The only guide you'll ever need to babyproof your home

The average home contains many things that can be dangerous for young children, from sharp furniture corners to uncovered radiators. Use our guide to make sure you don't miss any potential hazards.

Babyproofing involves making (often minor) changes around your home to make it safer for your baby. It's no replacement for adult supervision, but it can help avoid nasty bumps and scrapes.

In this guide, we take you room by room to help complete your baby proofing checklist. Plus, we reveal some of the most-read reviews of baby monitors, stair gates and safety alarms from our website (but you'll have to head to our reviews to see how they scored).

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When should I start babyproofing my house?

There's no exact right time to start babyproofing, and it doesn't need to be done all at once.

You can make a start before baby comes or during the newborn stage, but you should have most of it done by the time your child is mobile, which is around four to six months old. 

Babyproofing throughout the house

Windows

Seeing the outside world can be very enticing for a baby, not to mention the fun of playing with the fiddly buttons on a window latch. 

Securing your windows, especially those on higher storeys of your house, is essential for ensuring curious babies don't hurt themselves.

• Use window restrictors – these attach onto your window frame, only allowing it to open slightly for ventilation, but not enough that your child can climb out. Your window should only be able to open a maximum of 6.5cm with a restrictor attached. Some restrictors also have a lock-and-key mechanism built in, so your child won't be able to remove it themselves.
• Opt for cordless blind pulls as the cords used to operate blinds can be a strangulation hazard for babies. If you can, choose cordless blinds or curtains. If you're stuck with cords, make sure they're neatly tied away and high out of reach.
• Use shatterproof glass or safety film. Most double-glazed windows will be fitted with shatterproof glass, which is designed to contain any shards of glass if the window were to break. If your house doesn't have this or you're not sure, you can buy safety film that you can install on the window yourself.
• Think about where your furniture is placed in the room. Is there easy access to a window via a sofa, table or chest of drawers? If you can, try to move climbable furniture away from windows.

Doors

The fear of tiny fingers getting trapped in door jambs is all too well known by parents, but there are some options for making your doors safer.

• Install finger guards. These long, rectangular pieces of plastic go on the hinge side of the door to prevent fingers getting trapped. They're particularly good for fire doors that close automatically: the door will still offer fireproofing as it can close properly, but little fingers won't get trapped between the hinges. You can buy finger guards from retailers such as Amazon and Screwfix.
• Get door stoppers. A door stopper will prevent a door from closing completely, leaving fingers unharmed. There are a few types available, such as weights or wedges which sit on the floor, or horseshoe-shaped foam stoppers which attach to the edge of your door (pictured above). Wedges are often plastic or wooden, and tend to be relatively cheap, or you can pick a more stylish option to match your house's aesthetic. Retailers including Dunelm and John Lewis have wide selections of weighted door stops in a variety of patterns and shapes; some even look like animals. 

Support your growing family: Our expert advice can help you make the right choices, from improving your home to planning your finances

Cupboards and drawers

Whether it's the snack cupboard, cutlery drawer or the cabinet full of expensive china plates you inherited from your grandmother, there are some places you simply don't want your baby to access on their own.

Childproof locks are an easy way to keep cupboards and drawers safely closed to little ones. There are many types available, and most won't require any drilling or screws to attach as they use an adhesive backing. There are strap-style ones that undo with a sliding mechanism, or two-piece locks that only unlock via a separate magnetic key.

Many cupboard locks come in multipacks, and you can expect to spend between £5 and £15 per pack.

Furniture anchoring

You should anchor your larger furniture pieces to the walls to prevent tipping accidents.

Drawers – especially when left open – can look particularly appealing to a young child as they resemble stairs, so think about anchoring your TV stand, dressers and drawers as high-priority areas.

Keep temptations, such as your child's favourite toy, away from high places to discourage them from clambering up the furniture.

You can buy anchors and straps from a range of retailers including Amazon, Dreambaby and Fred

Installing wall anchors is fairly straightforward for anyone with average DIY skills. Whichever anchors you buy should come with installation instructions from the manufacturer, or you might be able to find these online – such as this how-to guide from Ikea.

Corner protectors

You've anchored all the furniture to the walls and sealed shut all the drawers, but those pesky sharp corners can still cause quite a bump.

Instead of replacing all of your furniture with rounded alternatives, corner bumpers offer a simpler solution. Just slide them onto any sharp edges to minimise the damage should your little one crash into them.

Corner protectors are available at many baby stores and home stores, and a pack will usually only cost between £5 and £15. 

Second-hand and pre-loved baby products: what's safe and what's not?

Radiators and fireplaces

To prevent babies touching hot radiators, a radiator cover – anchored to the wall, of course – can be a quick and stylish solution. You'll likely spend at least £30 for smaller options and up to £200 for large, bespoke, adjustable or custom-made covers. You'll find radiator covers at a range of stores, such as B&Q and Dunelm.

If you have a fireplace, ensure you have a safety barrier or fireguard in place. Pampers recommends securing the fireguard to the wall to enclose the entire fireplace.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

You’ll want to be immediately alerted if there’s smoke or carbon monoxide in your home. Fire and overexposure to carbon monoxide can kill.

Install a smoke alarm in every room where there’s risk of fire. You should also install a carbon monoxide detector in all rooms containing a gas-burning appliance, like a gas oven or boiler, or paraffin heaters.

You can buy separate smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, or ones that will alert you to either threat. Remember to regularly check that your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are working.

Most popular fire and carbon monoxide alarms we've reviewed

Below, you'll find a selection of the most-read reviews of fire alarms and carbon monoxide alarms from our website over the past six months. To find out if any of them earned a Best Buy recommendation, head to our expert smoke alarm reviews and carbon monoxide alarm reviews. 

Want to know more? Head to our dedicated guides on the best smoke alarms and best carbon monoxide detectors

Baby monitors

These will make it easier for you to hear your baby crying if you’re in another room.

There’s a lot of choice and a wide price range: you can spend less than £20 for a basic audio monitor, or more than £300 for a state-of-the-art wi-fi video monitor with several cameras.

If you opt for an internet-connected baby monitor, you may be concerned about it being hacked. Find out more with our in-depth article on baby monitor safety.

Most popular baby monitors we've reviewed

See below for some of the most popular baby monitor reviews on the Which? website over the past six months. Or, to compare more models and see which ones get our Best Buy recommendation, go to our baby monitor reviews.

To help you narrow your search and figure out what you want, see our best baby monitor guide

Electrical cords

Keeping electrical cords neat and packed away is a good idea regardless of whether you have children in the house. But as babies start to crawl and can pull on things around them, loose wires can cause a lot of havoc in a short amount of time.

Avoid overloading your sockets and tie cords away as neatly and out of reach as possible. You might also want to turn off any outlets you're not using, or block them off using large furniture pieces such as a sofa.

Some sources recommend using plug covers to fill sockets when not in use, but this is not a good idea.

Plug protectors can actually make it easier for your baby to get an electric shock, as they disrupt the existing safety mechanism in the socket. Plus, if the protector becomes damaged - something that isn't always obvious - it can pose a serious safety risk without you even knowing.

We cover more on why you should throw away your plug protectors in our dedicated guide.

In the living room

Your living room, particularly if it doubles up as a playroom for your child, is likely already one of the safer areas of your house. 

The main things to look at here will usually be the windows, blinds and doors, as well as tidying any loose electrical cords and covering radiators, fireplaces and sharp coffee table corners.

You'll also want to ensure your furniture is anchored, especially if a large piece of equipment - such as a TV or stereo - is placed on a stand or dresser. 

In the nursery

The main safety concern in your baby's nursery will usually be their cot, and ensuring that they sleep safely.

The cot mattresses we review go through rigorous safety tests to check for choking and suffocation hazards. See which ones passed in our cot mattress reviews.

Unsafe sleep is thought to be a contributing factor to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), according to the NHS. Although the direct cause of SIDS is unknown, there are steps you can take to help prevent it.

The Lullaby Trust - an organisation that raises awareness of SIDS and supports families affected - recommends the following safe-sleep practices:

• Lie your baby on their back in their crib.
• Keep the sleep space clear - no blankets, pillows, bumpers or toys. Avoid hanging mobiles over the bed as well.
• Use a firm, flat, waterproof cot mattress.
• Do not smoke around your baby.
• Avoid your baby overheating.
• Sleep in the same room as your baby for the first six months.

You might also want to invest in a baby monitor to keep an eye on your little one while they sleep.

Cot mattress and baby bedding safety: everything you need to know to help your baby sleep safe and sound

In the kitchen

The kitchen can be hazardous for little ones if the proper safety precautions aren't followed.

Make sure the cupboards and drawers containing the most dangerous and breakable items (such as crockery, alcohol bottles, knives, cutlery and cleaning chemicals) are fitted with childproof locks. You may also want to put locks on the fridge, freezer or snack cupboards.

Small children might get frustrated at being unable to open cupboards and drawers, so Pampers recommends leaving one 'safe' cupboard unlatched and keeping it full of kitchen items your baby can access freely, such as non-breakable bowls and containers. This will allow your child to explore safely and help out with cooking without posing a risk.

Some other things you can do to make your kitchen safer include:

• turning pot and pan handles inwards when in use to discourage your child from grabbing them
• installing covers for your oven knobs to stop children turning them on
• avoiding using low-hanging tablecloths
• turning off electrical items and sockets when you're not using them
• putting corner protectors on sharp table edges.

From thermometers to head lice – check out all our baby and child safety advice

Hallways and stairs

Stair gates allow you to control when your child can access the stairs, and can prevent them from falling if they slip at the top of the landing.

You should have baby gates in place at both the top and bottom of your stairs until your child can confidently walk up and down them unsupervised.

Another way to babyproof your stairs is to check the gaps between the bannisters. If the spaces are more than 6.5cm wide, you might want to consider installing a safety netting or boards to stop your child getting stuck between them.

Most popular stair gates we've reviewed

We've tested more than 20 screw-fit and pressure-fit stair gates to find the best. Below is a selection of our most-read stair gate reviews of the past six months, but you'll need to see all our stair gate reviews to see which ones we recommend.

Want to get straight to our favourites? See the best baby gates

In the bathroom

You should always supervise your child around water, especially when they're in the bath. 

When bath time is finished, make sure you empty the water straight away, and pack up any buckets or toys. To prevent slips in the tub, invest in a non-slip bath mat with suction cups on the bottom.

Other ways to babyproof the bathroom include:

• installing tap guards on the bath and basin taps
• fitting a toilet lock to keep the lid down
• putting dangerous items such as razors, medicines and chemicals in a cupboard with a baby lock installed, or high up
• avoiding storing electrical items in the bathroom if possible
• locking the bathroom when it's not in use - and placing internal locks high out of your toddler's reach so they can't lock themselves in.

In the garden

If you have a pool, pond or lake in your garden, make sure you secure off the area and never leave your child unattended around water.

Make a note of all the plants in your garden and ensure none of them are poisonous, and don't let your child eat any fruit or berries they find without your permission.

If your garden has a greenhouse, make sure it's fitted with safety glass or fenced off.

No matter how well you prepare, accidents do sometimes happen. Find out what to do if your child has an accident or an injury in our first aid guide