How to childproof a home, room by room
Childproofing is mostly four moves repeated in every room: anchor what tips, lock what poisons, block what drops, and lower the water temperature. The CPSC lists a short set of devices that cover most household hazards, and the AAP suggests walking through each room before your child starts crawling. Doing it by room is easier than doing it by hazard, because you can see what is at knee height.
Around this age
The change that catches families out is reach. Somewhere between 6 and 18 months a child goes from staying where you put them to pulling up, opening drawers, and climbing. The AAP puts it plainly for 1 to 2 year olds: a chair left next to a counter, a table or a window lets a child climb to dangerously high places, and a child this age cannot remember “no” while exploring.
What to try
Kitchen. Safety latches and locks on cabinets and drawers keep children away from household cleaners, laundry products, matches, lighters, knives and sharp objects. Detergent in single-use laundry packets is very concentrated; the AAP warns that biting one can shoot detergent into a child’s mouth, throat or eyes. Ranges tip, so use an anti-tip bracket. The AAP suggests keeping a child out of the kitchen while you cook, and never carrying a child and hot liquids at the same time.
Bathroom. Set the hottest temperature at the faucet to no more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which in many homes means adjusting the water heater; anti-scald devices for faucets and shower heads do the same job. Keep bathroom doors closed and empty every bucket after use. A child can drown in less than 2 inches of water, so stay within reach in the bath, every time.
Living room. Furniture, televisions and ranges can tip over and crush young children, so anchor them to the floor or attach them to the wall. Use cordless window coverings: cords are a strangulation hazard, and cordless versions are sold at most major retailers. Corner and edge bumpers soften the sharp furniture a new walker falls into. Check floors for small objects, and make sure battery covers are secure on remotes, key fobs and musical books, because button batteries can cause severe injury if swallowed.
Bedrooms and nursery. Use infant sleep products that meet the CPSC mandatory standards: bassinets, cradles, cribs, play yards and bedside sleepers. Keep purses and bags that hold medicines out of reach, including visitors’ bags.
Stairs, windows and doors. Safety gates keep children away from stairs and out of rooms with hazards, and the CPSC is specific that only gates that screw to the wall belong at the top of the stairs. Install operable window guards above the first floor. Doorknob covers and door locks restrict access to rooms you have not childproofed.
Basement, garage and outdoors. Antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid, gasoline, kerosene, lamp oil, insecticides and weed killer stay locked, in their original containers. For pools and spas, the CPSC recommends layers of protection: barriers and alarms. The AAP describes fencing a pool on all 4 sides, at least 4 feet high, with self-latching gates.
Whole house. Smoke alarms go on every level and in bedrooms, tested every month, with batteries changed at least once a year. A carbon monoxide alarm goes outside each sleeping area. Outlet covers work only if children cannot pull them out and they are too large to choke on. If there is a gun in the home, the AAP’s guidance is that it stays unloaded and locked, with the ammunition locked separately, and that you ask the same question of homes your child visits.
When to call your pediatrician
If your child is unconscious, not breathing, or having convulsions or seizures, call 911. If they have swallowed something and none of that applies, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222; the AAP’s guidance is to get the item away from your child, keep it to show what it was, and not to make your child vomit.
Call your doctor for all burns, and after a serious fall or if your child does not act normally after a fall.
Sources
- Childproofing Your Home - Several Safety Devices to Help Protect Your Children from Home Hazards — CPSC
- Childproofing Your Home for Poisons — HealthyChildren.org (AAP)
- Safety for Your Child: 1 to 2 Years — HealthyChildren.org (AAP)
- Poison Prevention & Treatment Tips for Parents — HealthyChildren.org (AAP)
This is educational information from public sources, not a replacement for advice from your child’s healthcare professional.
In Withya, the safety guides for your child’s age sit under Guides, with the sources on each one open to read.
