Baby proofing checklist
Do this sweep from floor level, room by room, and redo it every time a new skill — crawling, cruising, climbing — opens up somewhere new.
27 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Get down on the floor and look from their heightWhatever is at knee height when you're standing is at eye and mouth height for them.
- Stair gates×2Top and bottom, fitted properly rather than wedged — a gate not screwed in is a gate that gives way.
- Socket covers×8
- Corner guards on low tables and hearths×4
- Furniture anchor straps for anything that could tip
- Bookcases and chests of drawers strapped to the wall
- TV secured or wall-mounted
- Anything a toddler could climb and pull down
- Blind cords tied up or fitted with a cleatLooped cords are a strangulation risk — worth doing before they can even crawl.
- Cupboard and drawer locks×6
- Kitchen cupboards with cleaning products
- Bathroom cabinet
- Any low drawer with sharp objects
- Cleaning products and medicines moved up and out of reach
- Houseplants checked against a toxic plant list and moved
- Choking hazards cleared from floor levelIf it fits through a toilet roll tube, it's a choking hazard. Check under sofas too.
- Fireguard fitted if there's an open fire or a wood burner
- Door slam guards on doors that could catch fingers
- Trailing wires and cables tidied away
- Bins with a locking lid or kept somewhere unreachable
- Hot drinks kept away from table edges once they're pulling upA pulled tablecloth or a grabbed mug causes more burns than the kettle does.
- Water hazards checked
- Bath never left running or unattended
- Garden pond or paddling pool fenced or emptied
- Toilet lid locked if they're a climber
- Non-slip mats fitted under rugs
- Repeat the floor-level check every time they learn a new skillCrawling, cruising and climbing each open up a different part of the house.
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- When should baby-proofing actually start?
- Before they're mobile, not after. Rolling turns into crawling faster than most safety kit gets fitted, so socket covers and stair gates want to be a little early.
- What's the single most missed hazard?
- Furniture that could tip — a chest of drawers a toddler climbs to reach something on top. Anchor straps are inexpensive and take ten minutes each to fit.
- Do I need to do this for a house I'm only visiting?
- A lighter version, yes — check the stairs, sockets at floor level and anything reachable on a low table before letting them loose somewhere unproofed.