How to baby-proof your home in Kenya

Having a baby-friendly home is one of the most underrated joys of parenting. Once your baby moves into the toddler stage, where they want to pull, turn, climb and even eat everything, a baby-safe home becomes a necessity.

Baby-proofing is a little different for large homes than for smaller ones because of space. In small spaces such as studio flats, where dangerous items such as gas cylinders may be within reach, it becomes a challenge.

If you live in a small space, there is still a lot you can do to make sure your baby is safe and out of harm's way. As well as the basic rules of keeping all dangerous items such as knives, choking hazards, insecticides and cleaning products away, these additional baby-proofing tips will give you peace of mind:

The bathroom area is one of the most dangerous spaces in the house for both kids and adults. For babies who are exploring though, the risk of injury is very high because they don't know how to take care of themselves yet.

If you leave the door open, your baby might walk in, dip their hands in the toilet or even slip on the floor. Even the door can pose a risk because they might shut it on their fingers by mistake.

The simple act of always being keen to close the bathroom door is already a step in enhancing safety.

The risk of electrocution is another major concern you need to think about. Babies love to stick things into electrical outlets and even if you tell them to stop, they will repeat the same thing minutes later.

A simple way of preventing any accidents is by installing outlet covers that will keep your baby from poking anything into electrical sockets.

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The fridge, cupboards and drawers might look like sources of entertainment for your baby but they're not safe. You don't want them to have access to anything they shouldn't play with or hurt their fingers, which is why safety locks are a good idea.

The locks will keep your baby from accessing these high-risk areas at all times. They usually come in a set of two or more so you can use them in multiple places around your home.

Sharp furniture edges can hurt your baby while they're playing. They can sustain injuries to their head or even eyes.

Lower the risk with soft corner guards that are placed on any sharp edges like table and counter corners. You will never have to panic when they run around during play times.

In small spaces, there are often no doors to partition certain sections like the kitchen and living room. You might have a challenge preventing your baby from accessing certain areas unsupervised and that is where a baby gate comes in.

With a baby gate, you will be able to limit where your baby goes with ease. Some of the best options that are also apartment-friendly are those collapsible gates you can simply place on the section you want to be condoned off instead of drilling into the wall.