Congratulations on the baby! Having a baby is so much fun and so rewarding, but also very scary. Your house, which is a safe place for the baby, might not be so safe once he/she starts crawling and walking. There are a few things you might want to take a look at and adjust while the baby is learning.

Cover Electrical Outlets. Babies like to explore and use their hands to help explore. Be sure to cover the outlets before your baby ends up getting shocked.

Lock Up Dangerous Chemicals. All it takes is one second for a baby to get into something they shouldn’t be in. Make sure to keep all harmful chemicals locked up or out of reach of the baby.

Cover Sharp Corners. Having a baby doesn’t mean you have to get rid of your furniture with sharp edges. There are baby cover guards that can fit over the edges to help ensure no cuts when the baby starts crawling and walking. This may be something you can wait on, since the baby won’t walk for a while.

Bolt Heavy Furniture Down. When babies are learning to walk, they grab things to help stabilize them and to help guide them while they walk. Heavy furniture is still very risky, you should bolt it down to eliminate the risk of it falling on your baby.

See It From Their Point Of View. It might be a good idea to get on your hands and knees and see what the baby would see. You would probably overlook a couple things, but being down low you can see what your baby would see and eliminate the risks.

Use Baby Gates. If you don’t want your baby going to a specific part of the house, use a baby gate. Most gates can be moved easily and are kid friendly, meaning it won’t hurt them if they grab onto it. A good place to put this is near stairs.

Lock Cabinets. Once your baby discovers cabinets, they’re going to want to keep opening and closing them constantly. With that comes finger smashes and pinches. To eliminate this, they have baby proof locks you can stick on the cabinets.

Guest Contributor: Tiffany Powell