Babyproofing room by room before your baby is on the move

Get down on your hands and knees. Seriously, right now, in the room where your baby spends most of their day. Look around at their level. That shiny charger cable, the low shelf of bottles, the dangling tablecloth, the coin under the sofa: your baby will find them all, faster than you think. Babies can go from lying still to rolling, crawling and pulling up within a few months, so it pays to babyproof before they move, not after.

Throughout the home

• Anchor heavy furniture such as televisions, bookcases, wardrobes and chests of drawers to the wall. Climbing babies can pull them over.
• Fit stair gates at the top and bottom of stairs. At the top, use a gate that screws into the wall rather than a pressure-fitted one.
• Window safety: fit window restrictors or locks, and move furniture away from windows and balcony edges so it cannot be used for climbing.
• Blind and curtain cords: looped cords are a strangulation risk. Tie them up high or use cleats, and choose cordless blinds where you can.
• Cables and plugs: keep cables, extension leads and chargers out of reach and switch off sockets that are not in use.
• Floors: do a quick daily sweep for coins, pins, beads, pen lids, small toys and anything else that could be swallowed.

Kitchen

• Move cleaning products, bleach, dishwasher tablets and laundry capsules to a high cupboard or one with a safety lock. Laundry capsules in particular can cause serious harm if bitten or swallowed.
• Store knives and scissors well out of reach.
• Use the back rings of the cooker and turn pan handles inwards.
• Keep kettle cords and appliance leads pushed back from the edge of the counter.
• Remove tablecloths that a baby could pull, bringing hot food and drinks down with them.

Bathroom

• Keep all medicines, including vitamins, iron tablets and herbal remedies, in a locked cupboard or high up out of sight.
• Store razors, cosmetics, perfumes and hair products out of reach.
• Keep the toilet lid down and the bathroom door closed.
• Empty the bath straight after use, and never leave water standing in it.

Bedroom and nursery

• Place the cot away from windows, blind cords, heaters and lamps.
• Keep nappy sacks and plastic bags away from the cot and changing area. They can suffocate a baby.
• Avoid changing your baby on a high surface if you need to turn away. The floor is always safest.

Around the house and yard

• Generators: never run a generator indoors, in a garage or near open windows and doors. Fumes contain carbon monoxide, which has no smell and can kill. A carbon monoxide alarm is a wise investment.
• Fuels and chemicals: never store kerosene, petrol, insecticides or cleaning chemicals in drink bottles or cups. Keep them in their original, labelled containers, locked away.
• Water: cover or empty water storage drums, buckets and basins, and fence off or cover wells and ponds. A baby can drown in very shallow water.
• Gas cylinders, mosquito coils and lanterns: keep them well away from where your baby plays.
• Plants: some house and garden plants are poisonous. Keep them out of reach.

If you think your baby has swallowed something harmful

Do not try to make them sick. Keep the packet or container, and get medical help straight away. In the UK, call 999 if your baby is unwell, drowsy or struggling to breathe, or NHS 111 for advice; elsewhere, call your local emergency number or go to the nearest hospital. If you suspect they have swallowed a button battery or magnets, go to hospital immediately.

Keep looking

Babyproofing is not a one-off job. Every few weeks, as your baby learns a new skill, get down on the floor again and look. Grandparents' and friends' homes need a quick scan too.

Watching over the house

"Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain" (Psalm 127:1). This verse does not tell the watchman to go home. It tells him where his security truly rests. Proverbs 31:27 praises a woman who looks well to the ways of her household. Fitting a stair gate is part of that care. So is resting in the God who keeps your home when your eyes are closed.

A prayer for our home

Lord, be the keeper of our home. Give me wise eyes to spot what could harm my baby, energy to make it safe, and peace that does not depend on getting everything perfect. Watch over us in every room, day and night. Amen.