Crawling gives the child a lot of fun and facilitates his development (read about it in the advice: crawling and development), but remember that this stage requires special care. Little tots are extremely interested in the world around them and are very ingenious. They want to try everything within the reach of their little hands. They are eager to take a tablecloth off the table, check the contents of all cabinets and certainly will not indifferently pass along pot flowers. Therefore, to avoid unpleasant surprises, prepare the flat and thus take care of your child's safety. Here are some practical tips:
First of all you should always keep a sharp eye on your kid. Even in a well-secured home a child can do himself harm, if not guarded. If you have to go to another room for a moment, put the little one into a playpen/cot, for his safety and your peace of mind. Some items can easily be destroyed or spoiled by an unaware and happily playing toddler. Surely you would not be happy to find your CDs scratched with a crayon or a marker or books with torn pages. Tell the child what he can and can not do, explain the world to him. You are his guide, appreciate it, even if you sometimes find this role tiring or boring.
Children can not anticipate the consequences of their actions, they have no experience. But they are infinitely curious about the world. You have to think for them. Secure everything that can be potentially dangerous for them. Lock the doors and drawers so that the child does not jam his fingers. Special locks that prevent closing the door or opening a drawer are especially useful. Secure windows as the child can climb on a window sill and try to open them. Protect furniture edges with special corner cushions. This way you will protect the child from hurting his head or other body parts. Cover the electric sockets with socket covers or special security devices. We know what the risk of playing with current is and our child will happily push any objects encountered on his way into the socket slot. You can also rearrange the flat and cover the least needed sockets with furniture thus preventing the toddler access to them. You can protect the refrigerator and the toilet seat with a special tape preventing the child from opening them. You should also buy a special stove guard. Secure the stairs with a special gate, because the baby will definitely want to try climbing, which may result in painful fall or complex injury. In the future the child will have many opportunities to climb the stairs, but for now you must keep him away from it.
Put away in an inaccessible place all the things that can become dangerous in the little hands such as detergents, glass, drugs, small objects (buttons, coins, needles, paper clips, beads, puzzle pieces, etc.) and sharp objects (knives, scissors, etc.). The child may get hurt, or worse, swallow or choke on them, or put them into his ear or nose. Plastic bags so much loved by children can also be very dangerous. A child can put such an air impermeable bag on his head. Remove the keys from the cabinets / cupboards. A curious child can remove the key, mix it with his toys, and then you will lose a lot of time to find it - provided the key is in the toy box or under the carpet - and not in the dustbin. Remove all objects, including shoes, from the floor level and lowest shelves.
Put the pot plants in a place inaccessible for the little one, e.g. in a closed room. Many ornamental plants are poisonous (e.g. oleander, dracaena, ficus, philodendron, anthurium, spatiphyllum). You'd better get rid of the most toxic ones and hide the others. The child can eat not only a leaf or flower, but can also try the soil with a fertilizer.
Give up a tablecloth. The child may take it off onto himself with all the tableware, such as hot coffee or tea. Small napkins or simply mats for cups and plates are a good solution. Do not place dishes on the edge of the table, your toddler will for sure try to reach them.
If you have a dog, a cat or another pet, place the gravel cuvette, or the food bowl out of the reach of your child. The kid can not eat from the same bowl with your pet and play with the gravel with faeces.
In the crawling period you should take special care that the floor and everything on it was kept clean, there should be no dust, dirt or other contamination. You should not exaggerate about being hygienic, but every two or three days wash, preferably with clean water only, the surfaces your child comes into contact with. Once in a while wash the baby's toys as well. Use water and children soap and avoid any strong detergents. Often wash the hands of your crawling baby.