My little explorer started rolling over quite early, and this did not bode well with my plan to have a stationary baby for as long as possible. My baby proofing setup had been initiated as of the third trimester but striking a balance between being rational and going overboard in my approach was a struggle.

Babies demand constant care on a personal and environmental level to ensure they can move around freely. They love to explore their surroundings; therefore, it’s relatively easy to harm themselves when exposed to a new world of household dangers. The many risks presented would not be considered a threat to most adults.

The CDC reports that annually approximately 2.8 million children had an initial emergency department visit for injuries from a fall. In the UK, children under 5 years (and those over 75) are most likely to have an accident at home. According to the Home Safety Council (US), over 2000 deaths are recorded as a result of unintentional home injury, and the highest rates are among babies under 1 year. With more access to information on child injuries and products to help prevent it, especially at home, the risk of injury should be minimal.

Baby proofing or child proofing is the act of ensuring that everything your child opens, pulls, or plays with will not hurt him. It is making an environment or objects safe for children.

The goal is not to turn your home into a prison-like setting that completely inhibits a child’s ability to explore and develop. Instead, child-proofing should balance such factors as safety, cost, aesthetics, livability, and child supervision.

When to start baby proofing

It’s never too soon to baby proof your home. Babies get around and into things sooner than you think, so don’t assume they are safe if they are not rolling over or crawling yet. As long as your child is mobile, you need to create a safe space.

Start early to avoid panicking over all that needs to be done, ideally 3 months before your due date. Everything should be safely set up to receive your newborn because some of the recommended baby proofing preparations may take time.

The most common baby and toddler household hazards

It becomes much easier to baby proof if you know what might pose a hazard for your infant or toddler. Specific dangers vary from home to home, from child to child, or from one development stage to the next. So this list of the most common and preventable child safety hazards is by no means all-inclusive.

1. Falls

Falls are the leading causes of household injuries in children. These can be from slippery stairs or floors, furniture, or windows, baby walkers, and scattered toys.

A baby who rolls over can launch themselves out of their crib and changing table. Crawling babies can easily climb up sofas or stairs that do not have a baby gate or yank lamps and appliances off the table by their cords. All of this increases the risk of falling.

80% of infants who suffer baby walker related injuries are being supervised, yet research shows they don’t even teach babies how to walk. Once they start to walk, they’re unsteady on their feet, but they can move quickly and tend to trip and fall.

2. House fires and burns

Domestic fires are a massive danger to children. Smoke from a fire can kill a child almost immediately. Chip pans (for deep frying), candles, cigarettes, and unattended irons are the most common causes of accidental fires.

Burns are a risk whenever you use dishwashers and stoves, hot liquids, steam, and electricity, a close third in the hazards list. A baby’s skin is thinner hence burns quickly at lower temperatures than an older child’s or adult’s skin. A child who is exposed to 140°F (60°C) water for 3 seconds will sustain third-degree burns.

The fireplace also poses many dangers to your toddler. It can be a tripping hazard too or the sharp edges could pose a serious injury risk.

Electrical outlets, extensions, and loose wiring are highly dangerous and can get your child electrocuted or shocked if playing nearby.

3. Choking

From a bite of dinner going down the wrong way to a young one accidentally swallowing a small item, choking is scary. Your view from up is not the same as a crawler’s view. Anything a toddler may find while crawling on free space will be a potential choking hazard if swallowed.

Most babies and toddlers tend to choke on food. Your toddler might also notice something that dropped out of your purse, like a pen or pencil, which is sharp and could injure them.

You may be surprised at the items you find on sweeping the floor, such as buttons, loose screws, plastic bottle caps, coins, pieces of plastic, or other small parts that your baby or toddler might want to put in their mouth.

Suffocation or unintentional choking is the leading cause of infant death in beds and cribs. Co-sleeping is, therefore, not recommended.

4. Cuts from sharp objects

Having sharp objects within the house is inevitable. Everything from an open food can to a garden hoe can be dangerous. Broken glass can cause severe cuts.

5. Poisoning

Several household items present potentially poisoning hazards, including cleaning detergents and home maintenance supplies.

Avoiding having chemicals around the house is difficult.

Most of these dangerous chemicals can be found in the kitchen, bathroom, or laundry rooms. Others are in the garage or basement in the form of paint, oil bottles, drain cleaners, chemical polishes, ammonia, and chlorine products.

A young child’s natural curiosity and desire to put everything in his mouth put him at significant risk. These chemicals can either irritate your toddler’s skin when getting in contact with them or be dangerous if inhaled.

6. Strangling

Cords on window dressings like blinds or curtains present a common strangling hazard to small children and infants. They can wrap around your baby’s neck, strangling them. Tugging on drapes and shower curtains also poses a risk.

7. Drowning

Drowning is documented as one of the most common causes of child death. It not only happens outside in swimming pools, it’s a household hazard that presents indoors, mostly in bathtubs, cleaning buckets, and toilets. On average, 2/3 of childhood drownings occur in a bathtub, and it’s usually during momentary lapses in supervision.

8. Furniture entrapments

Finger entrapments in door hinges and head entrapments in railings and storage chests cause many injuries. An unsecured piece of furniture and appliances can tip over on to a child and cause severe damage. Hanging off the oven door handle or opening the bottom part of a window more than 3-5 inches is quite risky for a crawler.

Baby proofing checklists to make your home safe (by age)

Address anything that could harm you, such as wobbly furniture and slippery floors while you have a newborn in your arms. As for toddlers and crawlers, look around the house with an eye on what could hurt them, not what would hurt you. Use this baby proofing checklist to secure your home and prepare for any emergencies.

Newborn checklist

For newborns, the most important thing is to keep an eye out for anything your baby could reach, climb, or put in his/her mouth.

Living space

• Anchor TVs and baby proof furniture that can topple, such as bookshelves and dressers to the wall using L brackets and safety straps.
• Remove any breakable showpieces or frames from the living room.
• Baby proof stairs by installing safety gates at the bottom and top of your stairs to prevent access, and other areas you wish to keep off-limits.
• Remove loose rugs or tape them down with double-sided carpet tape.
• Find heavy-weight picture hooks to prevent pictures from falling off the wall.

Kitchen

• Don’t hold your baby while cooking at the stove or handle hot foods while carrying him.

Fireplace and fire prevention

• Buy a fire extinguisher.
• Install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

Bathroom and toilet

• Get a thermometer to ensure bathwater is at a safe temperature (98.6°F to 100.4°F or 32° C to 38° C).
• Use hands-on supervision on the changing table and during bath time.
• Put nonslip mats in a bathtub and on the floor next to it.
• Close the toilet lid; consider installing a latch.

Nursery

• Put your infant to sleep on their backs, even for naps.
• Free the crib of pillows, blankets, bumpers, and stuffed animals.
• Place baby monitors and their electrical cords 3 feet (1 meter) away from the crib.
• Keep the drop side of the crib up and locked when not in the room.

Electrical outlets, cords, and appliances

• Baby proof outlets using safety plugs or outlet covers.
• Any cord is a hazard, so tuck them away.

Outdoors

• Secure a fence around any pool or hot tub. Install a pool alarm as well.

Forbidden territory

• Lock knives, heavy pots, breakables, guns, and other dangerous items or keep them out of reach.
• Hang or store purses and briefcases out of the reach of children.

Miscellaneous

• Have a first aid kit and take stock, regularly replacing used items.
• Replace any corded window coverings.
• If you have an older toddler or child in the house, make sure you supervise his interaction with your newborn as he may inadvertently hurt the baby.

Crawling checklist

When your child is crawling, another baby proofing sweep is needed to make sure your house is safe for the baby on the move. Get down to their level. This means crawling in areas you intend to spend most of your days together to see what the little one’s fingers can grasp or reach. Keep in mind the common hazards for crawling babies and remove them.

Doors

• Use doorstops and door holders to baby proof doors and protect babies’ fingers.
• Baby proof door knobs with doorknob covers, a latch out of child reach, or door alarms.

Kitchen

• Use back burners and ensure stoves are anchored.

Fireplace and fire prevention

• Baby proof fireplace with either a fireplace grill or find a gate that attaches to either side of the fireplace walls to prevent entry.
• Promptly empty ashtrays and keep lighters, matches, and tobacco products locked away from the baby.

Bathroom and toilet

• Immediately after use, empty bathtubs and buckets of water.

Nursery

• Put the mattress in the lowest position in the crib.
• Use a safety strap on the changing table and don’t leave your baby unattended.

Electrical outlets, cords, and appliances

• Remove nightlights in any lower outlets.
• Secure and hide electrical cords behind furniture, or use a hide-a-cord device.
• Cover electrical outlets lower than the height of a counter and select products that are not choking hazards.

Forbidden territory

• Keep household cleaners and medicines high out of reach. Latches help, but children can defeat them. Remember to put them back away after use.
• Keep your baby away from low, open windows, and balconies.
• Install latches on appliances and oven doors, or securely close them.
• Move items away from the edges of tables and countertops.
• Baby proof drawers and cabinets using a latch or magnet to keep them securely shut and prevent them from being opened.
• Cover sharp edges and corners on furniture or remove furniture

Miscellaneous

• Put away valuables and breakables.
• Stay with your baby during meals to prevent choking.
• Avoid baby walkers. Use stationary play centers.
• Ensure toys are lead and BPA free. They should not be broken to prevent any possibility of cuts or choking.
• Ask older siblings or visiting children to carefully pick up their toys after playing, with parents double-checking the area.

Toddler checklist

When s/he can pull up, it is time to apply another level of protection.

Living space

• Be extra careful with chairs and step stools, especially for climbers!
• To baby-proof a Christmas tree, use a Christmas tree gate as a barrier. If the tree is placed high, secure it on a surface that can’t be pushed over. Keep it away from heat sources and use unbreakable ornaments to decorate it.

Kitchen

• Turn the handles on a pan away from the front of the stove.
• Install stove knob covers if your stove has knobs on the front or buy a stove with safety features.

Bathroom and toilet

• Baby proof toilet with toilet-seat locks to prevent drowning.

Electrical outlets, cords, and appliances

• Keep small appliances out of reach.

Outdoors

• Take them for swimming lessons to prevent drowning.

Forbidden territory

• Lock doors to the outside.
• Don’t place couches and other furniture next to balconies or railings.
• Secure the doors to off-limit areas such as cellars and garages.
• Keep trash cans out of reach.
• Clear sharp items from countertops.
• Keep household medications in child-resistant containers and in a high cabinet.
• Create a child-free zone to charge small electronic devices.
• Put hot foods and liquids on the center of tables and countertops, not on edges, table cloths, or placemats.
• Lock the refrigerator and freezer doors.
• Latch the windows. Screens can’t protect a child from a window fall.

Miscellaneous

• Don’t take your medicine in front of your toddler. Toddlers like to imitate adults.
• Use cut looped window-blind cords; use safety tassels and cord stops.

Baby proofing tips

In my quest to baby proof everything all at once, I unsurprisingly got overwhelmed. Your initial baby proofing should involve keeping the house clean and sanitized to prevent infections.

Secure your house, room by room, and not all at once; make it a fun experience. It may take you a while, but finishing will give you peace of mind and the safety your child needs. Parents can always sense anything dangerous for the child beforehand, so follow your intuition.

Educate your baby early to stay away from potentially harmful situations. Use phrases like “danger,” “no touching,” or “stand back.” Eventually, they will grasp the meaning.

Constant adult supervision is a must no matter the amount of baby proofing.