Baby-Proofing Checklist

Baby-proofing is easiest if you do the high-impact things first and get down to your baby's eye level to see the room the way they will. Start before your baby is mobile — crawling often begins somewhere around 6 to 10 months, and it arrives faster than you expect. This checklist leads with the hazards that cause the most serious injuries, then works room by room. It follows CPSC safety guidance; your home will have its own quirks, so use this as a framework and add what you find at floor level.

Do these first (the highest-stakes fixes)

• Anchor furniture and TVs to the wall.Tip-overs are a serious, documented hazard, especially dressers, bookshelves, and televisions. Use anti-tip straps or brackets — the CPSC's Anchor It! program exists for exactly this, and the federal STURDY rule sets stability requirements for clothing storage units. Anchor before your baby can pull to stand.
• Secure window-covering cords. Looped blind and curtain cords are a strangulation hazard. Use cordless window coverings where you can, or keep cords wound up and well out of reach.
• Gate stairs. Put safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs. At the top, use a hardware-mounted gate screwed into the wall, not a pressure-mounted one, which can be pushed out.
• Move small objects and cords up. Anything that fits through a toilet-paper tube is a choking hazard; get coins, batteries, magnets, and small parts off low surfaces.

Kitchen

• Latch cabinets and drawers, especially those with cleaners, knives, or breakables.
• Store cleaning products and medications up high and locked — never under the sink within reach.
• Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove and use back burners when you can.
• Keep the dishwasher latched and load sharp items point-down.

Bathroom

• Set your water heater so tap water can't scald — a common target is no hotter than about 120 degrees Fahrenheit — and always test bathwater before your baby goes in.
• Never leave a baby alone near water, even for a second. Drowning can happen silently in very little water; empty tubs and buckets after use.
• Latch the toilet lid and lock cabinets holding medications and cleaners.

Living areas and nursery

• Cover unused electrical outlets and secure loose electrical cords out of reach.
• Pad or bumper sharp furniture corners at head height, and remove or stabilize wobbly furniture.
• In the nursery, keep the crib clear of anything that could be climbed on, and move the crib away from windows, blind cords, and wall shelves. Lower the crib mattress before your baby can pull to stand — see our best cribs guide.
• Keep houseplants, small decor, and remote-control batteries out of reach.

A few whole-home basics

• Test smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms and make sure you have them on every level.
• Post poison-control and emergency numbers somewhere visible.
• Keep an eye out for button batteries and small magnets, which are especially dangerous if swallowed — store devices that use them securely.

Keep re-checking as they grow

Baby-proofing isn't one and done. A baby who couldn't reach the counter last month can pull to stand this month, and a new climber changes the whole risk map. Re-walk the house at floor level every so often, and again each time your baby hits a new milestone. Pair this with the setup in our nursery setup checklist for a home that stays a step ahead of a curious, mobile baby.