Babyproofing isn’t as fun to research or shop for as other baby gear categories, but it is probably one of the most important things to think about as a parent. It is about safety, after all. No, the knobs and latches aren’t cute. But they can save your baby’s life. While you certainly don’t need to add bumpers and padding to every single corner and hard surface in your home, parents need to take extra safety precautions to protect baby from toxic cleaning products, heavy furniture, and other safety hazards that are found throughout our homes. There are some of the more common babyproofing elements that are easy to spot and tackle right away, but there may be a few that aren’t as noticeable. Take a look around your house, and see if you need to nip some often missed) problem areas in the bud.
Keep scrolling for ten ways to babyproof your home:
More Child Safety Tips:
- SIDS: How to Reduce Your Baby’s Risk
- Toddler Proofing Tricks You’ve Never Heard of Before
- How to Babyproof Your Home
Baby Proof Your Home With These Top Products
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Magnetic Cabinet Locks
Magnetic cabinet locks are concealed from everyone – including toddlers – making your home more appealing, while also providing ideal child proofing. Talk about peace of mind.
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Finger Pinch Guards
Finger pinch guards help keep little fingers safe from pinches and smashes from closing doors. They can also keep little ones and pets from accidentally getting locked in a room. One less thing to keep you up at night!
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Power Strip Covers
Sometimes we go around and cover all of our outlets, but we forget about accessible power strips. The cover can be easily adjusted to cover the full power strip, including the plugs.
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Safety Gates
If you have stairs in your home, a baby gate is a must. But even if you live on one floor you can use baby gates to keep your little one limited to one room (or out of one room). This baby gate by Munchkin has a turnkey mount, making it simple to install without drilling.
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TV Safety Straps
Even if your TV is placed up high where it can’t be reached by little ones, it still needs to be secured to the wall or furniture to prevent tipping or falling (especially if you are in earthquake territory). These TV safety straps make it really easy to do that.
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Window Blind Cord Safety Wraps
Window blind cord safety wraps make it simple to secure long cords and keep them out of reach, which is way easier and more reliable than trying to knot them like I originally did. And they actually looks nicer too.
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Safety Latches
You can pretty much use these Munchkin Multi-Use Latches to secure anything shut — cabinets, the toilet, the refrigerator, the oven — all without needing any drilling or hammering (adhesive is provided in packaging). A must-have.
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Outlet Covers
Outlet covers are the simplest and fastest way to do some basic baby proofing. These simply go into each outlet, keeping them inaccessible from tiny fingers. They are tough to remove so they don't pose a choking risk.
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Furniture Wall Straps
Furniture wall straps help secure large items like dressers and bookshelves to the wall to prevent them from tipping over on your children if they happen climb or pull on them. Worth every penny.
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Oven Knob Covers
Keep stove knobs off-limits to children. These universally designed oven knob covers have hinged lids for convenience, and are clear to retain the appearance of your stove. Better safe than sorry, right?
