Our Baby Proofing Checklist
Being a new parent is overwhelming as it is, and then there’s the worry of baby proofing your home on top of it! When you bring your beautiful newborn home, there’s nothing more exciting than seeing your lives together unfold. However, it’s fantastic to see how quickly all of the potential owies unfold too! Suddenly, your trendy coffee table becomes a target for bumped heads and knicked funny bones.
When it comes to child safety, we all know we want nothing more than to keep our bundles of joy happy and healthy. Their happiness is our happiness, and that’s the joy of becoming parents! With that being said, finding the best baby proofing products can quickly become a headache.
In your research, you will find that there are many opinions on the dos and donts. What you won’t see much of is a baby proofing checklist that comes straight from parents who have been where you are and know what your worries are. That’s why we’ve put together this article.
Our 2 little girls have kept us on our toes and are the reason behind Door Buddy. We know about the terrors that come from finding your tot in the litter box! Here you will read what we’ve found to be essential in our baby proofing endeavors. We hope this helps, and at the end of this article, you can download our FREE checklist too. This will come in handy as you start ticking off the to-dos around the house. Happy baby proofing!
Our Must-Have Baby Proofing Checklist
The easiest way to approach baby proofing your home is going room by room. Each room holds its own set of hazards and deserves to treated as such. So, let’s take this one room at a time!
Living Space
Your living space is inevitably the room that will see the most action. It’s also the room with potentially the most dangers in it. That unmounted TV? A huge hazard. Electrical cables? Red alert! When your tiny tot starts crawling around, this room should be first on your baby proofing checklist.
What to Baby Proof:
- Secure furniture to the wall where possible (TVs, cabinets, decorations, etc.)
- Remove tablecloths
- Pack away small choking hazard decorations
- Cover sharp edges (tables, counters, units, etc.)
- Move unstable pieces of furniture (lamps, plants)
- Cover electrical outlets
- Install pinch guards on doors
- Tie up electrical cords
- Tie or cover blind cords
- Limit access to the fireplace or gas heater
- Lock up cabinets
Kitchen
If you have a budding chef on your hands, you may want to take extra precautions in your child safety methods around the kitchen. Although you may think that most of the kitchen’s hazards are counter-level, far from your little one, you will quickly find that this is not the case.
It’s incredible to watch how these curious tots always find a way into trouble! From cleaning products under your sink to knocking over your trash - you can never go wrong by taking the extra step in your kitchen.
What to Baby Proof:
- Install locks on all cabinets and drawers
- Keep trash can out of reach or locked away
- Install pantry locks
- Lock the refrigerator and freezer doors
- Remove or cover stove and oven controls
Bedroom
Whether your co-sleeping or placing your babe in a separate room, don’t forget to make sure the bedrooms are safe! We often find that people may tend to forget about their comfy spots. However, there are plenty of choking hazards and dangerous pitfalls lying around our rooms.
Remember, if you are co-sleeping, make sure to follow the correct guidelines and safety regulations!
What to Baby Proof:
- Install closet locks
- Packaway dainty decorations
- Move unstable furniture (lamps, mirrors, side tables, etc.)
- Ensure there are no gaps in the bed that the baby can fall through
- Cover electrical outlets
Bathroom
A bathroom or a treasure chest for your child to explore? It’s funny how our little ones are always drawn to the nasties around the house! If you haven’t already, you will soon see how they are fascinated with the toilet and its contents. Let’s not even get started about the kitty litter!
What to Baby Proof:
- Install toilet locks
- Add a softcover to the bathtub
- Install doorknob covers to prevent entry
- Unplug appliances
- Lock away nail clippers, tweezers, and the likes
- Keep all cosmetics, and medication locked away
Miscellaneous
You didn’t think that was it, did you? Baby proofing isn’t easy, but it sure is worth it! Trust us, enduring through this checklist may be a headache now, but it will save you a lot more than a tension headache down the line.
What to Baby Proof:
- Restrict access to pet food and kitty litter
- Barricade the stairs
- Restrict access to no-go zones (office, laundry room, etc.)
- Replace door stoppers with pinch guards
Remember, the best way to approach baby proofing your home is to get on your tot’s level. Try and see the world from their perspective, what they could run into, and what could quickly danger their health. When in doubt, you can always turn to Door Buddy to help you limit your little one’s access to dangerous rooms around the house. You can also check out other child proof locks here.
Our fur-ends over at babygadgetlist.com have heaps of blog posts for parents just like you to read! From product reviews to helpful baby info, you'll find it all.
Take this article with you! Download the FREE CHECKLIST HERE.
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