Child-proofing your home is an ongoing process. Like a game of Survivor, kids will outwit and outplay you at any opportunity so it’s important to keep on top of it and their problem-solving ways!
The family home can be a real danger zone and we all want to survive the toddler years, am I right? So let’s get toddler-proofing …
Here are 18 ways to get busy toddler-proofing your home, ensuring your tot is safe and leaving your nice things unharmed!
18 ways to toddler-proof your home for your child’s safety
1. Screw or use brackets to secure televisions, bookcases, drawer units and ANY OTHER piece of furniture which could potentially be climbed and toppled over, to the wall to avoid the risk of any crushing accidents.
2. Put appliance locks on major appliances that littlies can’t help but be fascinated by, such as the washing machine and microwave.
3. Any breakable items (photo frames, vases, etc) should be up high and out of reach. Smashed glass and toddlers generally don’t mix well and we want you to have nice things!
4. Tuck cords away well and truly out of reach, winding them around hooks and not left loose. Kids can’t help but yank on electrical cords or swing off blind cords – neither of which are safe activities.
5. Get a child-proof lock for your fridge-freezer. Toddlers love to mimic what they see their parents do and all manner of things get placed in the fridge FOR FUN. You can use your imagination on this one!
6. If you have sliding glass doors at home, put some decals down low so your little one can see there’s glass there. Walking or running into a glass door is no fun and hurts!
7. Put child gates on all stairs and use them to block entryways to rooms you really don’t want your toddler getting into, such as the bathroom or toilet.
8. Put power point outlet stoppers on all power points. You don’t think they’ll try to poke something in there but why risk it?
9. Put edge cushions on any sharp corner edges that might be at your toddler’s height – from table corners to kitchen benches, cover them all!
10. Put a toilet lock on your toilet to secure the lid down. Toddlers are top heavy and can’t shift their weight backward if they lean into a toilet to reach the water.
11. Secure the kitchen bin. The only thing to rival the family dog when it comes to the bin is a toddler. Save yourself having to look through it every other day for your car keys by securing it (and keeping those keys in a cupboard, out of reach).
12. Stove knob guards on the stove prevent little fingers from fiddling or accidental burns.
13. Put a fireguard around the wood fire heater at home. Toddler screams and blistered hands make for a really bad day.
14. Toddlers learn to climb very quickly. Watch out for them pushing plastic chairs around to climb up on. SO SNEAKY! If you don’t need them, get rid of excess stools and the likes for now.
15. In the kitchen, invest in a lockable medicine cabinet and put a secure child-proof door lock on the cupboard under the sink. Cleaning bits and bobs, medicines and batteries should all be completely out of reach.
16. Don’t leave knife blocks on countertops. Put them away in the pantry where they can’t be accessed.
17. Pot plants can be harmful to children. Toddlers love to dig around in potting mix so move them up and out of the way. The plants we mean, not your toddler.
18. If you have side gates into the back yard, lock them. You want the backyard to be a safe place for your little one to explore without the opportunity to escape to the driveway or worse, the open road. It only takes minutes!
Cheap as chips toddler-proof hacks
- Use split pool noodles over the top of doors to prevent fingers being slammed and hurt.
- Use hair ties over doorknobs to secure cabinet doors closed.
- Pet collars with the squeeze and release clasp can be used to thread handles together, preventing cupboard doors from being opened.
- Put a hair tie around the toilet paper roll in the toilet to stop your toddler from unravelling it.
Life with a toddler was never supposed to be easy. Rewarding yes, easy no! Here are 14 super simple steps to surviving the toddler phase.
