A playroom provides a spot for your growing son or daughter to have fun, get creative, and unleash their imagination. Yet, you might worry about your child bumping their head or putting dangerous objects in their mouth during play when your back is turned.
While no young baby or toddler should be left unattended for a long period, you must eliminate hazards to ensure they remain safe when your attention is elsewhere, or they’re running, walking, or crawling across the room. Read on to learn how to create a safe playroom for your baby or toddler.
Lay Play Mats on the Floor
A play mat can benefit your baby or toddler in various ways. It may cushion their inevitable falls when running, crawling, or walking during play. Also, it can protect a little one from dirty or dusty floors, which will support their developing immune system. A cushioned playmat will also make your little one feel more comfortable when crawling, rolling cars, building blocks, or mark-making on the floor.
Encourage comfortable, carefree play by laying down fun, colorful, and supportive baby playmats. You can choose from many colors and designs to add personality to the space while creating a safer environment for your fast-growing son or daughter.
Keep Magnets Out of the Playroom
Parents must avoid buying toys that contain magnets, as accidental swallowing can cause a serious risk to a child’s health. The CPSC recommends that children younger than six years old shouldn’t play with any toys with magnets. If in doubt, review each toy in your child’s playroom to increase their safety in the home.
Avoid Toys with Button Batteries
Button batteries are another threat to your child’s health and are hidden inside many children’s toys, remote controls, musical books and cards, and small devices, such as calculators. Unfortunately, button batteries, also known as LR44 batteries or coin batteries, are dangerous to children if swallowed or lodged in their ear or nose. Avoid adding toys with button batteries into your child’s playroom and the rest of your home to keep them safe and healthy.
Remove Small-Sized Toys and Objects
Similar to magnets, you must remove small-sized toys and objects from a baby or toddler’s playroom to prevent accidental ingestion, especially if they are under five years old. Keep the space clear of small items they might put in their mouths, such as:
- Hair clips
- Small blocks
- Mini figures
- Marbles
- Role-play jewelry
- Toy parts
Only introduce age-appropriate toys into your child’s playroom to maintain their safety. If your children are sharing a playroom, you must ensure the items are age-appropriate for all children to prevent an accident.
Review Soft Toys Regularly
In addition to removing small objects from a playroom, you must routinely review your child’s stuffed toys, as small pieces like eyes or buttons could become loose or pulled off by your toddler or baby. Ensure any small items on stuffed toys are firmly fixed on and remove them from the playroom if they become loose or fall off. Also, don’t forget to wash your child’s stuffed toys regularly to eliminate germs and bacteria.
Install Safety Brackets onto Furniture
If a playroom has bookshelves, a dresser, or another type of furniture, you must secure them to the wall using safety brackets. It will prevent furniture from tipping over in a playroom, especially during rambunctious play. If you can’t fix furniture to a wall, you’d be wise to remove it from the playroom altogether.
Hide or Cover All Cords
Messy or dangling cables pose a danger to a growing baby or child. Your little one might feel tempted to play with a cord, and it can increase their risk of tripping, strangulation, or electrocution. For this reason, you must ensure you hide or cover all wires and add socket covers to prevent your children from placing their fingers in the holes.
Lock the Window
It is crucial to ensure that the playroom window is locked when a young child enters the room. Your inquisitive toddler might not think twice about climbing onto the ledge to look out of the window. A locked window will provide peace of mind that your child can’t fall from a height or leave the room.
Be Careful with Arts and Craft Supplies
Many parents might not worry about leaving a child alone with Play-Doh, child-friendly paint, or crayons, as they are non-toxic. Yet, these items aren’t 100% safe when ingested. While child-friendly arts and crafts supplies are unlikely to cause serious harm to your son or daughter, they can cause various unwanted side effects, such as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and headaches.
Keep Your Child in Your Sight
You might not think twice about visiting the kitchen to wash dishes or clean surfaces when your baby or toddler is playing happily. Yet, your little one might turn to an unsafe object or climb to a height when you’re no longer in sight. The safest way to protect your child during play is to remain within eyesight. You will feel safe in the knowledge that your son or daughter is safe and protected, and you could use the time you have to fold laundry or do some ironing next to their playroom.
If you can’t remain near your child’s side when they are in their playroom, turn on a video baby monitor to keep a close eye on your little one. As previously mentioned, you must ensure the cord is hidden or covered to prevent an accident.
Install a Baby Gate
If you plan to leave your child unattended for short bursts while watching them on a monitor, it’s essential to add a baby gate to the door frame. It will stop your child from leaving the playroom, so you’ll know where they are at all times.
As you can see, a playroom can pose many risks to your child’s health and safety. However, a little forward-thinking, the right products, and a sensible mindset could keep them safe from harm’s way while they play, learn, and develop their fine and gross motor skills.
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