There’s a lot to think about when coming up with a childproofing checklist for your home. Here’s a list to go through when you start that daunting task to make sure you don’t miss anything! Keep in mind that I wrote every single childproofing suggestion I could think of in here. Not all of these suggestions may be applicable to you (I certainly don’t do all of these), but it’s better to be more rather than less informed.
Sisanie has some really good points to get you thinking about baby-proofing.
Tips to not Miss Anything on the Childproofing Checklist
- Crawl around on your knees to see things how your baby would see them
- Overestimate how high your baby can reach
- If it can fit in a toilet paper roll, it’s a choking hazard
- Keep the original packaging for chemicals – don’t repackage them
- Consider labeling chemical and medicine containers with “bad” or “yuck” when your child gets older, so they understand chemicals are not to be eaten
Everywhere
- Anchor furniture to the walls
- Cover outlets
- Cordless blinds on windows
- Keep cords out of baby’s reach (cord holders are great)
- Carbon monoxide and smoke detectors (one of each on every floor of your home and in every bedroom)
- Window guards or stops
- Keep pet food out of baby’s reach
- Baby gates at tops and bottoms of stairs
- Put edge bumpers of sharp furniture corners
- Pinch guards on doors
- Make choking hazards inaccessible to the baby
- Use doorknob covers to keep your kid out of restricted rooms
- Remove rubber caps from doorstops (choking hazard)
- Door alarms on outside doors
- Unplug appliances and keep cords out of baby’s reach
Nursery and Bedroom
- No cords near crib
- Avoid free-standing lamps
- Keep nightlights out of baby’s reach and use LED nightlights
- Nothing in crib except a tight fitted sheet
- Safety strap on changing table
- Fixed rails on crib
Living Room
- Put a baby gate around fireplace
- Secure TV to the wall
- Move lamp stands to where baby can’t pull them over
- Keep house plants out of baby’s reach
- Put carpets at the base of furniture your child could climb on (for example couch)
Kitchen/Dining room
- All cabinets should have safety locks
- Safety locks on drawers
- Hazardous materials out of child’s reach
- Have fire extinguisher but out of baby’s reach
- Appliance latch on stove
- Stove guard by burners
- Stove knob covers
- Keep mouse and insect traps out of reach of baby
- Use childproof trashcan or keep it in a cupboard, out of baby’s reach
- Use back burners to cook on stove
- Keep handles of pans turned inwards when cooking
- Fridge lock
- Fridge magnets out of reach of baby (above chest height preferably)
- Avoid tablecloths (baby could pull tablecloth with table contents onto their head)
Bathroom
- Lid lock on toilet
- Keep medicine in childproof containers
- Medicine, cleaning materials, and toiletries out of reach of baby
- Properly dispose of old medication
- Keep trashcan out of reach of your baby
- Child locks on medicine cabinet
- Knob covers on tub faucets
- Nonslip mat in tub and for the bathroom rug
- Keep hairdryers, curling irons, and cords unplugged and out of reach of baby
Laundry Room
- Cleaning products and chemicals out of sight and reach of child
- Take special precautions with detergent packs/pods (they are small, look like candy, and highly concentrated)
- Keep chemicals in original packaging
- Latch cabinet doors
- Baby gate in laundry room door
- Latch washing machine and dryer doors
- Secure ironing board
- Keep iron out of reach of baby
- No standing water
Garage
- Make sure garage door opener won’t close on an object in its path
- Frequently test garage door opener safety restrictions
- Lock car doors and trunk
- Cabinets and cupboards latched
- Chemicals properly labeled and out of reach of tiny hands
- Secure bikes/motorcycles
- Keep all tools out of reach of baby
- Secure choking hazards (nuts, bolts, screws)
- No standing water (keep buckets flipped upside down)
- Don’t use mothballs
Yard
- Cover, gate off, and put alarms on pools and other outdoor bodies of water if possible
- Consider childproof ladder for pool
- Remove toxic plants in yard if there are any
- Be careful using pesticides and herbicides
- Screens to close off balconies and railings
- Keep furniture away from balconies and railings
- Maintain playground equipment
- Use proper surface protection with playground equipment
- Consider a backyard fence
Do You Have Any Tips I Missed in my Childproofing Checklist?
Let me know in the comments if you have any more great hacks to add to the childproofing checklist. I’d love to hear them! If you want to read more child safety articles, check out Why Your Child Shouldn’t Wear a Winter Coat in the Car Seat.
