How To Child-Proof Your Space for Independent Playtime

You may like the idea of your child playing alone for a period of time each day. Oh the possibilities! You recognize the benefits and you have read all about how to go about it. There may be this lingering fear, however, about actually moving forward with it.

Will my child be safe?

We all want our children to be safe. No one wants their child to get hurt. With that in mind, here are some tips for you to be sure the room your child plays in for independent playtime is safe.

Observe Play
Before I ever let my oldest do playtime alone in his room, I observed him playing. This was in large part to him not being ready to do independent playtime independently since we started late. At first I played with him. Then I removed myself from playing but stayed in the room. Then I would leave for short times. It eventually led to him play alone. During the time I observed without playing, I really analyzed the room for any potential dangers. I made sure to fix any problems I saw so that when I left, I was full comfortable with him playing alone.

Keep lotions, medicines, wet wipes, etc. out of your child's reach. Be wise and realistic. Even very obedient children will want to explore, and you never know what they will do once they discover a bottle of lotion.

With my third child, I noticed she loved to remove the rubber part off the door stopper. This is very small and would be a choking hazard. Before she started roomtime, I removed the door stopper from the wall. Yes, the wall got a dent in it, but no, McKenna never choked. That's a win.

Bolt To The Wall
You want to make sure that anything your child could potentially pull over on herself is bolted to the
wall.

Outlet Covers
Put an outlet cover in all the outlets so your child can't experiment with electricity unsupervised.

Use a Monitor
An audio and/or video monitor is super helpful for you to hear and see what is going on in the room during independent play.

Use Playpen
Do not do roomtime until your child is able to do so responsibly. The playpen is a great place for independent play until that time.

Conclusion
You can take some simple steps to ensure your child's room is safe for play. What steps have you taken to make sure your little one is safe during independent playtime? I would love to hear your additional ideas! You can see how Brinley's room was set up when she was a toddler in this post.

Related Posts:

• Baby Whisperer: Playing Independently
• Falling Asleep During Independent Playtime
• Independent Playtime
• Independent Playtime is Not...

• Independent Playtime for the School-Aged Child

• Independent Playtime Lengths 
• Ransacking During Independent Playtime
• Resistance to Independent Playtime 
• Roomtime 
• Roomtime--Your Invitation
• Room Time Setup
• Starting Independent Playtime Late
• The Timer
• Won't Stay in Independent Playtime

Today the ladies of the BFBN are talking Independent Play. 

• Top Ten Toys for Independent Playtime
• Independent Playtime How-To
• Transitions: Turning the Morning Nap Into Independent Playtime
• Preparing For Baby #2 with the Use of Independent Playtime
• Benefits of Independent Playtime

Child-Proofing vs. House-Proofing

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Parents often wonder if they should child-proof their house or house-proof their child. If you read my baby-proofing post, you will see that I am one who likes to house-proof my child. In it, I have lots of reasons for why I do so, along with good safety ideas for what definitely should be done to "child-proof" your home.

I was recently contemplating why some children have respect for the property of others and why some don't. Some children seem to believe everything within their reach is fair game. They will take it, play with it, and leave it wherever they happen to be standing when they are done. You might live near such children and find everything outside needs to be under lock and key or you will never see it again!

These are not children who are trying to steal or even really knowingly being rude. They just don't realize that there are things they shouldn't touch.

I know children like this. They are children who are raised by wonderful parents who teach them strong morals and values. I have also known adults like this. It got me thinking.

As I thought about children old enough to make decisions of whether or not to touch things with the realistic expectation of them obeying, my thoughts led to the home. I realized that homes that were child-proofed rather than house-proofed were producing children who didn't have knowledge and control to not touch the property of others. I am not talking other kid's toys; I am talking things in your garage or even cars. Whatever they can reach is fair game.

And doesn't that just make sense? Doesn't it make sense that  a child who is given no physical restrictions in the home will carry that over around the neighborhood? Doesn't it make sense that the child who is allowed to be overly physically active in the home with balls and other toys because there is nothing breakable around will translate that into the homes of others? Of course they will!

House-proofing your child helps your child to learn boundaries. It helps your child to learn respect for others and for the possessions of others. You can't touch whatever you want whenever you want in the real world. When Brayden was 9 months old and I was following the advice to leave some things to be "off-limits" to him, I had no thought about this benefit. As I told him over and over again to not touch a coveted item, I had no idea that it would lead to him having a respect for the property of other people. What a blessing to me, my neighbors, and himself!

Tips for Baby-Proofing Your Home

Tips for Baby-Proofing Your Home. What to baby proof and what to leave out. You don't want to make everything indestructible. 

When it comes time to baby proof your house, I would recommend you not go overboard. You do not need to baby proof every single thing.

Of course it is wise to do what is necessary for the safety of your children. For example, put outlet covers on your outlets, move your household cleaners out of the reach of your children, secure bookcases to the wall if needed, perhaps a gate for the stairs, etc.

It is also wise to remove or move anything that you would be devastated over if it were destroyed. If you have heirloom china out from your great-grandmother, perhaps that would be good to put in a safe place until you know your child will obey you and not touch it.

Once you have things fully safe and the valuables moved out of the way, there is very little you need to do. You don't need to lock up every cupboard and drawer. You don't need to move everything out of the reach of your child. You needn't have bare shelves and tables. Doing that removes learning opportunities for your child. It is okay to have items that are off-limits that your child can reach. In fact, I it isn't just okay, it is a good idea.