Growing Your Family? Time to Baby-Proof Your Apartment!

Preparing for a baby is hard work and there are many things to consider as you prepare for the addition to your family!

One of these things should be your apartment. Home environments that are safe for us, aren't always baby-friendly, so before bringing your new bundle of joy to your home-sweet-home, add these tasks to your 'to-do' list!

Cover electrical outlets

Baby fingers are the perfect size to fit into these, and your little one will be very curious about everything and anything once they get to the crawling stage. Make sure that all electrical outlets within a baby's reach are untouchable by inserting plastic covers directly into the plugs. You also might want to take a look around for loose cords, especially near your electronics. Tie these up tightly, so little hands aren't enticed to grab and pull!

Purchase baby gates

For apartment dwellers, this means getting pressure mounted gates to block off unsafe areas, like the kitchen and bathroom. If you live in a unit that has stairs, like our townhouses in Calgary's Hull Estates or Vancouver's False Creek Residences, you will need to put a hard-mounted gate at the top of the stairs.

Lock cabinets and drawers

Typically, the bottom cupboards in kitchens and bathrooms are where most people store their cleaning supplies and other chemical-based everyday items, like soap, mouthwash and laundry detergent. It is important to make sure that your baby can't get into this storage, by putting baby locks on them. Take it one step further and find a higher shelf that the baby can't reach, to store these products.

Eliminate sharp edges

These are everywhere: tables, bookcases, countertops and TV stands, to name a few. To avoid an injury before it happens, place plastic or foam pads covers on all baby-level corners. Better yet, think about replacing some of these items with more baby-friendly ones. For example, replace the coffee table with a soft, faux-leather ottoman, bookcases with wall shelves and TV stands with wall-mounted ones.

Check your window treatments

Window treatments with pull cords can be an accident waiting to happen, especially when they are at a low level. These should be replaced with safer window treatments, like valances, shutters or cordless roller shades.

If you have a growing family and are looking to upgrade your apartment size, check out the many listings we have with 2 or 3 bedroom options, in your city!