How to Baby Proof Your House After a Move

You’ll be looking forward to finally relaxing in your new home- and you deserve it!

However, there’s nothing relaxing about your little one’s integrity being at risk.

That’s why we’ve pieced together this room-by-room guide to help you feel safe in your own new home.

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The best way to know how to baby proof your house after moving is to look at your home from a baby’s angle. And by that, we mean getting on the floor and looking at what you’re baby could do that’s dangerous.

To give you some help, we’ve listed the most common baby proofing tips for each room in your new home.

Bathroom

The only time your baby should be in the bathroom is to bathe them, so their access to this room should be restricted by keeping the door closed. When you both are in the bathroom, there are several practices to implement in your new home to keep them safe. ● Install a toilet lock on the toilet seat.

• Keep all medications, cleaners, cosmetics, and sharp objects (like razors) out of your child’s reach.
• Secure your baby’s movements with non-skid strips on the bathroom floor.

Here are tips to keep your baby safe while bathing them:

• Set your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent scalding.
• Place your slip-resistant infant bathtub opposite of the tub’s faucet.
• NEVER leave your child in the tub by themselves, even for a second, and keep your hands on or close to them for the entire bath.
• Lift them out of the tub with dry hands and a strong grip.

Kitchen

There are plenty of activities in the kitchen that take your attention away from your child. In a split second, they can get into trouble and potentially hurt themselves, but the right baby proofing products and practices can keep them safe.

• If you keep cleaners under the sink, either use cabinet locks to keep them securely closed or place them in a cabinet out of your child’s reach. Place cabinet locks on other cabinet doors you don’t want your child opening.
• Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and know how to use one.
• When cooking, use stove knob covers and cook on the back burners to prevent curious kids from burning their fingers.
• When feeding your baby, place the high chair where it won’t tip over and always use the chair’s straps to prevent them from falling.

Living room

You deserve some time to relax in your new living room after moving, but there are still ways your baby can come into harm’s way in this seemingly harmless room. Both you and your child can have fun and play safely with these baby proofing ideas.

• Secure objects like televisions and bookcases to the wall to prevent them from tipping over, and place the heaviest items on the bottom of the bookcase to stabilize it.
• Keep remotes out of your child’s reach so they don’t get a hold of the batteries and swallow them. With this in mind, make sure to store all other batteries in the home out of their reach.
• Place corner guards on the sharp edges of furniture, including the coffee table, entertainment center, etc.

Nursery

The nursery is arguably the room your baby will spend the majority of their time, from playing, changing diapers, and sleeping. You’ll feel at ease knowing your little one is safe in their new room after baby proofing it.

The crib should only have a fitted sheet over the mattress and be free of blankets, bumpers, pillows, or toys. Additionally, your baby should always sleep on their back to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

• Place a thick carpet next to the crib in case your child climbs over the rail and falls.
• Secure the changing table to the wall to prevent it from tipping over.
• Put window guards in the windows to protect your child from falling out of them. This applies to other windows in your home that you feel need one.

Stairs

We all know that babies and stairs don’t mix. Here’s what you can do to keep your child away from the stairs when you aren’t there to help them and keep yourself safe when carrying your child up and down them.

• Mount baby gates at the top and bottom of the stairs.
• Use the handrail to steady yourself on the steps.
• Keep the area well-lit and free of toys or other objects.

Additional Child Safety Tips

Now that you’ve gone through your room by room baby proofing checklist after moving into your new house, there are a few extras that will make your home extra safe for your baby.

• Put outlet protectors in every outlet. If you run out and have to buy more, put the ones you have in outlets that are closer to the floor first.
• If you have blinds, opt for cordless ones or tie the cords up so your little one can’t reach them.
• Especially if you’re still pregnant, make sure you have plenty of ventilation for you and the little ones.
• Keep a fire extinguisher on every floor of your home, and install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Prepare a first aid kit for all the bumps, bruises, and cuts children are prone to. For emergencies, keep the phone numbers of your family doctor, hospital, fire department, police department, and nearby family and friends in your first aid kit and another visible place like the fridge.
• While you’re unpacking, don’t stack the boxes too high (so they don’t topple over), and make sure scissors, box cutters, and plastic wrap are out of your child’s reach. Also, gate off rooms that aren’t baby proofed yet.
• If your new home has a pool, don’t let your child near it unless it has a fence surrounding it and you are supervising.

Settle Into Your New Home Safely

There’s a lot going on after you move, but you can tackle all of that once you make sure your children will be safe. It may help you work faster if a partner, parent, or friend watches them while you baby proof your new home. Then, you can all enjoy all the adventures that come from moving together as a family!