Baby Care Basics: Creating a Clean and Safe Home

As any mom can attest to, babies are messy. You’ll need to be equipped with all kinds of cleaning supplies to deal with the mealtime messes and other spills and accidents your child may have. What’s more, when you have a baby in the house, the amount of laundry you do will increase exponentially.

All this cleaning brings up some questions about how to keep your baby safe. Try these key tips: 

Keep all cleaning products out of your child’s reach. Your curious baby can get into more things -- and more quickly -- than you might expect. That means that your baby’s safety depends on you keeping all cleaning materials (including detergents, bleach, spray bottles, window cleaner, fabric softeners, soaps, disinfectants, and dryer sheets) in a secure location. A high cabinet that can be closed and locked is ideal.

Organize your supplies. Keeping everything straight will help you always know what’s inside each bottle or box, and have instructions and safety information readily at hand. Throw out empty containers instead of reusing them, and avoid removing labels or switching containers.

Clean up promptly. Clean up spills immediately and wash out any cleaning containers (such as buckets or measuring cups) before your baby can get to them. To keep your baby’s skin clean and safe, be sure to wash your hands after doing laundry or any cleaning chore so they’re free of product residue when you pick him up.

Baby safety measures are par for the course, and most are common sense. If you follow them, you will be well on your way to ensuring that your baby’s safety and health is first priority.