New parents about to bring home their bundle of joy surely realize that this time means a lot of change, not only in their lifestyle and routines but also in the home. Besides decorating the nursery to prepare for your little one's arrival, there are some crucial home tasks to prepare your house for the new baby. Though this is certainly a stressful time for you as a soon-to-be parent, these safety considerations must not be overlooked. After all, your baby's safety depends on it!

While not all of these steps must be taken as soon as you bring the baby home, you should at least start thinking about them. It will seem like no time at all before your baby starts crawling and walking all over the house. Here is a checklist for new parents to adjust their home security practices for the new baby:

1) Install baby locks on anything that could hurt your baby. This includes stove locks, door locks, toilet seat locks, and cabinet locks. Some new parents choose to block off the bathrooms and kitchen using baby gates so that they don't have to lock every cabinet.

2) Set up baby gates. Speaking of baby gates, these must also be used at the top and bottom of stairways. They can also be used to block off workrooms or other areas that may be dangerous for a toddler. In addition to baby gates, add extra security to dangerous areas by using motion detectors, swimming pool alarms, and similar home security devices.

3) Purchase covers for outlets and cords. Babies are very curious, and can get into danger in ways that might surprise their parents. Cover all electrical outlets with child-safe covers so that nothing can be poked into the sockets. Make sure that all electrical cords, as well as the cords to window blinds, are out of your baby's reach.

4) Check your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Of course, every household should have these, baby or not, but when you bring a new baby home, you're bringing home someone who is entirely dependent on you to rescue them in an emergency. Such alarms give you as much time as possible to get everyone out safely. It is especially important to have such alarms near the nursery.

5) Use baby monitors. Today, more and more parents are using surveillance cameras rather than traditional baby monitors to monitor their baby's room. These cameras can transmit wirelessly, even to a laptop computer. As your child grows, they can be put to other uses, from watching siblings playing quietly together to keeping an eye on the nanny.

6) Install door and window alarms. Now that you have brought your baby home, you'll probably spend endless nights worrying about their safety. Of course, this doesn't stop once your little one reaches the toddler stage. No matter your child's age, make sure that their bedroom is equipped with door and window alarms. These can alert you to a child who is out of their room in the middle of the night, or to someone trying to get in.

Although baby-proofing is probably one of the least exciting preparations for new parents to make, it is certainly as important as, if not more important than, all of the other steps you'll take to get ready for your new baby.