Short Answer-  Don’t wait! Childproof your home sooner rather than later. You should start thinking about your childproofing strategy before your baby starts crawling. Here’s a childproofing primer to get you started.

How To Childproof Your Home

Get Down On Their Level

First things first, to truly childproof your home you’ve got to think like a baby or toddler. This means you need to see the world through their eyes and get down to floor level. Take a crawling tour of your living space to see what risks are down low. This can be a real eye-opening experience for parents! Here’s some common hazards to watch out for that you’re going to want to lock down or move to higher ground, out of the reach of curious little fingers.

Bathtub Safety

NEVER ever leave your baby unattended in a tub. Period. Not even for a second. Infants can drown in as little as one inch of water! Also, to prevent scalding… set your water heater to 120 degrees F or lower, and never let your baby anywhere near a faucet he can grab. You can cover your faucet head with a specially made soft cover for childproofing to be sure they can’t turn on the tap.

And while we know baby proofing is to protect your child, a clever soul realized that parents need protection for their knees and elbows while bathing too. This Skip Hop Moby Bath Elbow Saver could become your new best friend.

Cribs

Crib liners are useful before your baby is mobile to protect him/her from getting limbs stuck in their crib. Try a breathable baby mesh crib liner like this one that reduces the risk of suffocation.

Once your baby learns how to pull him/herself up, the danger of them climbing and/or falling out of their crib increases. Be sure to move their crib mattress to its lowest position and remove all objects (like bumper pads, toys, or mobiles) that a child could use to pull himself up or climb on to get out of their crib.

Cabinets

All kinds of bad things can happen when little ones get into cabinets, particularly in the bathroom or kitchen. Move all potentially poisonous or toxic substances, sharp objects, and anything that could be swallowed into a locked cabinet. Or err on the side of caution and purchase childproof safety latches for ALL the cabinets in your home, no latter what’s in them. This will give you peace of mind, and keep curious hands out of trouble.

Drawers

Be sure to always keep drawers closed so your child can’t pull them out and potentially pull a dresser or table on top of themselves. You also don’t want them to climb on drawers and potentially fall. To truly childproof your home you must stay vigilant and child proof drawers with a secure lock. Make sure everyone in the family knows to keep drawers closed.

Curtain and Blind Cords

You might not know it, but your drapery cords could poet a strangulation hazard to little ones if they become entangled in them. Make sure you keep all the cords off the floor and away from baby’s reach. If you’re having trouble keeping cords out of the way, you can try these window blind cord safety wraps.

Electrical Cords

Infants can and will chew on anything, electrical cords are no exception. They can also pull on them bringing down a heavy lamp on their head. Keep cords up and out of reach.

Electrical Outlets

It’s not just the cords you have to watch out for, small children can also get shocked by sticking their fingers or other objects into electrical outlets. Be sure your plug outlets are behind heavy furniture and therefore not accessible. For any outlets that are out in the open, close them off with safety plugs or covers that snap shut when they’re not in use.

Floors

To prevent children from tripping, make sure any rugs in the house are secured with non-skid backing. Also look around for loose tiles, ripped linoleum or carpet, and make repairs as needed.

Furniture

You want to survey all your furniture and look at it from a toddler’s perspective. What would you climb on? Make sure all those items are stable. Unsecured dressers, bookcases, wall units, tables, etc. can topple over on a child that tries to climb up on them. Get anything wobbly or broken repaired, and bolt unstable pieces to a wall or use furniture straps (which is also helpful in case of an earthquake or storm).

Tiny Objects

When you’re down at floor level surveying the scene, watch out for any small objects a child could choke on. You don’t want to store anything little at ground level. Also be sure to do a floor sweep and pick up any beads, paper clips, coins, marbles, puzzle pieces, etc. that can easily fit in baby’s mouth.

The time to childproof your home is right away. If your child is already crawling, it may be too late.