That First Step

Safe Steps

If you're eagerly anticipating your baby's first steps, ensure your home is safe. Here are a few tips from Stacy DeBroff, author of The Mom Book: 4,278 of Mom Central's Tips—For Moms from Moms:

• Teach your toddler how to climb up and down stairs on his stomach or his bottom, and have him practice on the lower steps with your supervision. To help your child practice climbing without risking a long fall, move the gate to the third or fourth stair from the bottom.
• Put bells on doors to warn you if a child has opened one, such as a door leading to the backyard.
• Use gates on rooms without doors to keep your child from wandering into dangerous areas.
• Use non-slip carpeting tape under area rugs to hold them in place or place sticky matting under throw rugs to keep them from slipping. If you need something stronger to stop slippage or to prevent your child from tripping, try masking tape around the edges.