How To Baby Proof Your House Or Apartment: Checklist For Every Room!

Every parent wants to know how to baby proof the house to make it safe for the child – it is a top priority task. A curious baby beginning to explore the world around him is in danger at every corner. It is just a small list of potential causes of accidents:

• outlets;
• appliances;
• sharp objects;
• corners of tables;
• unclosed windows;
• household chemicals, and medications… 

Even if the child gets enough attention, it’s only a minute’s distraction before he or she hurts with a knife. 

Our kids are interested in the world around them. They want to touch, feel and taste everything. Any apartment has many dangerous places for small children. It is essential to create a safe environment at home. You need it to avoid constant stressful situations. You have to take a serious approach to organize a safe home space for the little baby. And for this, you only need to know the basic safety rules in the apartment for children. This article will tell you how to make the house safe for the child.

How to Baby Proof Your Home?

A safe environment for your babies should begin with mutual trust. We mean trust between them and their parents. It is easier for the adult to neutralize sources of danger:

• when the child understands why he or she should not interact with certain objects;
• when a child feels that his parents care about him or her;
• when children are not afraid to share their thoughts with you.

Here it is important to be a reliable friend and counselor for the little inhabitants. You have to teach them independence and not “suffocate” them with your control. You have to explain to the kid what threatens him and why when you do baby proofing the apartment. You also can periodically remind him of the rules of everyday safety. But you must try to avoid burdening him with much information at once. Then the child will not feel pressure. Instead of it, the kid will adequately perceive the received advice.

Of course, you can’t do baby-proofing your house only with instructions. For your child’s safety, you must carefully assess all apartment areas. Especially those that are potentially dangerous. Consider the object of your attention in the first place. Look through our baby-proofing checklist below.

Baby-Proofing Ideas for the Kitchen

Don’t just think about keeping your child out of the kitchen, as attempts are bound to fail. The curiosity of small children knows no bounds. So scolding them for this is completely pointless. It is much wiser to think about how to protect the child and the kitchen from each other.

Involve children in the process

A child instantly loses interest in pranks when he feels involved in an adult world. You need to let your toddler do the same things you do but within their safety. It can be a learning process and creative play at the same time.

You can use special baby-proof children’s kitchen furniture  and utensils:

• small plates;
• pots;
• cups;
• spoons;
• knives. 

These items are copies of the real ones. Also, they are made of environmentally friendly materials. So children can’t hurt themselves. They will help their mom cut the bread or prepare the filling for dough without stress!

Use basic safety techniques

• Cover sharp corners with a soft material so your child cannot bump or scratch himself.
• You have to choose non-slip flooring. Otherwise, you should cover it with mats or a mat protected from shifting.
• You should cover the glass on the lower cabinets with a transparent film. So that the child has no desire to knock on it and break it.
• One more baby-proofing idea for your apartment  is to install special plugs. You can do it on the sockets. It will turn off all appliances immediately after use. Smart Home systems can help if you’re unsure of your memory.

Hide dangerous objects

• We often store household chemicals in an easy-open drawer under the sink. But you have to reconsider that habit. If you have no place to move the bottles, you need to put lock and close the door.
• Even trivial toothpicks can be dangerous for the baby. Putting all the little things as high as possible in a tightly closed box is generally better. We think every parent remembers about lighters and matches.
• You should move away everything the child can pull in his mouth. To babyproofing your house, you have to clean surfaces from: 

1. loose cereals;
2. spices;
3. nuts;
4. seeds;
5. coffee;
6. tea. 

Do not forget about animal food. The baby may well eat from the cat’s bowl.

Use the fastening systems

Choose the right mounting systems. Especially those that lock the container from the inside in the outermost position. You need it to prevent your child from knocking over the drawer by pulling on it.

Check the stability of table legs and chairs 

Buying new kitchen furniture is better than putting a child at risk. Because a kid could drop a cup of boiling water.

There is no need to fasten door handles with rubber bands to baby-safe your home. Special locks keep them securely closed. They will also leave the refrigerator inaccessible.

Pay attention to the stove

Parents consider the kitchen stove to be the most dangerous place. It is true, but you can baby-proof this room  with special protection systems.

• You can place a protective screen on the oven door to protect against burns when you touch it.
• Protective caps for stove handles will prevent your child from turning them.
• A special lock on the oven door will not allow the baby to open it. You can be sure that the baby will want to check what is happening inside.
• When cooking, use the distant burners. So the baby cannot pull off the hot pan and pot. You can put rails on the stove with high metal sides for the same purpose.
• Modern ovens automatically turn off the gas supply when the burner goes out. It would be wise to buy such a model to not fear for the child’s life.

Try not to use bright decorative elements in the kitchen. Especially those which can attract your child’s attention. You have to refrain from decorative furniture in a baby-proof kitchen:

• magnets on the refrigerator;
• hanging calendars;
• houseplants for a while until the baby grows up.

Baby-Proofing Ideas for the Bathroom

The second most dangerous place in the house is the bathroom. A safe apartment for a child is one where every detail is carefully thought out, many of which are in the bathroom. The following baby-proofing checklist and precautions will help protect your child in the bathroom.

Never leave your child alone in the bathtub

Running water can turn into an overflow from the sink, which can seriously harm your child. Instead of distracting him, ensure you don’t leave your child alone in the tub. Especially if he knows how the faucets work.

Install overheating protection in the taps

Running hot water is another possibility besides drowning. Make sure the water temperature is not too high. You should not move the heater above 50 degrees Celsius. Also, install burn protection in your faucets. These devices monitor the water temperature and notify you if it is too hot for your child. It is an excellent decision to make this room  baby-proof.

Get rid of excess water

You may have mastered the art of bathing children in the tub, but the floor gets messy once you’re done bathing them. Especially if they like to splash around. Puddles on the ground lead to slips, falls, and unexpected accidents. Drain any residual water and dry the floor before it comes out of the sink.

Use showers

If you’re not sure your child is ready for a bath, try using a sprinkler instead. There is no noise, and the baby is clean. It’s a win-win option for a baby-safe home.

Use a baby door lock

Kids like to do things when adults aren’t looking, like spraying the bathroom. Install a baby gate next to the bathroom door. That way, he can’t get in, so you’ll have less to worry about.

Use soft caps on faucets

Steel taps are dangerous because they have sharp edges. There is also the risk of your child hitting their head on a hard surface. A soft bumper takes up the impact and reduces the risk of injury in the tub.

Cover the toilet bowl with lids

Babies and children can slip and fall over the toilet lid while walking. Use a toilet lid lock or device to seal it for babyproofing your house.  Especially when you leave your child unattended.

Buy high shelves and cabinets

Shampoos and razors are like a treasure hunt for your child. A kid may be tempted to try these things or drink the cleanser out of curiosity. Especially if there are pretty pictures and elegant designs. You don’t want that, and the best way to a baby-proof room is to keep it out of reach on high wall shelves and cabinets.

Turn off electronics

Most of us have curling irons and hair dryers in our bathrooms. If you leave it plugged in and went for a while, your child is in danger of serious injury. The solution is to unplug these devices and turn them off when you and your child are in the bathroom.

Baby Proofing Ideas For a Balcony

It is better to start with the fact that we strongly recommend not leaving your child there unattended. Not under any circumstances. Children fly out of windows at 1m from the floor and with mosquito nets, let alone a space with much higher risks. Below you can see some tips for babyproofing your house. 

Take care of a sturdy railing structure

It should be a very rigid metal frame. If you have a balcony, the situation here is easier. In recent years, builders have often preferred to brick up its front side;

Reduce the height of the drainage hole

Most often, in the balconies with a metal fence at the bottom, there is from 10 to 20 cm of space not covered by metal, designed for water drainage. It can be significantly reduced in height, leaving only 5 inches. And then, the likelihood that the child will stick his hands/feet there and dump toys is significantly reduced.

Increase the height of the fence

The fence should be at least 85 cm, or better yet, 1m or 1.2m. You should keep it in mind when making a baby-proofing apartment.

Make the metal binding more shallow

The main task here is to avoid holes of such a size that would allow a child to stick his head or hands/feet and get stuck. The distance between the bars should be at most 10 cm.

Let’s repeat that there are better locations than an open balcony for a small child. And it is better to fence him off from this room until a more conscious age.

Bottom Line

Observing all these simple rules in the baby-proofing checklist will certainly help you. Also, explaining to your baby what he or she can do in the home space and whatnot will help your child grow up without unnecessary trauma. But even if your home has been designed one hundred per cent to protect your child, do not let him out of your sight for a long time – no matter what, children’s curiosity and desire for discoveries knows no bounds.

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