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Options for baby-proofing your home

By Holly Riddle

Whether you’re expecting a child or just hosting a friend or family member’s little one, it’s important to make sure your space will be safe for everyone. Items that you may think are harmless can actually be pretty hazardous once in the hands of a curious toddler. Those beauty products under the bathroom sink? Hazard. The dishwasher detergent in the kitchen? Hazard. Even that semi-wobbly entertainment stand that you put together yourself could be a potential danger. 

To help keep everyone safe and happy, consider baby-proofing your home with one of these five options.

These magnetic cabinet and drawer locks are an awesome idea if you’re baby-proofing an area that doesn’t need to be baby-proofed for very long. Maybe you’re only babysitting for a friend one night a week, for example. There’s no drilling and no screws. The locks attach via adhesive tape and install within seconds. When you no longer need them, just turn off the locking mechanism and you can go about your space with ease.
$0 from Amazon

The only bad thing about using magnetic locking systems like the ones above? If you lose the magnetic key to your magnetic lock … well then, you’re locked out of your cabinets just as much as the baby is. Luckily, you won’t need to buy an entirely new baby-proofing kit to get back into your cabinets. Just have one of these extra keys on hand.
$12 from Amazon

But cabinet locking systems won’t work for everything in your home. There are other things you’ll want to keep away from the baby, too. Keep your toilet, refrigerator, dishwasher and more closed with these safety locks that function like a strap. Your dextrous fingers will be able to open them for easy use, but they’ll prove a struggle for any toddling tot.
$13 from Amazon

There’s still one last hazard you need to eliminate, and that’s the potential hazard of a baby or small child tipping over heavy furniture or electronics. These anti-tip straps anchor any furniture or large items, like televisions, to the wall, so even if a child pulls or climbs on the item, it’ll stay firmly in place.
$0 from Amazon $14 from Walmart

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For first-time parents or those who just aren’t around kids all that much, having a baby in the house — no matter how frequently or infrequently — can be a big change, in a lot of ways. Prepping your home with a little baby-proofing ahead of time is just one thing you can do to make that change a little easier, so you can babysit, parent or host with peace of mind. The above five products can help, whether you’re securing a heavy bookcase, hiding away your cleaning supplies or just keeping wandering fingers out of the fridge.

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Holly Riddle
Holly Riddle is a freelance food, travel and lifestyle journalist, who also dabbles in copywriting, ghostwriting and fiction…
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