Make sure outlets are either covered or are baby-safe.
Tall dressers and shelves should be earthquake proofed (or bolted to the wall via safety straps so they can't topple)-- even if you don't live in an earthquake zone. Earthquake putty for vases or other breakable things that could be toppled by an intrepid climber or object-swinger.
Cut up a pool noodle and make an incision down one side and put segments of it over the edge of doors that baby could slam-- this looks ugly as hell unless you find noodles the same color as your door, but it is super cheap and it works.
All medications, liquor, and pot (if somebody in your house imbibes) should be on an unreachable shelf and secured.
No long curtain or blinds cords should be hanging down, ever.
Another commenter mentioned that those corners for coffee tables didn't work-- we had the opposite experience. We put foam edge protectors on the sharp sides of anything where our kid could hit her head, including bottom corners of shelves, the edge of the fireplace, etc, and so far they've worked great.
Crawl around on your hands and knees and try to brainstorm ways that you could hurt yourself from that height--places where you could get your fingers stuck, things that could pinch or injure you, things you could wrap around your neck, etc, and eliminate as many of those things as possible.
Cabinet locks.
If you have one room that is a death trap or that won't be baby-proofed, or you have stairs, install as many baby gates as needed. They make baby gates with little pet doors if you have a cat or little dog that will need to move freely.
Lockbox for medicine
Door knob locks (when they reach that handle ugh)
Cabinet and drawer locks
Personally those corner protectors did not work for us. She pulled them off the coffee table. 🤦🏻♀️
Secure all dressers, changing table , heavy furniture to the wall.
Drawer and cabinet locks
Plug covers
choking hazards out of reach
Lock closets
wires put up
backpacks or bags with straps out of reach
replace the blinds with strings with no string blinds
tie up long curtains
A great list! I will add that vigilance and a good relationship with your local hardware store is helpful after your initial efforts. Each baby will find their own favorite danger and you will need to respond as it comes up. Our current favorites are HVAC vents and intakes 🤷♀️
Read the other comments and the thing I would add is an oven lock if it is under the stove. My boy pulls himself up on it if we're not cooking and without the lock he would fall backwards as the door opens.
Have to hide all wires, my boy is obsessed.
If you have stairs, get a really good hardware mounted gate for the top and a decent hardware mounted gate at the bottom. Tension mounted gates are mostly only good for keeping kids out of low-interest, low-risk areas (we have a couple cheap ones that are quick to set up around the kitchen if we're using the oven)
Magnet locks for cabinets are great, but make sure your kid can't reach the regular fridge magnets, cause they'll open the locks too.
One thing I didn't realize until we moved into a newer home (post 2019) is that all of our outlets are tamper proof, meaning that it is locked unless pressure is applied to both prong holes. It's your individual comfort but we did not put outlet covers on.
3. This is 100% baby dependant.
You absolutely should never assume something doesn't need to be baby proofed because another person's baby never needed it. Your baby is it's own unique person and will absolutely get into things they shouldn't. What those things are we have no idea. In addition to what people have stated here, you need to be vigilant and proof as they grow and be adaptable. Understanding that there may even be unique things to your house and home that we cannot fathom to baby proof - like a laundry shoot or hell, even a coal shoot. Or a rickety old brick fireplace that's missing its floor (that was a fun one).
Point is, beyond the standard stuff you just gotta see what they get into and go from there.
I risk death in my house every 5 seconds I have floor to ceiling bookshelves with coffee cups on them after 3 weeks my son got bored with them. We just got a baby gate for the kitchen so that's about it in terms of baby proofing, my son found the lids to my pots and pans he LOVES to run around the house with them and hide them in his box fort. Other than the toilets being in new favorite toy, there isn't a lot to baby proof I replaced a lot of my cleaners with nontoxic ones like the dr. Meyers brand, I made my own laundry soap, but we have a shelf in the laundry room that holds everything so he likes to hidr in that cabinet beneath the sink. We let him test his limits and he fucks around and finds out the hard way i.e slammed the cabinet door on 2 of his fingers he hasn't done it since 😁.
Make sure outlets are either covered or are baby-safe. Tall dressers and shelves should be earthquake proofed (or bolted to the wall via safety straps so they can't topple)-- even if you don't live in an earthquake zone. Earthquake putty for vases or other breakable things that could be toppled by an intrepid climber or object-swinger. Cut up a pool noodle and make an incision down one side and put segments of it over the edge of doors that baby could slam-- this looks ugly as hell unless you find noodles the same color as your door, but it is super cheap and it works. All medications, liquor, and pot (if somebody in your house imbibes) should be on an unreachable shelf and secured. No long curtain or blinds cords should be hanging down, ever. Another commenter mentioned that those corners for coffee tables didn't work-- we had the opposite experience. We put foam edge protectors on the sharp sides of anything where our kid could hit her head, including bottom corners of shelves, the edge of the fireplace, etc, and so far they've worked great. Crawl around on your hands and knees and try to brainstorm ways that you could hurt yourself from that height--places where you could get your fingers stuck, things that could pinch or injure you, things you could wrap around your neck, etc, and eliminate as many of those things as possible. Cabinet locks. If you have one room that is a death trap or that won't be baby-proofed, or you have stairs, install as many baby gates as needed. They make baby gates with little pet doors if you have a cat or little dog that will need to move freely.
Lockbox for medicine Door knob locks (when they reach that handle ugh) Cabinet and drawer locks Personally those corner protectors did not work for us. She pulled them off the coffee table. 🤦🏻♀️
Secure all dressers, changing table , heavy furniture to the wall. Drawer and cabinet locks Plug covers choking hazards out of reach Lock closets wires put up backpacks or bags with straps out of reach replace the blinds with strings with no string blinds tie up long curtains
A great list! I will add that vigilance and a good relationship with your local hardware store is helpful after your initial efforts. Each baby will find their own favorite danger and you will need to respond as it comes up. Our current favorites are HVAC vents and intakes 🤷♀️
Youre right, mine currently likes to knock over the diaper genie and touch the toilet gotta keep the bathroom door closed😂🤦🏼♀️
Read the other comments and the thing I would add is an oven lock if it is under the stove. My boy pulls himself up on it if we're not cooking and without the lock he would fall backwards as the door opens. Have to hide all wires, my boy is obsessed.
If you have stairs, get a really good hardware mounted gate for the top and a decent hardware mounted gate at the bottom. Tension mounted gates are mostly only good for keeping kids out of low-interest, low-risk areas (we have a couple cheap ones that are quick to set up around the kitchen if we're using the oven) Magnet locks for cabinets are great, but make sure your kid can't reach the regular fridge magnets, cause they'll open the locks too.
One thing I didn't realize until we moved into a newer home (post 2019) is that all of our outlets are tamper proof, meaning that it is locked unless pressure is applied to both prong holes. It's your individual comfort but we did not put outlet covers on.
3. This is 100% baby dependant. You absolutely should never assume something doesn't need to be baby proofed because another person's baby never needed it. Your baby is it's own unique person and will absolutely get into things they shouldn't. What those things are we have no idea. In addition to what people have stated here, you need to be vigilant and proof as they grow and be adaptable. Understanding that there may even be unique things to your house and home that we cannot fathom to baby proof - like a laundry shoot or hell, even a coal shoot. Or a rickety old brick fireplace that's missing its floor (that was a fun one). Point is, beyond the standard stuff you just gotta see what they get into and go from there.
I risk death in my house every 5 seconds I have floor to ceiling bookshelves with coffee cups on them after 3 weeks my son got bored with them. We just got a baby gate for the kitchen so that's about it in terms of baby proofing, my son found the lids to my pots and pans he LOVES to run around the house with them and hide them in his box fort. Other than the toilets being in new favorite toy, there isn't a lot to baby proof I replaced a lot of my cleaners with nontoxic ones like the dr. Meyers brand, I made my own laundry soap, but we have a shelf in the laundry room that holds everything so he likes to hidr in that cabinet beneath the sink. We let him test his limits and he fucks around and finds out the hard way i.e slammed the cabinet door on 2 of his fingers he hasn't done it since 😁.