When you know you're bringing a new housemate to live with you, one who won't move much to begin with, but will gradually start becoming a curious toddler, you'll suddenly start seeing potential hazards everywhere.

On top of the obvious ones, such as sharp corners, loose electrical cords and choking hazards, there are potentially lots of unseen, or unthought about areas of focus around the house. Childproofing your home is a must ahead of these.

At Daddilife, we've all been through this. Not only is this part of preparing for fatherhood, it can be quite a good opportunity to get the house straight and declutter as part of the prep process.

Of course, the ideal situation is never to leave your child unattended, but as they get older and more curious and independent, there are bound to be moments where it's better to be safe than sorry.

Much of what you're about to read is common sense, and you may decide it's not all relevant to your household, but we all appreciate a list and an understanding of what to do!

What is baby proofing?

Baby proofing is the process of making your home environment safe and secure for young children, by putting safety measures in place. This typically involves identifying potential hazards and dangerous items, and removing the imminent peril from the situation.

This can include options such as covering sharp edges, installing safety covers, or installing safety gates to prevent access to forbidden areas.

You're basically putting things in the way to prevent injuries, and taking things out of harms way, such as choking hazards and sharp objects.

This may sound very stark and scary, but it can be a fun and enlightening process. It's a great opportunity to finish those often put-off jobs. Fixing the loose cupboard door, getting carbon monoxide detectors and checking the smoke alarms have new batteries are necessary, and will make you feel better about the months ahead.

When to baby proof your house

You can approach this in a couple of ways. Either assess and prep the entire house as part of your 'preparing for baby' plans, which may involve some second guessing if you plan to make changes around the house in the future, or split it into separate tasks:

• One prior to the new arrival
• One when they start navigating their way around the house, crawling and walking everywhere - usually about 6 to 9 months.

A final option is start childproofing your home with its most obvious potential hazards, and then install other measures as required. For instance, we made sure to install cabinet locks before the birth, but thought the stair gate was too much in the early days. One day we couldn't find our son, and after a brief moment of panic, realised he'd crawled upstairs to his room. Needless to say, we installed safety gates that day!

Diana Griffiths from Munchkin agrees that this was a wise choice, telling us "“Baby gates offer a safe environment for babies to explore their surroundings freely. They create a secure space where little ones can discover and learn without parents worrying about potential hazards". 

Really, it's up to you to assess your house and use the lists we've provided as a guide. The one thing we don't want to do is increase any stress you may feel about this because you've been preparing hard and going down a rabbit hole on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website, ringing the National Safety Council and live-chatting with the Environmental Protection Agency to make sure all bases are covered.

Yes, there are a world of potential issues in the house, but you can easily and safely navigate each room by applying common sense.

Review each item on the list, and see if you feel it's applicable to your home. This will help you fashion your own 'to-do' for babies arrival.

To help you we've added a key by each item in a list to offer a broad guide when to consider implementing them.

N = Newborn

C = Crawling (roughly 6 months onwards),

T = Toddler (roughly 18 months to 36 months)

The ultimate baby proofing checklist

Here be a list of all the areas to consider, per room, when it comes to making your house child safe.

You may have heard about lead paint being an issue - but unless your house was built pre 1970, this isn't something to worry about.

Safety devices shopping list

Some general purchases to make to start childproofing your home!

• Door stoppers (N)

• Outlet covers (N) - there are conflicting opinions on this (see later), but it's worth getting them.

• Child locks (N)

• Safety straps (C)

• Knob covers (C)

• Carbon Monoxide alarm (N)

• Baby gates (T)

Living room baby proofing checklist

The living room is where you'll spend a lot of your time with your young kids, so ensure it's a key part of childproofing your home.

• Cover sharp edges (C) - this usually takes the form of corner and edge bumpers.

• Secure furniture to the wall. (N) - Especially heavy furniture.

• Secure cords and cables. (N)

• Move remotes and electronics out of reach. (C)

• Switch to cordless window coverings (if you have blinds), as these can be a strangulation hazard. (C)

• Put a child safety lock on any cupboard door. (C)

How to baby proof the kitchen

Depending on whether you're open plan or not, the kitchen needs to be carefully considered, mainly due to the cleaning products that tend to be kept under the sink. Thankfully, making it baby safe isn't too hard.

• Make sure all cleaning supplies are kept in a locked cabinet (C)

• Install safety latches on all cabinet doors, and the fridge/freezer if it's reachable. (C)

• Install oven and stove knob covers. (T)

• Remove choking hazards, such as fridge magnets.(C)

• Safely store sharp objects such as scissors and knives away from counter edges (C)

• Store pet food securely (C)

• Make sure your smoke detectors are working. (N)

• Remove plastic bags out of baby's grasp (i.e. not in the 'bag cupboard!) (N)

• Remove small food that could be a choking hazard (N)

Also make sure that slippery floors are cleaned up quickly to prevent falls, and keeping baby out of the kitchen when you're cooking to prevent burns, or at least the the opportunity for them!

Keep hot food away out of reach of small children too.

8 ways to babyproof the nursery and other bedrooms

The bedroom and nursery are meant to be sanctuaries, so making sure they're a safe environment for sleep and play is paramount.

• Secure furniture to the wall (N)

• Cover sharp edges - using corner guards or similar (C)

• Use cordless window coverings - as in the living room babyproofing checklist. (N)

• Ensure safe bedding - a firm crib mattress and fitted sheet are all you need in the early weeks and months. Avoid pillows and stuffed animals in the cot until they are nearly one. You can find more information on bedding safety in our moses baskets guide. (N)

• Changing table - Attach the changing mat securely to the table (especially if there are no edges). When your baby is on the changing table, never leave your baby unattended and ideally use a safety strap to prevent them moving too much. As an additional note, always keep one hand on baby when they're up high. (N)

Optional - we recommend doing these but they're not 'must haves' - it very much is up to you.

• Install window guards - if there's the potential for baby to get near the window, these could be a good idea.
• Install a safety gate - usually these go at the top and bottom of the stairs, but you can also put them in front of your child's room to prevent them getting out! (T)
• Cot bumpers - these used to be required to prevent injuries from young children getting their arm trapped in the crib. However, modern cribs have narrower crib slats which stop this. The NHS recommends you don't use them, highlighting choking, suffocation and strangulation risks. There are also studies showing that they reduce the airflow in the crib and causes overheating. (N)
• Remove labels from stuffed animals. (N)

How to babyproof the bathroom

The bathroom will be a room full of childish laughter at bath time, and where you'll begin to spend a lot of time! But what can you do to prepare it for a young child?

• Ensure all cabinets have safety locks on (C)
• Place all sharp objects and cleaning products in a cabinet, or out of reach. (C)
• Amend your water heater temperature - to prevent burns. The ideal temperature is below 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) (N)
• Get a non slip mat for the bath (N)
• Remove choking hazards such as hairpins (C)
• Never leave baby unattended in the bathroom (N)

As a room with much water and splashing, make sure to wipe up any slippery floors that occur!

Optional

• Install a toilet lock - to prevent your toddler from playing with the toilet lid and water (T)
• Keep the bathroom door shut when you're not in there to prevent entry. (T)

Baby proofing a home office

As working from home has become more prevalent over the past few years, it makes sense to shine a light on the home office.

• Review window treatments - get cordless blinds or tie them up high. (N)
• Lock desk drawers (T)
• Cover sharp edges (C)
• Secure heavy furniture to the wall (N)
• Tidy electric cords away

How to babyproof the laundry room

If you have a laundry room it will almost certainly be full of cleaning products that should always remain out of reach - at least until your child's age is such they understand the dangers and can be considered responsible when entering the room. To ensure full protection:

• Install a child lock or safety latch on the door (T)
• Secure the cleaning products in locked cabinets with safety straps or on high shelves. (T)
• Install safety latches on appliances such as the washing machine (T)

How long does it take to baby proof?

It depends how many dangerous items you have in your house...!

Seriously though, the biggest time suck will most likely be working out what you need to do. Once you have a plan, it will usually only take a couple of hours (if you're doing it in stages), or a half a day or so for everything. Most safety materials are designed to be quick and easy to install (and remove).

FAQs

Do you really need to baby proof electrical outlets?

Outlet covers are usually recommended to stop babies from pushing anything external like cutlery into electrical outlets. They're unlikely to be able to put their fingers into the socket, which is a big fear.

If you're in the UK, there are a growing body of electricians that recommend not using plug stoppers for this reason.

At what age do you need to baby proof?

You can start babyproofing your home before baby arrives, but the real 'must do' stage is when independent movement starts (crawling) and they start to be able to explore their surroundings. Children younger than 6 months are generally safe as long as keep any dangerous items out of their reach!

At what age do you need safety gates?

Generally when your child starts crawling. Young kids have an innate sense of curiosity and as soon as they have the ability to shift themselves in the direction of something they find interesting, they'll do it!

Do I need window guards or cordless window coverings?

If the window frame is low enough, or baby's crib is near enough that they can climb onto it, window guards may be wise! They are otherwise optional. Cordless window coverings are recommended by the National Safety Council and the window covering safety council to prevent baby accidentally getting caught up in them.