How to Baby Proof a House
Whether you're the parent of a newly mobile baby or a just a family member or friend expecting a visit, there are a few simple steps you can take to prepare your house and make sure that your time with the baby will be as safe and hassle-free as possible. Babies can face a variety of different dangers, but luckily their mobility is limited, so keeping them out of dangerous areas (and keeping dangerous items out of reach) when you baby proof a house is key.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
-
-
1
Block off access to staircases. For crawlers and beginning walkers, stairs are one of the worst and most common dangers. If you can't block off stairs by closing doors, make sure you have a baby gate for each point of access from the area where the baby will be.
-
2
Close any ground-level cabinets that contain fragile items or anything hazardous like cleaning products or sharp objects. Since babies love to open doors, fasten these closed with special baby proof cabinet latches, or if you have pairs of doors that open from the middle, try fastening the handles together with rubber bands.
-
3
Eliminate choking hazards. Since babies love to put things in their mouths, the next step to baby proofing a house is finding and picking up any small objects like coins or marbles that are the right size for choking. Vacuum your carpets and sweep your floors to try to get rid of tiny objects you may have missed.
-
4
Protect the electrical outlets. Plug any open sockets with outlet covers, so the baby can't stick anything in them. If there are any outlets near the floor in use, see if you can unplug these items temporarily, or plug them in in other places. If not, you can get special covers for plugs that are in use, or just make sure to keep a close eye on the baby when he or she is in this area.
-
5
Make sure there is nothing fragile on the ground level or anywhere that can be pulled down. This includes places like the lower levels of book shelves and near the edge of tables. Watch out for place mats and table cloths, because if the baby pulls the cloth, everything on it will fall down too.
-
6
Watch out for especially sharp edges. This hazard is hard to avoid because many pieces of furniture are hard with sharp edges, but if you have any particularly bad hazards of this sort you can get special edge and corner guards to pad these areas.
-
7
Move pet food, water and litter boxes out of the baby's reach. Place these items up high, in the basement, outside or in the bathroom--any place the baby won't be able to access.
-
8
Make the bathroom off limits, particularly for smaller babies. Keep the door closed, or if that is not possible, make sure to leave the tub empty, the toilet lid closed, and the under-sink cabinet latched closed if it contains hazardous items.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you're not experienced with babies, it can be tough to guess what all the hazards in your home could be. Ask a parent you know for help.
Almost no house is completely baby proof. No matter how many safeguards you put in place, make sure to supervise the baby, especially as he or she gets used to a new environment.
