The Best Mom’s Guide to Babyproofing: Function, Style, & Practicality

While the necessity of babyproofing isn’t really up for debate, there are many different methods moms can choose from.

Jo chose a more subtle approach, trying to blend babyproofing in with the existing décor of the house for more aesthetic appeal.

On the other hand, Rachel was all about what was easy and on sale. She had an eye for practicality and bargains.

Let’s go through some of the most common areas of the house where babyproofing: kitchen, bedroom, and play areas.

This article has lots of important info – it’s definitely a good one to pin now so you can easily reference it later.

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Babyproofing Your Kitchen

Smoke Alarms: 
Nest Protect Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm
Jo’s Stylish Pick

Everyone knows the importance of smoke alarms but often we install, forget, and take them for granted.

Make sure you are checking your smoke alarm at least every 6 months to make sure it is working properly.

Problem is, 6 months goes by in the blink of an eye when you’re a busy mom. The Nest Protect keeps me on top of everything so safety is a priority.

First of all, it’s a combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector. It senses heat, humidity, and occupancy.

The LED light on it will actually change color depending on the severity of the incident (yellow means smoke/carbon monoxide are detected but not critical, red means bad news).

When an issue is detected, an alarm will sound  but the Nest Protect also has a spoken alarm alerting you of the specific problem.

My favorite part is that it runs self-checks every month to make sure it is working so you and your mom-brain don’t have to worry about it.

After the check has been completed you get a notification on your phone. In fact, any time the alarm goes off you will also get a notification (hopefully never!). If you’re ever away and concerned about your house, you can simply check it using the Nest App.

If you have other smart devices (like the Nest Learning Thermostat or the Philips Hue lights), it can integrate with those too.

Cabinet Protection:
Kiscords Baby Safety Cabinet Locks
Rachel’s Functional Pick

I leave one cabinet unlocked with baby-safe plastic bowls and Tupperware that the kids can play with to occupy themselves while I’m cooking.

The rest of the lower cabinets have a Kiscords Baby Safety Cabinet Lock.

We like the Kiscords Locks in particular because, they are easy to use and there’s no installation (which is great since we’ve moved a few times).

However one limitation of the Kiscords Locks is that they work much better for cabinet with knob handles, the Adoric Sliding Cabinet Locks are a great option for cabinet doors with handles.

Cabinet Protection:
Dreambaby Safety Catches
Jo’s Stylish Pick

I love the look and functionality of these things!

With internal cabinet babyproofing – your cabinets look completely normal from the outside.

Install does involve drilling, but it’s inside the cabinet door/drawer so it can easily be removed and patched with putty. Quick and easy!

These are sturdy and last forever. So hopefully your breakable plates will have a long and accident-free life.

Pro-Mom Tip: Similar designs are available that utilize adhesive attachments rather than drilling.

Cabinet Protection:
The Wooden Yardstick Method
Rachel’s Functional Pick

This is the easiest babyproofing hack for a row of drawers with no fancy equipment required.

A wooden yardstick through the handles keeps baby out and can be easily removed.

Fire Extinguisher:

Make sure you have a good quality Fire Extinguisher in your kitchen.

Even more importantly, make sure that every adult and older child know where it is and how to use it.

Stove Protection:
Safety 1st Stove Knob Covers
Rachel’s Functional Pick

Our first stove had the knobs in the back and I never really gave stove safety much thought…

Then we moved and our new gas stove had the knobs right in the front where my toddler could easily reach them, turn them, and fill our home with gas.

Safety 1st Stove Knob Covers easily keeps those little hands safe.

While we’re talking about stove safety…  it’s always best to turn the handles of pots toward the back of the stove while cooking so small hands can’t grab them.

Nursery Babyproofing

Furniture Safety:
Amazon Basic’s Anti-Tip Furniture Anchors  
Rachel’s Functional Pick

Any furniture that could possibly tip over (ie. tall bookshelves, dressers, TVs) need to be anchored to the wall with anti-tip anchors.

Once baby starts trying to pull up, these items can pose a major risk if they aren’t secured.

Always be prepared for the days when your wild one may try to climb the furniture!

Night Lights:
LED Night Light with Smart Dusk to Dawn Sensors
Jo’s Stylish Pick

Night lights are a good idea for the safety of both parents and baby!

When infants are younger, parents have to go in and check on them during the night. If you don’t want to trip over a stray toy or footrest, you’ll need some light in there.

I love the LED Night Light with Smart Dusk to Dawn Sensors because in my opinion it gives off the perfect amount of light. Just enough so you can see to get around, but not so much that it disrupts sleep. 

Now that my child is a preschooler, we still love this model because he can easily get up to use the bathroom at night.  Plus you can set it to different colors and he loves changing it for fun! 

Video Baby Monitor:
Infant Optics DXR-8 3.5″ Video Baby Monitor
Rachel’s Functional Pick

The Infant Optics Video Baby Monitor was one the of the best baby investments we made!

While, some may not consider this to be a babyproofing item per se, I found it especially important for baby safety.

I loved being able to see what baby was doing in his crib. 

Whenever I heard any little wimper and cry so I knew if and when I needed to intervene. The video monitor allowed me to easily tell if they were just fussing in their sleep or got their leg stuck between the crib slats.

Joanna discusses a cool alternative to a baby monitor in the post on Baby Sleep Essentials!

Window Safety:
Cordless Blinds
Jo’s Stylish Pick

Windows can be safety hazards in general, especially the strangulation risk with blind cords.

Do yourself a favor and go cordless. They look great and are so much easier to use than the traditional corded ones.

Babyproofing the Living Areas

Door Knob Covers:
Jool Baby Child Safety Door Knob Covers
Rachel’s Functional Pick 

Maybe it’s a closet, your bedroom, or the basement.. but let’s face it – there are doors in your house you’d rather your baby/toddler/preschooler not open.

Easy, just cover it with a Jool Baby door knob covers. 

Once you get the hang of it, adults can easily open them. However, I’ve yet to meet a kid under 5 who can figure it out. 

Furniture Protection:
SKYLA HOMES – Clear Corner Protectors
Jo’s Stylish Pick

I’m not one to wrap all my furniture in bubble wrap, but I have to admit that the corners of coffee tables and end tables scare me.

The SKYLA HOMES corner protectors are super easy to install, just peel back the little strips and stick them to any corner (they work on pretty much any material or surface).

Best part is – they actually stay on.

Soooo many moms complain about furniture bumpers because of the poor not “sticking” properly. Not these!

They also look very contemporary, kind of like it’s a modern accent on the furniture.

Baby Gates:
Dreambaby Chelsea Extra Tall Security Gate
Rachel’s Functional Pick

We have used several baby gates around the house to keep our guys out the cat food, the laundry room, or the kitchen. I like having a lightweight tension gate that’s easy to move around and place where I need it.

Don’t mess around with stairs.  This is one area where you don’t want to skimp on a quality gate.

I put the Dreambaby extra tall gates in the hall before the stairs so I don’t have to mess with opening and closing a gate on the top step.

Banisters have caused issues for our bottom gate. We’ve tried out a few different solutions for this problem.

The Summer Infant Banister and Stair Gate has been my favorite because it feels so sturdy and attached well to any oddly shaped banister.

Baby Gates:
 “Easy Swing & Lock Gate” by North States
Jo’s Stylish Pick

I kind of hated baby gates because they can be such an eyesore… but then I found one that I absolutely love!

I bought the“Easy Swing & Lock Gate” by North Statesbecause it is drill-mounted (meaning very sturdy) and blends in with my stair banister.

Functional AND stylish – win win!

FWIW, I also considered the Summer Infant Retractable Gate so I could easily “hide” it when we had company.

A gate at the top of our stairs is the only place we keep a baby gate full time. For the stairs it’s important to invest in something that’s easy to use and durable.

Outlet Protection:
Mommy’s Helper Outlet Plugs 
Rachel’s Functional Pick

These plastic outlet covers may not look beautiful but they get the job done.

Also, my babies seem to love electrical cords for whatever crazy baby reason. I use plastic twist ties to keep the cords wound up and out of reach.

For outlets that are going to have cords plugged in full time, invest in the LectraLock Baby Safety Electrical Outlet Covers to protect baby from unplugging and tampering with them.

Outlet Protection:
Universal Self-Closing Electrical Outlet
Jo’s Stylish Pick

Obviously outlet safety is a priority, but I didn’t want those little plastic outlet covers floating all around my house.

Another great option (and the one we chose) was to replace the outlets themselves with Self-Closing Outlets.

With these outlets, the socket itself is babyproof.

Which means it looks completely normal, no weird plastic thing on top of it.

It’s kind of hard to explain (click the link for example pictures), but in essence you simply slide the top plate over a half inch before plugging something in so the hole of the outlet lines up.

Don’t be afraid of doing this yourself! It took us less than 5 minutes per outlet after watching a how-to video on YouTube.

Easy, safe, and looks so much cleaner.

Play Yard:
Superyard Colorplay 8-Panel Play Yard
Rachel’s Functional Pick

To keep baby contained in the living room, I love the Superyard play yard.

We have used it to make a little baby safe space to play and also to block off the tv, fireplace, and Christmas tree.

Related |  Tips for Babyproofing Christmas Decorations

It’s pretty easy to fold up and can be used outside too. I love this thing so much we have 2!

Play Mat:
Baby Care Play Mat Foam Floor Gym
Jo’s “Stylish” Pick

I had to put “stylish” in quotes for this one… because it doesn’t exactly blend it with my decor.

But I love it.

After I saw one of my friends with the Baby Care Play Mat Foam Floor Gym, I HAD to have it.

The quality is amazing and it’s super soft to protect babies from falling. But the best part is that it’s adorable.

We have the one with the roads/farm, on the other side is the animals with the alphabet. My kids love flipping it to the different sides to play.

We’ve had it for 4 years and it’s still in great shape! A definite MUST for any play area.

Did we miss anything? 

What other babyproofing ideas do you have? Let us know in the comments below!