50 Tips for Easily Baby-Proofing Your Home

From the moment parents find out they are expecting a baby or two, the safety and well being of said babies is their utmost priority.  While baby-proofing isn’t a necessity in the first few months of your babies’ lives, it’s definitely something on your mind just about every time you open a cabinet or come down the stairs.

If you are pregnant, relax…when your babies arrive, you’ll have a few months before you really need to start baby-proofing your home. However, if you are really a planner and want to get things in order ahead of time…well here is our comprehensive guide of things you should keep in mind while you are baby-proofing your home for two babies.

By no means do you need to have everything on this list covered, not only is that unrealistic, but it also isn’t totally necessary.   Only some of these will actually fit your home or lifestyle. This list will merely bring to your attention things you might not have thought about in the midst of raising twin babies.

50 Tips for Baby-Proofing Your Home (Organized by Room):

Kitchen:

1. Cover your stove top knobs.
2. Cover all outlets.
3. Put locks on cabinets with cleaning solutions and medicines.
4. Pick one low cabinet in your kitchen where you can store “safe” (spoons, spatulas, plastic mixing bowls, etc) kitchen utensils that babies/toddlers can play with while you cook.
5. Install appliance locks for your oven, refrigerator, and freezer.
6. Ensure that adult beverages, etc are securely stored.
7. Lock your pantry.  While kids can safely eat the snacks you have stores, you don’t want them getting into other things you may keep in your pantry (baking soda, baking powder, etc.)
8. Move refrigerator magnets up high or take them down for the time being.

Living Spaces Around Your Home:

1. Attach loose or top-heavy furniture and TV’s to the wall.
2. Use cord shorteners or remove drapery with loopy or long cords.
3. Cover sharp corners of furniture and fireplace thresholds.
4. Avoid pinched fingers with pinch guards (piano lids, doors, and drawers).
5. Put away table lamps, floor lamps, and knick-knacks.
6. Install smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms.
7. Ensure that electrical cords are safe and tucked away behind heavy furniture.
8. Move houseplants out of reach (many can be poisonous to children and pets).
9. Tape battery covers so that batteries don’t fall out electronics.
10. Store remotes and electronics out of reach for safety.
11. Install fireplace screens or gate the area around your fireplace to keep kids from touching the hot surfaces (a gate will also keep little ones from falling onto the sharp corners of the hearth).
12. Add non-slip pads to any area rugs in your home.
13. Check that artwork, photographs and any other wall decor is hung securely on the wall to avoid things falling on your babies.

Garage:

1. Turn the chime on your alarm system that will alert you if the door opens, you’d be surprised how easily toddlers can open those heavy exterior doors.  If you don’t have a security system, invest in a door chime.
2. Check that your garage door safety sensor is properly working.
3. Lock all garage cabinets and ensure storage shelving is attached to the walls properly.
4. Put tools in a locked cabinet or out of reach.
5. Ensure that the door leading to the garage is locked at all times.

Stairs:

1. Install gates for the stairs, at the top and the bottom of every staircase.
2. Check to see if any banister posts are loose.

Bathrooms:

1. Line showers and tubs with non-slip mats.
2. Add spout covers to your tub and sink faucets to prevent bonked heads.
3. Lock up medications.
4. Store cleaning products and dangerous chemicals up high in a LOCKED cabinet.
5. Install toilet lid locks.
6. Invest in a bathtub thermometer to ensure bath water is an appropriate temperature.

Nursery/Bedrooms:

1. Store toys and books on low shelves so that your little humans aren’t as tempted to climb on your furniture.
2. Closing doors will work for a short period of time, but eventually, you will need to keep your little ones from opening doors to rooms that are dangers (i.e. laundry room).  Consider investing in doorknob locks
3. Be sure all windows (especially those on a second story) have screens and functioning locks.
4. Mount dresser and changing table to the wall.
5. Be sure the baby’s crib isn’t near other furniture.  Toddlers can climb out of the crib, trust us, it happens.
6. Get rid of mobiles attached to the crib as soon as babies can sit or stand in their cribs.
7. Drop the mattress level to its lowest position

Playroom:

1. If you have older kids with toys that include small parts (i.e. Legos), be sure they are safely stored out of reach of your crawling infants and toddlers.
2. Mount bookshelves and toy cabinets to walls.

Outside:

1. Cover all window wells with metal grating (because the plastic window well covers can crack with the weight of a child).

Miscellaneous:

1. Review your household emergency escape plan.  When your children are old enough, include them in the review of that plan.
2. Cover radiators and heating vents to prevent burns.
3. Install a temperature guard on your water heater to keep water from getting hotter than 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48 Celcius).
4. Create an emergency contact list and tape it in a location that is accessible to everyone who may be in your home.
5. Consider having at least one landline phone in your home, cell phones can die or not have service when you need them for an emergency.
6. Install a radon mitigation system.

This list is lengthy, we know. And like we mentioned, the chances of needed to do ALL of these is so slim!  But, we like to remind parents that expanding your family is a great time to review the safety of your home and the safety procedures you have in place.

Did we forget important babyproofing tips on this list?  Share your ideas with us and all the parents who visit this blog in the comments below!