How to Babyproof Your Home

Whether crawling, walking or running, babies and toddlers can’t protect themselves from everyday dangers in your home. Since they’re naturally curious and wobbly, little ones can get hurt by sharp corners, large, unanchored furniture and TVs, tangled in dangling cords, and, not-so-surprisingly, many other seemingly inoffensive household items.

These can result in unexpected – and scary – emergency room visits, but don’t worry, whether this is your first baby or not, you can take steps to avoid these accidents with a baby proofed home.

Babyproofing your home is the best way to prevent accidental injuries and visits to the emergency room. We’ve put together the ultimate baby proofing house checklist to keep your baby safe, protected and accident-free in your home.

Babyproofing Around Your Home

The easiest way to identify potential hazards to your baby or toddler is to get down on their level and have a look around. What is within reach? What can be climbed on and topple over? Are there any cords or outlets that are exposed? Children’s perspectives are much different than ours, so it’s important to see the world from their point of view when babyproofing.

Simply follow our easy, step-by-step instructions below, and you’ll have a safe home that’s ready for even the most rambunctious child! To make it easier, we’ve broken the baby proofing tips up for you by room/area of your house and created a downloadable, printable checklist to help you along your babyproofing journey.

The living room or den will likely be the place of many of baby’s firsts: first time turning over, first time sitting up, and maybe even first time walking. Taking the following steps (and even a few baby proofing ideas) to make sure that the living room will ensure that “babies first injury” isn’t among those other wonderful memories.

Baby proof living room ideas

• Anchor wobbly furniture with safety straps.
• Wrap up low-hanging cords on window blinds.
• Install window locks, outlet & door knob covers.
• Install safety gates between rooms to avoid unnoticed wandering.
• Put corner guards on tables, fireplaces, window sills and other sharp edges.
• Get rid of large bookcases, entertainment centers or other furniture that can’t be anchored.
• Easiest way to learn how to baby proof cords is kind of obvious, just secure the dangling or exposed cords.

👶 Did you know…? Every 24 minutes, a baby is taken to the emergency room because of an accident involving tipping furniture or falling electronics.

You and baby will be spending a lot of time in the nursery, so it’s important that it’s not only cute and cozy, but also incredibly safe. These tips will help keep your nursery the happy, joyous place you intended it to be.

Baby proof nursery ideas

• Install window guards.
• Purchase a baby monitor.
• Get a crib with fixed sides.
• Install door knob & outlet covers.
• Replace your rocking chair with a glider.
• Secure the lids or remove any toy chests.
• Ensure the crib, changing table, dresser/wardrobe and other furniture are sturdy and anchored to the wall.

Every year, accidental kitchen injuries put almost 50,000 children under the age of 4 in the hospital. Here’s how to not become part of that statistic:

Baby proof kitchen ideas

• Cover accessible electrical outlets.
• Remove small magnets from refrigerator.
• Store knives and breakable dishes up high.
• Lock up vitamins, medications and prescriptions.
• Install child safety latches on all cabinets and drawers.
• Install cabinet and appliance locks and door knob covers.
• Replace chemical cleaning products with natural alternatives.
• Place plastic bags, trash bags and foil somewhere out of reach.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), about 87 children drown each year from other water hazards around the home, including bathtubs, toilets, and sinks. Here’s some home safety ideas to prevent that from happening:

Baby proof bathroom ideas

• Install a toilet lid lock.
• Purchase non-slip tub grips or a bath mat.
• Install cabinet and drawer locks on vanities.
• Don’t store toilet cleaner next to the toilet.
• Keep toothpaste, razors and soap out of reach.
• Lock up medications, vitamins and supplements.
• Check screws and screw-covers at base of toilets.
• Reduce your hot water heater to 120° to avoid burns.
• Secure any laundry area, paying special attention to keeping detergent and detergent pods out of reach.

👶 Did you know…? Children can drown in as little as one inch of water. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental injury and death in children ages 1-4.

Needless to say, stairs are probably one of the most obviously dangerous places in your home. But babyproofing the stairs is also one of the easiest things you can do to avoid a devastating accident.

Babyproof stairs ideas

• Install non-slip mats on wooden stairs.
• Install a handrail if there isn’t one already.
• Make sure the stairways are always well-lit.
• Install baby gates at the tops and bottoms of staircases.

👶 PRO TIP: For staircases with iron railings and bars, use swim noodles as a cheap and colorful way to temporarily keep things soft and safe for good ways to baby proof your home.

Hallways, bedrooms and other rooms in your home where kids might be walking or playing are also important to babyproof. Sometimes, alternative baby proof materials like plastics and cushions can be added to otherwise dangerous objects to avoid risk, as well.

Babyproof home ideas

• Secure dangling cords from window blinds.
• Plug outlet covers into every remaining electrical outlet.
• Keep pool, hot tub or jacuzzis covered and locked when not in use.
• Get rid of all furniture that can’t be anchored or with sharp corners that can’t be covered.
• Anchor wobbly or heavy furniture to a stud in the wall or with a heavy-duty drywall anchor.

Baby proofing services cost a range of $300 to $1500, but it depends wildly on your specific needs. After a walk-through of your home, they’ll give you a personalized quote on their services for your mini-me’s unique requirements.

Companies that baby proof your home are Wonder Years Babyproofing, Baby Safe Home, and Safe Beginnings Childproofing just to name a few. According to the Baby Safe Home website, you only pay for the safety products you choose to have installed and the labor associated with installing those products, so it can done for a reasonable price.

However, some baby-proofing house services companies charge their clients by the hour, so keep an eye out.

Remember, baby proofing necessary but these childproofing services can save you:

• The time-consuming struggle of comparing one baby website after another.
• Their knowledge of products will ensure you don’t waste money on low quality products.
• Stress less knowing experts handle the assembly and will make as few holes as necessary.

For all the stuff that doesn’t belong, you can get LoadUp to send professionals to disassemble, remove, unwanted items for donation, recycling, and safe disposal.

Once you’re done babyproofing your home, you’ll probably be left with a bunch of unsafe furniture, appliances and maybe even boxes or bags full of things that you no longer want around. That’s where LoadUp comes in.

We offer in-home, white-glove junk removal services, making it easier than ever to responsibly dispose of all your unwanted junk without ever lifting a finger.

You can feel comfortable and safe with our junk removal experts, who are fully background-checked and licensed. Plus, you’re covered by our $1M insurance policy in the rare case that something gets damaged during removal!

As parents ourselves, we know how expensive it is to raise kids. That’s why we’re the best choice when it comes to hiring an affordable, professional junk removal service. Thanks to our unique network of local Loaders across the country, we’re able to keep our costs low, with rates 20-30% lower than our competitors.

With LoadUp, you get the highest quality service at an affordable rate. We don’t waste time with on-site estimates, so you’ll never be forced to haggle with an underhanded salesman. With our online booking system, you can get a no-obligation, guaranteed upfront quote. No hidden fees. No surprise costs. Ever.

Scheduling a pickup with LoadUp is simple! We offer flexible four-hour junk removal appointment windows Monday – Saturday between 8AM and 8PM.

Prefer to keep things quiet while your little one is sleeping? We also offer curbside junk removal service at a discounted rate. Simply leave your unwanted items in a designated pickup area around your home, and we’ll do the rest. You can schedule junk removal service online, or give us a call at (844) 239-7711.

The Ultimate Babyproofing Checklist

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• Stay-at-Home Dad Survival Guide
• What To Do With Kids’ Old Swing Set
• What to Do With Your Old Baby Items
• How to Balance Motherhood and Keeping Your Home Clean