baby e monkey

While baby books may have tons of great advice to offer new and expecting parents, nothing can truly prepare you for the adventure of parenting. Much of the lessons are picked up along the way, day-to-day, and there is no way to baby-proof your child’s environment 100%.  As many parents have learned, it’s a balancing act between protecting your child and knowing when to let them navigate on their own. However, we asked our community of parents on Facebook and Twitter what baby safety tips they had to offer based on their own experiences, and wanted to share their insights with you:

Katie said, “When you have older kids and then baby starts crawling etc.. Remember to put away the older kiddos small toys aka barbie shoes and items and hot wheel cars!”

Danielle suggested, “Plug covers and locked cupboards :) ”

Cristina shared, “Remember that baby safety stuff isn’t infallible, and the kid has to learn what is ok and what isn’t. I only lock one cabinet.”

Jenny said, “We have a gate that blocks the hallway leading to our door. My daughter cannot get into shoes, the garbage, or the door leading outside. Also, anchoring your flat screen TV to the wall is a must do. We have nothing heavy on surfaces where she can reach.”

Callie suggested, “We have gates blocking the stairs, we have the cupboard locks and all choking hazards locked away.”

Corinn shared, “Gate the bathroom too b/c i have a one and two year old and everything is still eatable for my one year old including tp ;p lol”

Genny added, “My great Grandson likes to put money(coins) in his mouth so we have a 5 gallon water bottle and we have taught him to put any money he find into the bottle, we call it a bank. It’s a game for him now and no coins go in his mouth, they go in the bank.”

Helen chimed in, “I’m with Christina, the only locked cabinet is under the kitchen sink, where I keep chemicals. My daughter knows what other she can and more importantly CANNOT get into, fortunately she’s been very good–at least about that!”

Tricia said, “There is no such thing as a child proof house—that’s why you can never leave them alone. The one time you leave them on the bed unattended will be when they suddenly learn to roll over.”

Latasha advised, “When your child starts climbling everything is game.. leave nothing out in the open that they could attempt to climp on.. too bad coffee tables are not made to hang on the wall.”

Katrina shared, “I believe in plug covers because i have seen too many kids get hurt…. But otherwise all you have to do is take the time to teach your kid right and wrong….. My 10 month old knows that the cupboards are no-no’s and he stays out of them…. Let your kids out of their bubbles and let them explore…. They are gonna have to learn somehow.”

Mollie suggested, “How ’bout making sure that the straps aren’t too tight in your fast growing newborn’s car seat? I originally thought that my 3 month old son was crying every time we took him for a ride because he just simply didn’t like to ride in the car. Turns out he was strapped in too tight! Poor thing.”