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Budgeting for Baby >
Planning for Your Baby |
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Childproofing
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| Baby or child proofing your home is one of the most important
first steps that needs to be done upon readying your home for baby.
Costs will really depend on the size of your home and how much work
needs to be done. Keep in mind that how you baby proof will change
as your child grows and becomes more mobile. Windows, stairs, large
pieces of furniture, electronics, cupboard doors – all of these will
need to be childproofed. One of the simplest and most cost effective
ways to childproof your home is to choose an area (or series of
rooms) that can be easily childproofed, and then use gates to
separate this area from the rest of the home. |
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| The home office and kitchen, for example, are two areas that
typically require a lot of work to childproof. Depending on your
situation and your home’s layout, it might be best to start with
childproofing your living area and baby’s bedroom, and use baby
gates to section these areas off from the rest of the house. |
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| Baby gates cost between $40 and $70. |
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| When baby-proofing, here are some of the main things that need
to be done, and their cost: |
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Keep all potentially dangerous materials up out of reach
and in a locked cabinet. (cost: under $10 to for each lock
you need to install) |
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Shorten drapery and blind cords (no cost). |
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Secure all bookshelves, entertainment units, and heavy
furniture to the wall so it cannot be pulled over by a
crawling child (cost for hardware: under $15) |
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Install sliding baby-proof electric covers on all
electrical plates (about $5 each for a standard double
plate) |
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Cover all sharp corners on tables and other furniture
(cost for a pack of 4 table corner pads: about $4) |
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Cover all windows where your baby could potentially fall
with a window guard (between $60- $100). A window wedge that
prevents the window from opening beyond a safe distance ($5)
is also available. Different window models will require
different baby-proofing solutions. |
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Keep all houseplants up and out of baby’s reach, and do
your research to make sure none of the plants you keep are
especially toxic (no cost). |
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Do a thorough check of the area to make sure all small
items (coins, buttons, small toys), and any items that can
be pulled off (plastic end caps on doors, for example) are
removed (no cost). |
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