This post was sponsored by Window Covering Safety Council as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
When it comes to baby proofing the house, I take a more laid back approach. I want to keep our kids safe, but I’m also not going to spend thousands of dollars or bubble-wrap the entire house.
It’s all about balance.
With Lucy just on the cusp of crawling, I know it’s time. So Ryan and I have started making some small adjustments to the house to make it more baby-safe. And as she really starts moving, we’ll provide more limits that she needs based on her needs.
Anyhow, I thought I’d share a few of the ways we baby proof the house – without spending a fortune or sacrificing the beautiful home we’ve worked hard to build.
And even if you don’t have a baby, spring is a great time to review the safety of your home for your own kids or those who visit.
Clear out the extra stuff.
You don’t always think about all the clutter as being unsafe, but I find that clearing floor space can really help the home feel more open safe for baby.
We took out the coffee table in the living room and it’s been such a nice change. (It’s living on the porch now.) No worries about those sharp corners or that hard metal base.
It also gives Lucy and Henry way more space to play. They love it.
I also put most of the breakable or unsafe decor items out of reach. It just makes it simpler to keep the kids safe. Luckily, we have plenty of great spots to decorate that won’t get pulled down by chubby fingers.
Anchor furniture to the wall.
There’s plenty of things that cannot be moved out of our rooms.
For those big pieces – like dressers and cabinets – we anchor them to the wall. Kids try to climb everything so keeping it safe is key. The same goes for the television. I feel so much safer knowing it’s out of her reach and it cannot be pulled down.
Cover outlets.
I personally think covering outlets is non-negotiable. Outlet covers are so inexpensive and keep your kiddos safe. Plus, they blend in so they don’t scream BABY-PROOF. You’d barely notice the covers if I didn’t point them out.
We recently had friends over with a 2-year-old and she immediately went for the outlets like a moth to a flame. That was a good reminder. I just ordered more of the outlet covers to cover them all.
Skip cords.
I have become a stickler for safe window coverings. Blinds or roman shades with cords can be a strangulation hazard. It only takes a moment for a child to become tangled up in the cords.
That’s enough for me to make a safer choice. When we know better, we do better.
The folks at Window Covering Safety Council have lots of great info and tips for safe window coverings.
When we moved into our new house, I purchased cordless roman shades for our main living area and the bedrooms. (I found them for around $20/apiece, which is a steal.)
I didn’t have to sacrifice value or beauty for safety. Today’s cordless options can be beautiful and inexpensive. So if you have older blinds or window coverings, now’s a good time to make the change. Both of our parents have also gone to cordless blinds, which gives us all peace of mind.
Look for the Best for Kids™ certification label in stores and online. It’s a great way to identify products that are a good fit for homes with young children.
Learn more at the Window Covering Safety Council.
Consider gates.
We are still working on gates on the stairs – but those will be important when she really gets moving.
We built a gate at the top of the stairs when Henry was a baby and we will probably do something similar for Lucy. With Henry, we didn’t block off the bottom of the stairs. We just tried to teach him how to safely use the stairs from the beginning. So we’re playing that by ear.
We have a built-in gate that blocks off the mudroom and back door from the kitchen. It will keep Lucy in the main living space and away from unsafe areas in the house.
There’s no reason that gates have to be ugly. There are plenty of ways to customize them to fit your space.
Assess potential hazards – even the hidden ones.
It’s amazing how many hazards are in our house. It could make me crazy. Cleaners, medicines, and more. So I just take it one step at a time.
We’ve transitioned to using mostly “green” cleaners. But for the more hazardous cleaners and medications, we keep them out of reach or behind a locked cabinet. But we learned that hard way that even “safe” things can be hazardous.
Lucy was in a bouncer while I was making supper and grabbed a leaf from a large house plant and shoved it right in her mouth. Luckily, Henry spotted it and I got it out of her mouth before it caused any issues.
Even though it was only a moment, we called Poison Control. It turns out told that the plant could cause some serious pain to her little throat had she swallowed it. That was enough to make me look at all those houseplants differently. I am putting them all up high or outside now that the weather is getting nicer.
Our family spends so much time at home – it’s my job to keep everyone safe. I feel better knowing that our home is nearly ready for a mobile baby.
And we didn’t have to sacrifice a beautiful space or the budget to do it. Win-win-win.
How do you keep your home safe with kids?
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Coco says
LOVE your blog and even moreso now that I see you have a pug. I am a pug lover and have my fourth one currently. I don’t think I will ever NOT own one. Have you ever blogged about managing dog hair, especially pug hair? LOL 🙂
Gretchen says
I didn’t even really understand what babyproofing was for with my oldest….he was such a cautious baby. Then my second came along and stuffed everything he could find directly into his mouth until he was three. Sigh.
Brie says
Here, it is code to install tamper resistent outlets in new builds, so outlet covers aren’t needed! My husband switched out our outlets in our old home. So nice especially since it’s my 3 and 4 year old I have to watch way more– they are needed for so many years. And nice not to have to worry at other peoples houses. Do you have those there? (If you look at the outlet, it looks like there is plastic blocking you from seeing in the two main prong holes–they have to be pressed simultaneously to be ‘unlocked’ which is done when you try to plug something in). Once in awhile I see people put outlet covers in them which is totally unnecessary and quite difficult to remove one when you need to use an outlet.
Kim Woodward says
No – but they sound great! Smart!
Ellen from Ask Away Blog says
I love the one about clearing out the extra stuff. A clutter free home that has open spaces is so much easier to maintain and theres less randomness that can cause issues <3
Kim Woodward says
To be honest, there’s probably more clutter to be cleared. But it’s a start. 😉
Amy says
She is so cute and squishy! Great list! My son has been crawling for about a month now, and it’s amazing what all they can get into. Love the Roman shades!
Kim Woodward says
It’s incredible! And every kid has different levels of curiosity. 😉
Amy says
Yes! We didn’t have to baby proof much at all with my daughter. I have a feeling this one is going to give me a run for my money, though!
Susan says
I give multiple packs of outlet covers at baby showers, tied onto the ribbons of baby’s ‘real’ gift. Inevitably, the response is ‘oh my gosh, I never even thought about needing these’.
Kim Woodward says
Great idea! Love this idea for a gift. Then they are ready to go when you need them.
cassie bustamante says
yay! saving this as we will need it soon and the gates are something we may have to diy.
Kim Woodward says
I’m trying to decide how to handle the gate at the top of the stairs. Can’t wait too much longer!