As a Baby Buffer, you not only have to be careful about where the chairs are placed in your home or what’s on top of a table that your toddler could reach, but also assume that your toddler can climb up on those chairs…and reach something dangerous or fall off!

For Baby Buffers, it is dangerous to underestimate your toddler’s capabilities. Her talents grow daily! Injuries are the leading cause of death in children older than 12 months. You must go beyond installing safety gates, latches, and outlet covers. Think about all the things that your toddler can reach by getting down on the floor and pretending to be her height! Toddlers get hurt because hazards in the home weren’t eliminated.

Here are some ways to keep spaces safe for your toddler:

• Safety experts recommend that you get down to your child’s level and look at the world from his point of view. Low drawers left open can turn into a staircase that your toddler can climb; bookcases and china cabinets look like great climbing toys; and knives and glass dishes may not as out of reach as you may have thought.
• You’ll also want to consider your child’s favorite things. If lotions, soaps and other cosmetics, for example, fascinate her, you’ll need to take extra precautions to keep those items out of your toddler’s reach in the bathroom.
• Don’t assume that just because your child couldn’t do it yesterday, he can’t do it today. Never leave a child alone in the kitchen or bathroom. These rooms can be very dangerous because they contain knives, heavy appliances, toxic cleaning supplies, medicines, and razors. Remember that in the kitchen, the hazards multiply if you’re cooking.
• Be especially cautious when you have company or are visiting other people’s homes.  When you have other children at your home, you need to be especially watchful of the space in which they will all play. Together, toddlers get into more trouble than they could individually.