Your baby's on a constant quest to touch and taste everything she can, and that includes rusty gardening shears. Childproofing the backyard requires a big initial effort and constant vigilance after that. Scan the yard for hazards before every trip outside. And once the yard is baby-friendly, check that every exterior door is fitted with a heavy-duty childproof lock.
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Make a Sweep
Close Off the Pool
A backyard pool should have at least two layers of protection. Install a fence that completely surrounds the pool or check your existing fence to verify its safety. A fence should be at least 4 feet tall, with vertical slats spaced no more than 4 inches apart or made of diamond shapes that are no larger than 1 3/4 inches across. The fence gate should lock and be self-latching. You may also install alarms on the gate or pool itself that alert you when they sense movement.
RELATED: Swimming Pool Safety
Securing Your Deck
Install hardware-mounted baby gates at the top of any deck staircase. A staircase of more than a few steps may also require a gate at the bottom. Next, measure the distance between the deck balusters, and the distance from the deck boards to the bottom rail. If any gaps are greater than 3 1/2 inches, install deck netting or banister guards to prevent a little one from slipping through.
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