6 Ways to Baby Proof Your House to Make It Safer for Your Little Ones

With a baby in the house, you already have your work cut out for you as a parent. All that cleaning, feeding, putting to sleep, and on top of all of that, you also have to ensure that your home is as safe for your baby as it can possibly get. This is a crucial responsibility as a parent and is key to your baby growing up in a house where there are minimal chances of getting hurt.

Now, sure, considering how unpredictable babies, and children in general, can be, it does not seem like there is a way to make your home 100% baby-proof. However, there are ways to childproof a home that will make a huge difference in how safe your baby is. Luckily, these tips are all very doable on your own and you can baby-proof your home without having to contact a professional. 

1. Corner and Edge Guards

Protecting Your Baby from Those Dangerous Corners and Edges

Babyproofing your house starts by looking for the most accessible dangers in your home. Even as fully grown adults we can’t help but to whack, smack, and slam our bodies into the most painful areas around the house. Hitting our toes against the armchair leg, bashing our heads against the cupboards, and walking straight into the edge of a table are all things many of us have had to endure as fully mobile adults. Now imagine a baby that can barely walk having to go through the same jungle gym of danger.

Corner and edge guards are these special cushions you can purchase which adhere to the corners and edges of your furniture. They are great for babies because even if they crawl or walk into these solid objects, the cushion will protect them. You can buy these in batches online for very affordable prices and they are very easy to install. Just make sure to check up on them once in a while to see if they’re properly attached. Weak adhesives and the dedication of curious babies who play with them could rip them off.

2. Cover Electrical Outlets

How to Protect Your Baby from the Dangers of Electric Outlets

Outlets are some of the most dangerous points in your home and it’s important to consider them when babyproofing your home. One of the worst things about outlets is that they are so abundant. With a baby around that’s curious to understand all of the surroundings, including the little holes in the walls, they’re bound to stick something into the outlets. This is extremely dangerous even for kids that are older.

Luckily there are rubber covers that you put inside the outlets which prevent kids from sticking any objects into them out of curiosity. These rubber covers are quite affordable, so you can buy a bunch of them and cover all the outlets in your home. This is just another safety measure that will make your home baby-proof, as even the most curious of babies won’t be able to get past the covers.

3. Fasten Cords and Wires

Why You Should Keep Your Cords and Wires Organized

Tripping over cords and wires is common for adults, now imagine clumsy babies running into them. And even if they don’t fall and hurt themselves, there’s still the risk of them dropping things on the floor — things like a very expensive TV. So, to avoid any sort of dangers, purchase a bunch of zip ties and hook wire clip nails and start doing some cable management.

First split up all the cables according to appliances as well as what they do. For example, you can separate the cables used for the TV display from the ones that connect to the power. This way you will keep your wires organized and a curious baby won’t pull on them only to have your very expensive gaming console shatter onto the ground. With these little steps childproofing your home is easy and won’t ask much of you in terms of time or energy. 

4. Baby Gates On Stairs and Thresholds

The Best Way to Keep Your Baby from Crawling to Places They Shouldn’t Go

As a parent, you need to put limitations on your baby until they are fully grown up to the point where they can have a little more freedom. So, when they’re still too young to safely walk down the stairs or go outside, you need to limit where they go and that is possible with baby gates. You’ve probably seen them in various houses, even ones without babies, as pets sometimes need these gates as well.

These are quite easy to set up as they require minimal DIY experience. With nothing more than a drill and a few bolts, you have the baby gate installed in the riskiest areas of your home, be it in doorwards, near stairs, or entrances to rooms your baby should not crawl into. If you think your baby is Superman and can bust through these, then don’t worry. By following the instructions that come with the baby gates, you can make them sturdy enough to withstand even the most violent rattles and shakes. 

5. Use Locks On Kitchen Cupboards

Why You Could Use Storage Locks With A Baby At Home

One of the scariest things to imagine as a parent is your baby getting into the kitchen cupboard that has all those toxic cleaning chemicals. This is why it is often recommended to store them higher up, in overhead cupboards. But if this is not an option for you, as you don’t wish to have toxic chemicals too close to your dishes and cups, then you have no other option but to keep them in the cupboard under the sink.

In this case, it’d be wise to install baby-proof cabinet locks in your kitchen. As with the baby gate, these are quite easy to install even with little experience in DIY. The best childproof cabinet locks can be installed to not leave permanent screw holes or marks on the facade of the cabinet drawers. Depending on the type of locks you purchase, once your baby grows up and there’s no use for them anymore, you can remove them without leaving behind any signs of the locks being there in the first place. 

6. Secure Appliances and Furniture to Walls

How to Secure Furniture to the Walls

If your baby likes knocking things over, it's not a matter of damaging expensive appliances or furniture — it’s the possibility of your baby getting hurt in the process. You can replace all your entertainment units with wall-mounted variants just for the sake of protecting your baby. But there are easier ways of babyproofing your home that doesn't need a full-scale remodel.

Appliances like TVs and speakers have special notches behind them which make them mountable. All you need to do is invest in a wall-mount for these appliances and fasten them to the walls. For furniture, you can buy specialized anchors that are attached to the wall and hold them in place. These are special straps that are tightened to the wall then wrapped around the furniture. They can be attached to the back of the unit as well where they are out of sight.