- Learn how your baby’s physical abilities will change. For example: Many parents are surprised to discover that toddlers will soon be able to climb up on furniture and out of cribs!
- Learn what potential hazards there are in your child’s environment. (Inside and outside the home)
- Think about your family’s life style and accept that adjustments may need to be made. Things may need to be moved and you may need to change your habits. For example: you will not be able to keep your medicines on top of the night table (even in child resistant bottles) and you may need to keep doors closed that you like to keep open.
- Create the safest environment you can for your child, whether it’s in one room or the whole house. Prioritize hazards dealing with the most dangerous first. For example: No one wants their child to fall and hurt themselves – but, preventing a fall down stairs or out a window should be a priority over cushioning the coffee table if a choice has to be made.
- Last but not least, realize that this is an ongoing process and that it is not enough unless your child is properly and constantly supervised as well. Baby proofing should give you and your child more freedom and piece of mind. Accidents can happen in seconds, but a properly safety proofed house can provide extra seconds to prevent them. You will find that by taking the time to reach these goals you will create not only a safer environment for your family, but also a happier and more peaceful one.
At what age should I begin the baby proofing process?
Ideally you will begin to think about the safety of your infant before you bring him home from the hospital by considering safety in the purchase and set up of baby furniture, bedding, clothing and a car safety seat. Additionally, you should have already safety proofed the crib and have taken a first aid and infant CPR class. If you haven’t, please do so now!
The actual process of safety proofing your home should begin just before your baby starts crawling and at least the first phase should be done by the time he is crawling. (Usually things like stair gates, electrical cord and outlet protection, and making sure small items are out of reach to prevent choking are a few of the items included in this first phase.) The next phases come fast and furious after crawling, so you should be ready to do more safety proofing before your baby begins pulling himself up on furniture, opening cabinets and walking. Climbing up on furniture and door opening is another phase to be fully ready for.
Why should I use a professional Baby Proofer?
A professional Baby Proofer should have the experience and knowledge to guide you through the choices you will need to make regarding the identification and prioritization of safety hazards and quality safety products. They should also have the hands on experience required to install safety products that will protect your child even in unusual situations.
Why should I use Safer Kids and Homes?
Safer Kids and Homes has been in business since 1994 and has helped thousands of families in South Florida to make their homes safer. We are active members of the Dade County Safe Kids Coalition and The International Association for Child Safety. Founder and President, Patti Norton Laird, is an established authority on home safety and baby proofing. Patti is a frequent speaker for parent and prenatal groups and has been called upon by most of the local news media to share her expertise when they have covered stories on child safety.
We are proud of the fact that our own family of satisfied clients refers approximately 90% of our new clients to us. Our customer satisfaction speaks for itself with these growing numbers of referrals. We are honest, friendly and professional to work with, both on the phone and in your home. We always do our best to ensure that our products work well, look good and are convenient to use. We have baby proofed everything from boats and apartments to 20,000+ S.F. estate homes. We are creative and skilled to find a solution to most challenging installation problems. If a product exists and works we know about it - if it doesn’t we will try to create one.
How long do you guarantee your products and services?
We want your family to be safe and we want the products and services we provide to be effective. Many of our products and services are still in use through younger siblings of the babies we originally safety proofed for. Safer Kids and Homes guarantees to repair or replace (at no additional charge) any malfunctioning product we provide for a period of sixty (60) days from the date of installation or purchase (except in cases of damage due to acts of nature or misuse of the product). If adjustments or repairs are needed after the warranty period, a minimum fee of $50.00 will be billed for labor and materials. Labor will be billed at $50.00 per labor hour and materials at our retail prices.
Are the products you use different from what I can buy locally in a store?
Yes and no. Safer Kids and Homes uses only the most dependable and practical safety products available, including many custom or hard-to-find products. We also continuously research and test new devices to add to our line. While some of these products can be found at hardware stores and other retail locations, they are not always the best quality available. Inferior products can not only be a waste of your time and money; they can also give you a false sense of security regarding your child’s safety. Even if you know which are the best products, they can frequently be difficult to find and never all at one store, except from specialty retailers. Our retail prices on these products are usually competitive with these specialty retailers and we provide our experience to help you with your selections.
Can I just buy the products from Safer Kids and Homes?
Yes. You can choose the products you would like from our web site or you can have us come to your home to recommend the best products for your particular home and lifestyle. An estimate for us to come to your home and recommend products will cost you $25.00. You can then choose from the appropriate products what you would like to purchase. We are always happy to respond to your emails and phone calls with questions as well.
Will you install products I already have?
Yes and no. We will work with you to decide this on an individual basis. Generally, we do not install any safety products you have that are not products we regularly use, due to quality and reliability issues. Additionally, we can not guarantee products that are not purchased from Safer Kids and Homes. If you have a few items that we approve of and we are doing additional installations of our products we will try to accommodate you.
How soon can you get my home childproofed?
Generally the process can take 2-3 weeks. This will depend on your availability as well as our current client load. Because of the variability in our client load during the year, we recommend you contact us 4-6 weeks before you would like to have the process completed. When you call us to set up an estimate or safety audit, we can usually fit you in the schedule within 5-10 days. After you review the estimate material and approve the items you would like installed, we can usually give you an installation appointment within 2 weeks. If our client load is particularly heavy the wait can be longer. We need time to give our existing client’s the personal attention and time you will receive when your appointment time comes. If custom work or special orders are needed it will take longer – usually 4-6 weeks from the order date.
I live outside of South Florida, how can I find a Baby Proofer near me?
Visit the International Association for Child Safety web site to find a Baby Proofer near you.
