Is It Baby Proofed Yet?! Baby Proofing Your Home and Electrical Safety Information

 A baby’s greatest strength is their curiosity, sadly this is also their greatest weakness.  New parents should focus on baby proofing.  Below is a list of several easy to check off safety items to make sure the only zaps your baby suffer is from static. 

Baby Proofing Electrical Outlets

Baby Proofing Electrical Outlets:  According to the National Fire Protection Association, approximately 2,400 children suffer from severe shock and burns caused by items being poked into the slots of electrical receptacles. Even more worrying, approximately 12 children will die from these injuries each year. 

• Electrical outlet caps: The easiest and cheapest way to prevent your child from sticking objects in electrical outlets is to buy child-proof electrical outlet caps. These covers are entirely made of plastic and plug directly into your electrical outlet. The exposed front is entirely flat, making it difficult for your child to remove it.  If your baby can’t poke anything inside, then they are safe. It’s that simple. The only downside of electrical safety caps is that you will need to remove them every time you need to use the electrical outlet, such as when you are vacuuming.  

If it slips your mind to put the plug cover back into the outlet when you are done, the baby proofing effect is lost. You will need to count out just how many outlets caps you need before you commit to purchasing.  You will need a solid count of all your homes outlets before buying in bulk.  Don’t forget to count unused power strip outlets when figuring out how many you need. 

Unplugging Cords

Baby’s Unplugging Cords:  The only thing babies love more than sticking their fingers into places they shouldn’t, is pulling on things they shouldn’t be pulling on. In order to prevent your baby from accidentally unplugging the TV during a Seahawks game, we suggest the following solutions: 

• The easiest way to stop your baby from unplugging power cords is to move furniture in front of the outlet. While it may make your room look a little less symmetrical, it will stop your baby from giving that cord a tug and best of all, it’s a free solution. 

• For outlets that cannot be moved or otherwise made inaccessible we suggest using the slightly more expensive route of Outlet Covers. These covers sit just over your outlets and prevent them from being unplugged without adult intervention. 

• Baby Proofing Power Strips/Extension Cords with these covers.
  

• Power strips are commonly used in areas of the house which hold many electrical products in one area.  Some of these items are your television or computer area. Power strips are a common solution to the “Too many plugs, not enough outlets” problem that plagues most homes. 
• The downside of power strips is that they sit on the ground. And every baby knows, if it’s on the ground, it is a play toy. 
• As always the first method is free; just move the power strips! However we do understand this is not always possible.  When unable to move a power strip or extension cord we recommend a more complete cover linked above.

In Conclusion

•   A quick Checklist:
  
• Shorten any cords that are attached to appliances and are obviously just too long.
  
• Secure any cords that run along the ground and are able to trip up your baby. 
• Don’t leave cords attached to appliances such as the toaster hanging over the edge of the bench, your curious baby will pull these and end up with a bad case of a toaster  head. 
• Cover up any outlets that do not have a plug inside them, whether its wall outlet, extension cord or power strip. 
• Secure any cords you do not want unplugged, your baby is a pulling machine.
  

Bringing your baby home should be as stress free as possible.  There are enough things to worry about without your homes electrical system being one of them.  Contact B&G Electrical Contracting today for a free estimate on how you can make your home safe.