The Ultimate Childproofing Checklist

Did you know that September is Baby Safety Month? Sponsored annually by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, it's an initiative created to educate parents and caregivers and to raise awareness that most injuries can be prevented.

Safety is our top priority and given that 1 in 3 injuries happen inside the home, we are committed to helping parents and caregivers prevent injuries at home. Safety proofing your home is one of the best steps you can take to ensuring your child's safety. Infants and toddlers develop at such a rapid pace, it's important to baby-proof before they reach a new milestone because accidents can happen in an instant. That is why it is crucial that parents go through their homes with a childproofing checklist like this one to ensure that homes are safe for their little ones before they start crawling.

The Kitchen

• Cover reachable knobs on the stove.
• Turn in handles on pots and pans cooking on the stove to prevent them from being bumped or grabbed.
• Add safety locks to any cabinets containing cleaning products, or move them up and out of reach.
• Cover the edges of the table with foam padding.
• Wipe up any spills as soon as they happen.
• Use a safety lock on the refrigerator door to prevent children from accidentally shutting themselves inside of it or getting hurt from climbing the shelves.
  
  

The Bathroom

• Cover the faucets with special protectors, so they cannot be turned on without an adult's help.
• Keep the toilet seat down.
• Add slip-resistant rugs.
• Wipe up water from baths right away.
• Lock cabinets that contain any medicine or cleaning and hygiene products that could be swallowed.
  
  

Children's Bedrooms

• Make sure all of the shelves that are over 24-inches tall are firmly attached to the wall because they could potentially fall over on a small child who climbs on them.
• Pick up toys from the floor to prevent someone from tripping over them.
• Make sure that children’s cribs beds meet the newest safety requirements and return any that have been recalled right away.
• Remove all stuffed animals and large pillows from the bed at night that could be a suffocation hazard.
• Cover the corners of any furniture that has sharp edges with padding.
  
  

The Living Room

• Mount television sets and electrical equipment up high, so they cannot be pulled down by a child.
• Remove all glass objects that could be broken or move them to a location where children cannot reach them.
• Cover the corners of the coffee table and end tables.
• If there is a fireplace, surround it with special baby gates that connect to make a barrier around it.
  
  

The Dining Room

• Be sure that small children have a booster seat or highchair that meets the newest safety standards.
• Keep glass dishes and silverware that are not safe away from an area that a child can reach.
• Do not set hot pans or dishes on the table close to where a child is sitting.
  
  

The Stairs

• The bottom and top of each set of stairs should be blocked off with stair barriers for babies.
• Keep stairs well-lit at all times.
• Clean up spills on the stairs right away.
• Keep stairs clear of clutter.
• Do not attempt to carry any other objects at the same time as carrying your child up and down the stairs.