the baby proofing.

I'm much more of the "live and let learn" variety. Sure, I'll put up a baby gate to save myself a bit of worry and yes, I'll bust out the outlet covers, but other than that, I don't believe in making my house a plastic bubble for my kids.

That being said, however, there are some things I've seen, especially in my work as a nurse, over the past year that have made me re-think my stance on baby proofing. There may be some unusual ways that we all need to baby proof our homes…

Thank goodness I put those outlet covers on!

1. The TV. If you have a TV that, like ours, is not mounted to the wall, but freestanding, you should definitely consider baby-proofing by securing the TV to the wall. Only a few months ago, I had the unfortunate opportunity to be in the OR at the hospital where I was working as a nurse and saw the case of a young infant who had been fatally injured when the family's TV set fell on him. So simple and inexpensive-you can find the straps at any local store or online.

2. Dressers. Same thought here-if you've ever left a drawer open on a dresser, just imagine an adventurous young one seeing the opportunity to climb. Dressers that aren't attached to the wall can be prone to falling, especially if they are top-heavy with opened drawers. The devices for securing dressers are simple straps to the walls, much like the TV safety mounts and a few minutes could literally save your child's life.

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3. The dishwasher. I'll never forget the day that I turned my back for a split second to retrieve some Tupperware from the cabinet. Of course, because my cabinets are a mess, I couldn't find the seemingly ONE piece of Tupperware that has a lid, so I did a little more digging. Suddenly, for no reason, I straightened and caught a glimpse of my one-year-old son, sprinting as fast as he could towards me with a giant cutting knife. And, of course, I had been vacuuming that morning, so between him and me lie the precarious vacuum cord. Words can't even express how I narrowly avoided a heart attack that morning, omg. Point being, kids, even little kids, can open the dishwasher, so you might want to consider a dishwasher lock.

4. The front door. Maybe it's just me, but my kids seem to be gifted with the innate ability to open doors from a very early age. Instead of some kind of crazy handle contraption, we invested in some top-of-the-door locks so they couldn't bolt away without our knowledge.

5. The toilet brush. Oh, sure, there's all kind of fuss about locking up that toilet lid, but my son knows where the true danger of the bathroom lies-in the toilet brush. Anytime he can, he makes a beeline for the toilet brush, gleefully taking off to try to spread germs all over the house. So.gross. Maybe it's time for me to stop cleaning the toilet so much? To counteract your little one's "helpful" side, stash that brush elsewhere or get a type that doesn't sit out in the open.

- By Chaunie Brusie

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