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Let’s face it, it’s not something that you want to do, and it’s not something that you want to happen. Your little bundle of joy is going to one day get big enough to crawl, walk, and even climb over anything and everything he can. When this happens, you want to make sure that you are prepared.
Below I’ve gone over how to baby proof a house, as well as some objects that can make your home safer for baby and help give you better peace of mind that he will be safe as he starts to explore his home.
Power Outlets
This one is super duper important! You want to make sure that you now mobile child doesn’t have access to these at all. Children at this age are naturally extremely curious. This leads to almost everything they get their hand on going in their mouths or anywhere else that seems good to put it.
The last thing we want is for your child to get a shock, or worse, from an open outlet. 
Ideally, you will limit access to all of them. This includes any power strips or extension cords. Thankfully they have these awesome little covers that are pretty cheap and protect your little one from shocks.
You can browse and buy some HERE on Amazon!
Unsafe Objects
Your whole house is a brand new area for your child to explore, but not everything may be safe for them to play with. Take a look around your house and see what you have and what your now mobile child has access to.
Anything sharp or pointy is definitely not a good choice for your little one to play with. Not only could they hurt themselves, but they could hurt someone else, a pet, or leave it somewhere where others could get hurt.
Breakable objects are off the playlist too. Eventually, much to many parents unhappiness, children will test gravity and start throwing things on the ground. It’s inevitable, so your best bet is to just make sure anything your child has access to is not breakable.
Special items that may be safe for your little one to play with, but maybe you don’t relish the idea of them playing with it. This could include sentimental items or older items that could be collectible or worth money.
Any item that has little pieces, or little pieces that can be broken off. Remember how I said that your little one will start to throw things on the ground? Yes, well we don’t want whatever they get their little hands on and throw to break apart. This presents a massive choking hazard and we do not want that at all. Not to mention damage or ruin whatever they throw.
This leads to anything that is smaller and can be a choking hazard. This really can be anything. The rule of thumb is anything that can fit inside a toilet paper roll. Anything that can easily fit is considered chocking size and removed from your little one’s access.
Climbable Objects
It all starts with crawling(usually), then walking, then comes climbing. As your little one starts getting around, their horizon is going to expand and they are going to be looking for new places to get to.
The first thing you are going to want to do is make sure that anything he can climb onto is either safe to climb on or is at the very least firmly attached or anchored down.
You are also going to want to make sure that anywhere that is climbable to doesn’t have anything that will be dangerous for your little one as well. In my case, that would be anything that I originally move up high to get out of his reach when he first started getting around on his own.
Your little one is going to climb, and you want to make it as safe as possible for him to do so. it is inevitable that he is going to fall down and get some owies. We want to minimize that as much as possible and make his exploring time fun.
Access to Areas
There are going to be areas of your house that you are not going to want your exploring little one to have free access too. These can include the bathroom, kitchen, garage, work/office area, or any other area that it would just be safer and smart to keep your little one out of.
When your little one is younger, all you need to do is keep the door closed. As he gets older, he is going to be able to reach those doorknobs and open doors. That is when doorknob covers come in handy. They make it harder for your little one to open the door. 
There are several different types and designs, but I really like the ones that are a little more difficult for my little one to use. They have two button-like tabs on them that are pushed to open the door instead of just two holes that you can access the doorknob through.
You can find them HERE in a 4 pack from Amazon.
Baby gates come in real handy here too. Maybe where you want to restrict access doesn’t have a door. Or you are looking at your stairs and know that it’s just not safe for your little one to play on. Baby gates help with all of this.
Make sure you measure the opening to find the MINIMUM distance needed for the gate. Also, think of how much you are going to be going through it. Some gates have doors that allow ease of access while others are just a fixed gate that needs to be taken down to get past(unless you have very long legs lol).
There are so many styles, heights, brands, and materials that baby gates are made from these days. They also come with different latches, restrictions, and features. It really depends on what you are specifically looking for and the dimensions that you are trying to cover. Know what you want and need before you start shopping.
Final thoughts
When you are baby-proofing your house, try to keep in mind that this is for your little one. Some of it may seem to be common sense, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
One of the best ways that I have found to make sure I got everything safe for my little one is to literary get on his level. So I will crawl around my house and see what he has access to and what he can reach and get into.
If it is not safe, then I know that I need to address it and make it either safe for him or remove it from his reach. Needless to say, there are many things that are now placed up higher and it makes it look like my house is top-heavy with stuff. But such is life when you have a little one roaming around.
Comments and questions are always welcome as are any additions or thought you may have. 🙂
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Very Interesting article! I personally do not have any kids yets; however, I will definitely come back to your website if/when that happens. I did not realize there were so many tools and products out there to create a baby safe environment in your home.
Thank you so much! Yes, there are many tools and appliances out there that can help keep you house safe for your little one. Some of these items can be used to help with pets as well, since you don’t have any kids yet. We have used the baby gates in the past to help keep the dog out of areas of our house that we didn’t want her to go into 🙂
I have just been going through this baby-proofing in my own house. Well, really it’s an ongoing project, it’s amazing to see the things they figure out!
The baby gate has been a life-saver, literally. We have a full set of stairs that would not be fun to fall down! Doors are definitely great to keep the littles contained in one area.
One other thing I have found super handy is using child-safe latches on cabinets in the kitchen. My little one loved pulling out all the pots, pans, and other items she could get ahold of. Now she only has access to safer things like the tupperware and towels!
I think it’s a great idea to crawl around yourself to see the world from their viewpoint, helps to bring a whole new perspective.
Thanks for sharing great tips!
My pleasure! Yes, we installed some of them under the counter latches as well, but then restricted access to where the latches were employed. I had honestly forgotten about them. They are a wonderful thing to have. The only thing I would add to that is that you have to be careful when installing them if you do not own the house. Landlords might not be so pleased to see that you screwed something into their cabinets or drawers. Just be smart about it, or ask ahead of time 🙂 Other than that, excellent advice.
Such great points! I had no idea how to babyproof a house until I had 2 little ones 13 months apart. I had to learn really fast! We put a doorknob cover over our bathroom doorknob because we were concerned someone would lock themselves in and not know how to get out. It’s just such great peace of mind!!
Oh! I never thought of my little one possibly locking himself in the bathroom. That would be a scary thing for both parents and children. My main concern was the chemical in there; not just cleaning but also the shampoo and bubble bath and such. We may know that those things aren’t for eating, but little ones might not have learned that yet.
That is a very good point! I do own my house, but I think that is a great thing to keep in mind if someone is renting.
I like your style of writing which connects to the reader, It’s very important to keep an eye on our little ones. Sometimes it’ll become difficult to watch all the time, your advice will come in handy.
Thanks for the compilation.
You’re very welcome 🙂 Yes, sometimes we can’t keep as close an eye on them. We also must remember that we have to give them room to explore and grow. One of the hardest things to do as a parent.
Interesting article have bookmarked this for the future reference, maybe because I have quite an interest in this topic. Thanks for sharing
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Jason 🙂
Thank you so much! I am glad that you found it interesting. I checked out the site that you had mentioned and it is in a different currency than the one I use. Do you know if it is convertible?