Do you have a toddler in your house? If so, I hope you have you already taken steps to childproof your home.
Start by covering all electrical outlets so your child will not be tempted to plug everything they can find into an open outlet.
Next, look around the house and develop a plan for putting cabinet latches on lower cabinets, especially those that contain household cleaning products, which are often poisonous. Place latches on cabinets that contain breakables, but keep a few cabinets open so a child can play with pots, pans and plastic bowl while they are in the kitchen.
Don't forget all bathrooms and make sure to lock the medicine cabinet. Keep all medications out of reach of children and not on the counter. Many pills are brightly colored and children are attracted to trying out pills and liquids that they have watched their parents take.
If you have stairs, it is important to gate both the top and the bottom of the stairs with a locking gate. Make sure your staircase rails are up to code as well so that a child cannot get their head stuck between the rails.
Look at heavy furniture and make sure it is pushed back against the wall and that your TV is mounted securely to the wall as well, as many children are now pulling front heavy flat screen TV's over on themselves.
Lastly, if your child is pulling to a stand you need to drop the crib mattress to the lowest level so your child will not fall out. And don't forget to always fasten the seat belt when putting your child in their highchair.
Childproofing often continues to be a "work in progress" as you realize there are new dangers in every home, but by beginning with the basics you ensure basic safety for your newly mobile child.
I'm Dr. Sue with the Kid's Doctor, helping parents take charge.
Start by covering all electrical outlets so your child will not be tempted to plug everything they can find into an open outlet.
Next, look around the house and develop a plan for putting cabinet latches on lower cabinets, especially those that contain household cleaning products, which are often poisonous. Place latches on cabinets that contain breakables, but keep a few cabinets open so a child can play with pots, pans and plastic bowl while they are in the kitchen.
Don't forget all bathrooms and make sure to lock the medicine cabinet. Keep all medications out of reach of children and not on the counter. Many pills are brightly colored and children are attracted to trying out pills and liquids that they have watched their parents take.
If you have stairs, it is important to gate both the top and the bottom of the stairs with a locking gate. Make sure your staircase rails are up to code as well so that a child cannot get their head stuck between the rails.
Look at heavy furniture and make sure it is pushed back against the wall and that your TV is mounted securely to the wall as well, as many children are now pulling front heavy flat screen TV's over on themselves.
Lastly, if your child is pulling to a stand you need to drop the crib mattress to the lowest level so your child will not fall out. And don't forget to always fasten the seat belt when putting your child in their highchair.
Childproofing often continues to be a "work in progress" as you realize there are new dangers in every home, but by beginning with the basics you ensure basic safety for your newly mobile child.
I'm Dr. Sue with the Kid's Doctor, helping parents take charge.
Dr.
Sue Hubbard is an award winning pediatrician and medical editor for
www.kidsdr.com. She is a native of Washington, D.C. who travelled south
to attend the University of Texas at Austin and never left. 
