If you’re ready to have kids, you and your New York City apartment must prepare. Why? Because if you’ve ever been around kids you’ll know they are more resourceful and crafty than they look. They can often find trouble in a place you wouldn’t even think of. For homeowners and renters alike, this can spell a whole lot of trouble if your apartment isn’t kid-proof. Most apartments and living spaces are constructed with adults in mind, but if you now have a kid roaming around your home, you need to make sure the landscape is kid-proof.
When you own a home, it is often easy enough to change things about the home to make kid-proofing easier. However, when you are renting (and thus have more restrictions about what you can and cannot do), it can be more difficult. Stress not, here’s a couple of tips to help transform your bachelor pad to a kid safe place.
1. Keep cupboards locked
This one you probably know about, since it’s pretty much self explanatory. As soon as children are able to crawl and stand up, there is a good chance they are looking for places to explore and get into. One of their first targets are cupboards, which can often contain harmful chemicals under the sink, or heavy pans or plates that could cause injury to your child or damage to your apartment. Many different tools to kid proof your cupboards and keep the doors shut. If you don’t feel like purchasing anything, a rubber band wrapped around the handles can often suffice.
2. Tether larger and heavy items
From when children are learning to stand up and walk, they often grab onto anything and everything to help them get up. Things like TVs, tables, bookshelves, and more should be sturdy and stabilized to make sure that the child cannot pull them down when they try to hoist themselves into a standing position. Also, remove all heavy items from the tops of dressers or bookshelves. You can also fasten larger pieces of furniture to the wall so it does not fall on your child.
3. Cover the Electric Sockets
Electrical sockets can be extremely dangerous to children and any that are within a child’s reach in your home, should be covered. There are a number of different ways to cover these sockets. The most common method is to buy plug protector covers that stick into the socket. Also, electrical cords and cables can also be a safety hazard for children, so you should make sure they are tied up or safely hidden.
4. Watch the Balcony
While many single family homes or condos may have a backyard, most apartments have some sort of a balcony. For many apartment owners, this is your only outdoor space, which likely means you and your family may spend a considerable amount of time out there. You should make sure there is absolutely no way that your child can fall off the balcony or go on the balcony when you are not with them. If you don’t have a balcony (and are still high up), do not leave any children unattended near open windows, for obvious reasons.
5. Get Low
Put yourself in your baby’s shoes to kid proof the apartment. Get low on the floor, and seeing the world as they see it. By changing your perspective, you’ll find things you might have otherwise missed. This could be anything from loose tops on doorstops to an exposed nail or anything else that children may find in the crevices on the floor that you would never normally see.
6. Put up Barricades
Gates are a parent’s best friend. While your child is still small, they cannot tear down or climb over the gate. Therefore, you can control their accessible square footage. There are numerous kinds of pressure gates that suction to the wall, similar to a shower rod. Whether you are stopping them from going in a particular room or stopping them from going up or down stairs, these barricades can prevent your children from getting hurt or getting into mischief.
7. Watch the Sharp Edges
Sharp objects and edges are a child’s worst enemy. They can’t spot the danger, and will eagerly run into anything sharp. If you look around your apartment, there is a good chance that there are harsh edges all over your apartment. When you have a baby or a kid coming home, it is very important to either cover those edges and objects with something softer, or keep them out of your kid’s reach.
8. Shop Carefully
While most people think that you need to alter your space to kid proof the apartment, that isn’t exactly true. The things you buy and bring home are also of the utmost importance when making sure your home is safe for your child. Read product labels carefully and make sure that there is nothing harmful for children that will possibly remain out in the open. While most accidents can be prevented, there is always the chance your baby can get into something, so making sure that “something” isn’t toxic or deadly can save your child’s life.
Looking for similar articles but you want to substitute the kid with a pet? Check out our article “Is Your Apartment Pet Friendly? How To Pet Proof Your Apartment.”
Editor’s Note: We updated this article to enhance readability.
