After all the hard work of adoption when it is just about ready to pay off. One thing you will need to do is prepare your home and life style for your new toddler.

Walking through your home with a note book and paper can be a good first start. Write down any thing that you may need to child proof to help keep your new toddler safe. Such as:

1.) Electrical out lets...do they have plastic plugs.
2.) Look around what items should be placed in a higher place to prevent your toddler from getting a hold of them?
3.) Look for items on the floor. Children often put items left on the floor into their mouth. So some adult re training may be needed.
4.) When in the kitchen. Do your cabinets have child safety locks. If not that might be a good thing to purchase to keep them safe.
5.) Are cleaners, harmful products kept up away from the reach of a child. If not this will have to be addressed and the cleaners must be kept out of the reach of your new child.
6.) Glass items or anything that your child can get cut on must also be placed up higher out of the reach of children.
7.) In your bathroom. Make sure your cabinet drawers do not contain anything that your child can swallow or get harmed by. Child locks again could be the answer.
8.) When everything looks safe. Walk through and check it one more time. Ask someone else to check
also. Sometimes we miss items that we do not thing could harm a child. Someone else with a keen eye like a friend who has children. Can give you more insight.

It is a good idea to invest in electrical plugs, child cabinet safety locks, and even child safety gates. To keep a child safely in the room you are
so they do not get into mischief.

Toddlers are like a sponge that is in need of exhorbing anything and everything around it. They are little learning machines and their own curiosity can sometimes harm them.

You can allow them to touch items in your presence.
Tell them what the item is. Tell them if it will harm them. Tell them that this is mommy or daddy's toy and can only be touched by mommy or daddy. Then give them one of their toys. Identify it as their toy. So they catch on to the concept quickly.

Remember to keep purses and wallets, car keys and house keys up away from your child too. This will prevent hours of searching for car keys when you are late for work. (giggle)

Remember small coins are not safe for children. They can choke on them.

A child is only as safe as his parents make his environment.