Guest post
Are you pregnant or maybe a first-time mum? First of all, congratulations! Being a mum is the best thing in my life and I wouldn’t change it for the world. However, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with everything that you need to think about when having a baby. I used to have lists and lists of things to do to before the baby wasn’t even born, and when my little one (little A) was born, more and more lists of things to make sure the home was ready and safe for him. I promise everything will be alright.
Just some quick backstory. I live in London with my partner, who works full-time in the city. Both of our families live a bit further away, in Somerset and Lancaster, respectively.
I’ve always had on my list to babyproof the house. It will be easy, I said. It will be quick, I said. The issue is that I pushed it to the back of my list time and time again, until little A started crawling. He was about seven-months-old and twenty weeks when I decided that it was finally time to childproof the house.
I was determined to do this on my own, I had a whole scheme planned out. I researched what areas needed childproofing and read far too many articles about it. I remember that the Baby Centre has a really good article on it! My plan was to start babyproofing one area at a time while little A was sleeping. What I didn’t plan was falling asleep with him most days. What I didn’t plan was how tired I felt those first months. What I didn’t plan was my partner having to work long hours and sometimes during the weekend.
But everything was still okay. I ended up asking for help. And that’s fine. I understand wanting to do everything on your own, more than anyone will, but you shouldn’t be ashamed to ask for help. I found this company of handyman in London, the Handy Squad, who offer babyproofing services, and I thought, why not? Another set of eyes and hands would help immensely!
I requested a quote for babyproofing my house and received a call later that day from Ross at the Handy Squad, who said that he would be free on the day that I requested and that he could even come earlier that day if I preferred. The earlier, the better, I said. He told me an estimated cost of the work I had requested, and the appointment was set.
Ross arrived on time and he couldn’t have been nicer and more polite. He had a look around the house and saw which areas could be more hazardous than others, running me through how he would babyproof them. The kitchen was definitely the main area that we wanted to focus on – the most fascinating and dangerous room in the house for little A.
He fit safety catches on the bottom cupboards, where I had cleaning supplies and other cupboards where I had the fancy tableware (the dishes that we only use once a year for special occasions, am I the only one?). Ross from the Handy Squad also fit catches on our built-in washing machine and dishwasher.
Every sharp corner was fitted with a soft plastic cover and heavy furniture was fixed to the wall, to ensure these wouldn’t fall when pulled by tiny (but strong) hands. All sockets in the house which were close to the floor now had a protector and all doors had hinge finger protectors.
In the worst case scenario that something does happen, purchasing a fire extinguisher, keeping your first-aid cabinet full and having emergency contacts always at hand in your phone are great tips, as the Bump mentions. Do you have any tips to safeguard the little ones?
Overall, I was very happy with Ross’ professionalism and efficiency. Having another pair of eyes definitely helped, as he was able to spot hazards that I completely dismissed. Thank you, Handy Squad, for lending me a hand.
featured post