It’s been a little over two years since we moved into our new home, and from day one I’ve had a list of small projects that for one reason or another I haven’t been able to accomplish, from our laundry space to the girls’ room (which two of my girls share), to even putting our family pictures up on the wall! I know, that mom life is a real struggle.
Now that baby Zixta is not a baby anymore but a full-blown toddler I realized that I need to put all my efforts into those small projects because they will make my house a lot safer for her. There are things that I never considered a priority before and sometimes we don’t think of them as being unsafe, but after booboos and tears I updated my list and wanted to share it with you.
Kid’s room
Over Packed Drawers and Closets: Sabina, my middle child, has a lot of hand-me-downs from Krista, the oldest, clothes that she is gifted and all the “cute” clothes I buy from time to time. Before I knew it, the drawers were over packed and she was constantly pushing in the shirts and her little fingers got stuck a few times (ouch!). I would say the best solution is to go through the clothes at least every 2 months and take out whatever doesn’t fit, are too old or she doesn’t use and, like in my case, store them in the attic for the next child or simply donate them! Sabina even had space left in her drawers and closet after I did this.
Legos: This one is more for my safety than the girls, I mean, have you ever stepped on a lego before? That pain is very similar to labor in my head so I have a special box with a lid for it, especially because of Zixta who is a toddler and can easily swallow some of those tiny pieces.
Teddy bears and toys: How many of your kids drag those poor plush toys through the floor and dirt and are full of yogurt and juice and I don’t know what else? Yuck! There are so many germs stuck in those toys that can cause our babies to get sick. I put them in the washing machine, throw in a Tide Pod, set it and voila! I also fill up the tub and put some sanitizer and dump the toys there for a while, then let them dry out and that does the trick.
Laundry Space
Talking about the Tide Pods, I always make sure all laundry products, as well as cleaning products are safely closed and placed out of the reach of the girls. A lot of the packages look bright and fun and can catch the little ones’ attention.
Hangers: They seem innocent but my baby grabbed a few at once and scratched her face with them. I store or hang mine high up now when I’m not using them.
Bathroom / Vanity Area: Another thing we don’t really think about much is our beauty products, such as cleansers, lotions, and even make up. Yes, a lot of the products we use are organic and natural but we still wouldn’t eat or drink them, right? Babies and toddlers on the other hand will put everything in their mouth, so I decided to store all of those even higher than before. Even our beloved essential oils, they might not be toxic but if you put a drop of oregano oil in your mouth it will burn! I have a special bag where I keep mine so the baby doesn’t get to them.
Kitchen and Living Room: As the girls grow, they become more independent and this means that sometimes they are able to get snacks from the fridge on their own. I’m making sure to regularly check the expiration date on foods as well, kids don’t really read them and this can be a problem if the kids eat something that already went bad.
When having babies around, it’s also good to check on loose wires because if they are anything like mine they love to chew on them!
All these are small things that we rarely think about but super important, most of these ideas I got from the Tide “Bingo Board”, it’s a fun way to play along while making our home a #TidySafeCasa!!
For more information please visit SafeKids.org.
