This childproofing checklist covers the hazards that hurt young children most at home: furniture and TVs that tip, outlets and cords, poisons and medicines, water, windows and stairs. Get down to a toddler's eye level, then anchor, lock, cover or move anything within reach. Start before your baby crawls, or before grandchildren visit.
This is general information, not medical advice. In an emergency, call 911. For a possible poisoning, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222.
The list below is an example built from guidance by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), not an official checklist. The AAP suggests taking these steps before or as soon as your child begins crawling or walking. The CPSC's tip-over advice applies to any home where children live or visit, so grandparents' homes count too.
The AAP's best tip is simple: get down at your child's level and look around. Small things on the floor, dangling cords and reachable shelves look very different from down there.
The AAP says a child is rushed to the emergency department at least once every hour with injuries from a furniture or TV tip-over. Of tip-over deaths from 2000 to 2019, 77% involved children under six, and about half of fatal incidents happen in bedrooms.
Anchor dressers, bookcases, TV stands and mirrors to the wall with anti-tip devices. The AAP says they cost $5 to $25 and take minutes to install. You may need to move furniture so the anchor goes into a stud.
Choose metal anchors, such as L brackets, over plastic, which can become brittle. Heavier furniture needs more anchors.
Put heavier things in the lowest drawers, and add drawer stops so drawers can't be pulled all the way out.
Never put a TV on top of a dresser. Mount flat screens to the wall, or use anti-tip devices. CPSC also suggests placing TVs on sturdy, low bases.
Keep remotes, toys and other tempting items off TV stands and the tops of furniture (CPSC), so kids aren't tempted to climb.
Make sure a freestanding range or stove has its anti-tip bracket installed (CPSC).
Renting? The AAP suggests talking with your landlord about anchoring furniture and TVs.
If furniture falls on a child, the AAP says to see their pediatrician or go to the emergency room right away, even if they seem fine.
Put safety plugs that aren't choking hazards in unused outlets. If your child won't stay away from an outlet, block it with furniture.
Keep electrical cords, including TV and cable cords, out of reach and out of sight.
Install ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) where appropriate.
Choose cordless window coverings. If your blinds or drapes have cords, the AAP says to attach them to floor mounts that hold them taut or wrap them around wall brackets out of reach, use safety stop devices, and cut looped cords and add safety tassels.
Store cleaning products, laundry and dishwasher detergent, drain openers, personal care products, garage chemicals and all medicines in their original containers, in a locked cabinet or one with a safety latch, out of sight and reach.
Don't rely on child safety caps. The AAP notes they are child-resistant, not childproof.
Keep purses and bags that hold medicines out of reach. This matters when visitors, including grandparents, bring bags inside.
Lock up alcohol and empty unfinished drinks right away. Keep nicotine products, including e-cigarette refills, out of sight and reach.
Find every item with a button or coin battery, such as remotes, key fobs and hearing aids, and keep it out of reach. Make sure battery covers are secure.
Check floors for coins, beads, pins, pills and magnets. Keep plastic bags out of reach, and knot dry-cleaning bags before throwing them away.
Ask Poison Help which houseplants to avoid, or keep plants out of reach.
For more on locking up medicines, see our sister guide on how to store medicine safely at home.
Stay calm, take the item away and have your child spit out anything left in their mouth. Keep the container.
Don't make your child vomit, the AAP warns.
If your child is unconscious, not breathing, or having seizures, call 911 right away.
Otherwise, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222. Be ready to give your child's age and weight and what they swallowed, how much and when.
The AAP says children can drown in only a few inches of water. Never leave a young child alone in the bath, even for a moment. Bath seats and rings don't prevent drowning.
Drain the tub as soon as bath time is over.
Use a toilet lid lock, and keep the lid closed.
Add no-slip strips to the tub and a cushioned cover on the faucet.
To prevent scalds, set the water heater so the hottest water at the faucet is no more than 120 degrees F.
Consider a latch at adult height on the bathroom door, and make sure any lock can be opened from outside.
Unplug hair dryers and razors and store them in a locked cabinet.
Open windows from the top if you can. Otherwise install operable window guards that only an adult or older child can open. The AAP warns that a screen is not strong enough to prevent a fall.
Keep chairs, sofas and anything climbable away from windows.
Install safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs. Skip accordion-style gates, which can trap an arm or neck, and use gates firmly mounted to the studs.
Fasten glass doors open if possible, and add cushioned protectors to sharp furniture corners.
Screen fireplaces, woodstoves and heaters. Glass doors on gas fireplaces get extremely hot.
Install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on every level and outside bedrooms, and test them monthly.
If you keep a gun, store it unloaded in a locked case with the ammunition locked separately.
The AAP suggests childproofing before or as soon as your baby begins crawling or walking. Then recheck as your child grows and can reach, climb and open more.
Focus on the big hazards first: anchor tall furniture and TVs, lock up medicines and keep bags with pills out of reach, cover outlets, and gate the stairs. CPSC's tip-over advice covers any home where children visit.
Treat it as an emergency. The AAP warns these batteries can cause swift, life-threatening damage to the esophagus or intestines. Call 911 if your child is unconscious, not breathing or having seizures. Otherwise call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away and follow their advice, which may be to go straight to the hospital.
Yes. As the AAP's tip-over article points out, you can't tell by looking whether furniture is likely to tip, so anchor dressers, bookcases and TVs anyway.
RoomMend: Safer Home Plans is an iPhone and iPad app that can hold a checklist like this as a room-by-room fix list, with guided walkthroughs based on public CDC, NIA, NFPA and CPSC guidance. You can log an unanchored dresser or a corded blind in about three taps with an optional photo, give it an owner and a target date, and share before and after photos as plain text or a PDF. It's free with an optional RoomMend Plus purchase, has no ads and no account, and is not a home inspection or safety certification.
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Home Safety: Tips for Families With Young Children (AAP, HealthyChildren.org)
Preventing Furniture and TV Tip-Overs (AAP, HealthyChildren.org)
Childproofing Your Home for Poisons (AAP, HealthyChildren.org)
5 Bathroom Safety Tips for Infants and Young Children (AAP, HealthyChildren.org)