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Safety · Ages 0–4

Home Safety Guide: room by room

As your baby crawls, walks and starts exploring everything, a home that was safe for adults becomes full of hidden hazards. The good news: most household accidents with small children are preventable with a few simple changes.

10 min
read
6
rooms covered
12
checklist items
📅 By stage 🛋️ Living room 🍳 Kitchen 🚿 Bathroom 🛏️ Nursery 🪜 Stairs 🌳 Outdoors ✅ Checklist 📞 Emergency
Where to start

Start by seeing the house at your child's height

A lot of what feels obvious to an adult becomes invisible three feet off the ground — and plenty of things “out of reach” for you are right at hand for them. Before buying a single latch, get down on your knees and crawl through every room.

This guide walks the house room by room, showing exactly what to adjust at each stage — from the newborn who can't move yet to the three-year-old who opens everything.

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General tip

The best way to spot hazards is to crouch down and look at the house from your child's height. Repeat this “knee tour” every few months — every new motor skill changes the list of risks.

By stage

What to prioritize at each age

Priorities shift as your child gains mobility. Start with the current stage and get ahead of the next one.

0–6months
Not moving independently yet
Focus on safe sleep and elevated surfaces.
  • Crib with no pillows, padded bumpers, loose toys or soft blankets (suffocation and SIDS risk).
  • Never leave the baby alone on an elevated surface — changing table, sofa, bed — not even “just a second”.
  • Start storing cleaning products and medicines high and locked, even if the baby can't reach anything yet.
6–12months
Crawling
Anything on the floor is now within reach.
  • Time to install stair gates, outlet covers and corner guards.
  • Reorganize low shelves and furniture — everything there is now reachable.
  • Appliance cords (kettle, iron, pots) must be out of pulling range.
1–3years
Walking, climbing, opening everything
The climbing stage needs physical barriers, not just supervision.
  • Locks on cabinets, drawers, the toilet and exterior doors.
  • Heavy furniture anchored to the wall — furniture tip-overs are among the most serious accidents at this age.
  • Pools, water buckets and bathtubs need a physical barrier, not just supervision.
Room by room

What to adjust in every space

Start with the rooms where your child spends the most time without constant supervision.

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Indoors

Living room

  • Anchor tall furniture and the TV to the wall with anti-tip kits — small children climb shelves and dressers to reach the top.
  • Cover sharp corners on coffee tables and sideboards with foam or silicone guards.
  • Tidy cords, extension leads and blind cords — window blind cords are a real strangulation hazard; choose cordless models or tie them up high.
  • Move toxic plants out of reach (dieffenbachia, monstera and snake plant are common and toxic if chewed).
  • Keep remote controls, loose batteries and coins out of reach — they're the most common choking items.
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Indoors

Kitchen

  • Use the back burners whenever possible and turn pot handles inward.
  • Lock the oven and the cleaning-product cabinet — never store products in food or drink containers.
  • Keep knives, plastic bags and small utensils in latched drawers.
  • Never carry hot liquid (coffee, soup) while holding your child.
  • Swap an open trash can for one with a lid and pedal.
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Indoors

Bathroom

  • Never leave a baby alone in the bath, not even for a few seconds — drowning happens in a few inches of water, silently.
  • Install a toilet lock — toddlers can fall in head-first and can't push themselves back out.
  • Store medicines, cosmetics and cleaning products in a high, locked cabinet — not under the sink.
  • Set the water heater to a maximum of 120 °F (49 °C) to prevent scalds.
  • Use non-slip mats inside and outside the shower.
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Indoors

Nursery

  • Keep the crib away from windows, curtains and cords.
  • No pillow, heavy duvet, padded bumper or stuffed animals until after age 1 — the standard recommendation to reduce SIDS risk.
  • Dresser and shelves anchored to the wall.
  • Baby monitor cord secured well away from the crib.
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Circulation

Stairs, hallways and doors

  • Safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs.
  • Door locks or finger-pinch guards on doors leading to the street, garage or any risk area.
  • Rugs and doormats with non-slip backing.
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Outdoors

Yard, balcony and outdoor areas

  • Pools and water buckets need a fence or dedicated barrier, regardless of supervision — it's the leading cause of drowning at this age.
  • Balcony railings with less than 4 in (10 cm) between bars and no footholds to climb.
  • Keep tools, gardening products and insecticides locked away.
  • Check the yard for toxic plants and mushrooms.
Checklist

Quick printable checklist

Tick one item a day — in two weeks the whole house is done.

Outlet covers on every reachable socket
Corner guards on low furniture
Tall furniture anchored to the wall
Stair gates installed
Cleaning products and medicines high and locked
Toilet lock fitted
Water heater set to max 120 °F (49 °C)
Crib free of loose items
Curtain and blind cords out of reach
Pool or buckets behind a physical barrier
Balcony railings checked (spacing and climbability)
Toxic plants moved out of reach
Emergency

In case of an emergency

Save these numbers in your phone and post them on the fridge

In an emergency nobody remembers a number — keep them visible for any adult who is with your child.

  • Emergency services (US)911
  • Poison Help line (US)1-800-222-1222
  • Emergency services (EU/UK)112 / 999

If your child swallows something suspicious, do not induce vomiting without medical advice — call first.

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This guide is for information only and does not replace assessment by a healthcare professional or a child-safety specialist for your specific home.

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