With crawling comes responsibility Once babies start crawling, your entire home becomes their playground, and your responsibility to address potential hazards.
The most dangerous rooms in the home are the kitchen and the bathroom, notes Jamie Schaefer-Wilson, the author of Consumer Reports' Guide To Childproofing and Safety.
She says the kitchen stove deserves special attention.
"Children are tempted by the knobs. They want to turn them on. The easiest thing you can do is just to remove them so they can't turn on your stove. Another thing you can do is put knob covers on," she recommends.
Stoves can also tip over, so be sure to use anti-tip brackets.
A pot handle can be very enticing for a child, so turn all pot handles away from the edge.
An open dishwasher can be dangerous for small children, even when it's empty.
"The chemicals that we use in dishwashing detergents are extremely caustic, and even the residues of these substances can cause burns to a child's face or mouth if they ingest it," says Schaefer-Wilson.
It is also important to safeguard the bathroom.
"First of all, cover the spout so that your child isn't at risk of banging their head. Most importantly, always have them within arms reach. Never turn away for anything," says Schaefer-Wilson.
Baby bath seats have been linked to an average of nine drownings a year, so never use them.
Hot water is another hazard.
"It takes less than one second for a child to suffer serious burns to their skin from hot tap water," said Lidia Kemeny, executive director of the Safe Start Program at B.C. Children's Hospital.
There are devices that can test your child's bath water and tell you when it's too hot.
The glass on a gas fireplace, even with just the pilot light on, will burn a child.
Consider a barrier or turning the fireplace off all together.
Cleaners and medications should be locked up at a high level that your child cannot reach. Even items that seem harmless -- like mouthwash and toothpaste -- are dangerous if ingested in large quantities. So keep them out of a small child's reach as well.
If you follow simple precautions, your house will be safe for the entire family, says Schaefer-Wilson.
"Use everything you can at your disposal -- latches, locks, gates. Look at what's predictable. Look at what's preventable," says Schaefer-Wilson.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen
