We are having our first child. How do we child proof our home?

Before diving into gadgets, get down on your hands and knees and crawl through your home. Seriously. You’ll instantly notice cords, sharp corners, low shelves, and tiny objects you normally ignore. Babies explore with their hands and their mouths, and once they start rolling and crawling, nothing is off limits.

The goal isn’t to make your house look like a padded room it’s to reduce the most common risks: falls, choking, poisoning, burns, and drowning.

Living Room & Common Areas

This is where your baby will likely spend a lot of floor time.

Anchor heavy furniture. Dressers, bookshelves, and TVs can tip if a child pulls up on them. Use wall anchors or anti-tip straps for anything tall or heavy.

Cover outlets and manage cords. Use outlet covers or sliding outlet plates and keep power strips and cords tucked behind furniture or in cord organizers. Dangling cords are both a strangulation and pulling hazard.

Soften sharp edges. Coffee tables, fireplace hearths, and low TV stands often have sharp corners. Corner guards and edge bumpers can prevent nasty head bumps once cruising begins.

Watch small objects. Coins, batteries, pen caps, and random “floor treasures” are choking hazards. If it can fit through a toilet paper tube, it’s small enough to be dangerous.

Kitchen

Kitchens are full of things that are hot, sharp, or toxic basically a baby adventure park.

Lock cabinets and drawers. Install childproof latches on cabinets with cleaning supplies, sharp utensils, glassware, and heavy pots. Even “natural” cleaners can be harmful if swallowed.

Use stove safety habits. Turn pot handles inward and use back burners when possible. Consider stove knob covers to prevent little hands from turning on burners.

Secure the trash can. A lid with a lock or a cabinet-style trash pullout keeps babies from discovering yesterday’s leftovers (and worse).

Unplug and store small appliances. Toasters, blenders, and coffee makers should be out of reach, with cords not dangling over the counter edge.

Bathroom

Bathrooms combine water, hard surfaces, and medications — a risky mix.

Never leave a baby alone in the tub. Not even for a second. Drowning can happen quickly and silently.

Use toilet locks. It sounds silly, but toilets are a drowning risk for curious toddlers.

Lock up medications and toiletries. Keep medicines, vitamins, razors, and even mouthwash in locked cabinets or high shelves. Child-resistant caps are not childproof.

Set your water heater temperature. Aim for about 120°F (49°C) to reduce the risk of scald burns.

Nursery & Bedroom

This space should be the safest room in the house.

Follow safe sleep guidelines. Use a firm crib mattress with a fitted sheet only no pillows, blankets, crib bumpers, or stuffed animals for infants.

Keep the crib area clear. Move the crib away from windows, blinds, cords, and wall décor that could fall in.

Secure dressers and changing tables. Even nursery furniture should be anchored to the wall to prevent tip-overs.

Use a monitor wisely. Baby monitors are helpful, but cords should be well out of reach of the crib.

Stairs, Doors & General Safety

Install baby gates. Use hardware-mounted gates at the top of stairs and pressure-mounted gates for doorways or the bottom of stairs.

Add doorknob covers. These help keep little explorers out of unsafe rooms like garages, basements, or home offices.

Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Make sure they work and have fresh batteries. It’s a simple step that protects the whole family.

You Don’t Have to Do It All at Once

The good news: newborns don’t start crawling overnight. Focus first on safe sleep and basic hazards, then add more protection as your baby becomes mobile. Childproofing is a process, not a one-time project.

You’re not just preparing a house, you’re creating a safe place for your child to explore, grow, and yes, get into a little harmless mischief along the way. And that’s a pretty amazing thing.