Childproofing Your Home Office Seven Things to Do Today

Author : Jamie Jefferson

It’s a dream come true to work from home, especially when you have small children But balancing family life with professional life certainly has its challenges While you don’t want to disappear into your office during the day, there will be times when you need to attend to a few things before your child’s naptime

Childproofing your home office is especially important because, let’s face it, we tend to get distracted in there, and the room is ripe with potential dangers

Here are seven simple tips:

1 Make sure your child understands that the office is not a playroom Even for very young children, you can lay some ground rules Let them know that children are not to be in the office without an adult Install a child-proofing mechanism on the doorknob of the office and make sure to shut the door when you are not in the office with your child

2 Protect your children from electricity and electrical devices The first step is to protect your child from exposed outlets Use socket covers in your office just as you would in the nursery or the rest of the house Keep your electrical cords tucked away behind furniture, as much as possible or with cord tape and cable ties, as appropriate If you have a power strip, you can purchase an inexpensive plastic cover that will keep little fingers from those dangerous extra outlets (and from unplugging your cords )

3 Make sure your child knows that the computer is not a toy, and that they are never to eat or drink near the computer You may consider purchasing a toy computer for them to work on alongside you

4 Put hazardous items out of reach of the child Paper shredders and scissors, in particular, should be kept high enough that a child can not reach them at any time of day Keep small items that can pose a choking hazard out of reach or tucked safely into a drawer, as well

5 Look at the entire room from the perspective of a child Are there any drawers or cubbies where your child’s fingers may get pinched? Does the office chair tip too far back? Also, are there any pieces of furniture that could topple on a child? Bookshelves can look like ladders to toddlers Keep this in mind when purchasing new items for your home office Fasten any potentially dangerous furniture to the wall with brackets

6 Stay organized Having young children in your home office is the best cure for messy desk syndrome Take it from someone who knows: the first time apple juice gets spilled on important papers, there’s a big incentive to keep up with the filing

7 Make a safe place for your children Do you have a family laptop that the child can play learning software on? Now that my youngest is 5, he will sit beside me for 20 minutes or so while I get caught up on email When my children were younger, they sat around a special table with drawers that contained art supplies, paper, and coloring books that they could use only while I was in the office As long as I didn’t overuse this tactic, it worked like a dream

The most important thing is to understand the limitations of your child While your children are awake, you will want to be out of the office for the most part If you need to work throughout the day, consider finding a caregiver during those intensive times to come in and help with the kids

Jamie Jefferson writes for Susies-Coupons.com and Momscape.com, where you can save on office supplies with the latest Office Max Coupons and Quill.com Coupons.

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