10 Must Have Child Safety Products

Baby proofing can be a daunting task, but the 10 must-have baby proofing products listed here will get you started, secure your home, and keep your busy little baby safe.

1. Baby Gates

If you have stairs, baby gates are, without question, a necessity. Invest in hardware-mounted gates for stairs. Pressure-mounted gates work well for doorways and keep baby in a designated safety zone.

2. Child Safety Latches

Child safety locks and latches keep little ones out of your cupboards and drawers. Also advisable to lock and latch: refrigerator, oven, washer/dryer, and toilets.

3. Child Safety Outlet Covers

Child proof outlet covers are easy to install. Sliding switch plate covers snap shut to protect against little fingers. Just insert your plug and slide the cover over.

4. Furniture Straps

Furniture straps protect against tipping. Baby proof your flat-screen television, heavy bookshelves, and unsturdy cupboards. In other words: Secure any piece of furniture your baby might attempt to climb.

5. Child Window Safety

Avoid falls and strangulation by safeguarding your windows with three necessary items: window wedges, window locks, and cord cleats or blindwinders.

6. Edge and Corner Cushions

Get down to your child’s height and think about what he might run or fall into – furniture corners and edges and fireplace hearths can do the most damage. Soften them up with easy-to-apply edge cushions and hearth pads.

7. Magnetic Child Locks

When you need extra-secure child proofing for things like cleaning products and medicine, invest in magnetic child locks.

8. One-Piece Door Stop

Those innocuous-looking door stops with removable caps are a choking hazard and the springs could pinch little fingers. Replace them with soft, one-piece door stops.

9. Stair Railing Shield

Baby proof stair railings and banisters with a shatterproof clear plastic shield to prevent against falls.

10. Smoke, Fire, and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Buy carbon monoxide detectors for every floor of your home, and smoke detectors in every sleeping area. Simply add batteries, install, test. Easy, painless, and immeasurable protection.

One final tip: The world is enormous to your child. Keeping her confined to one or two rooms, at least for now, can simplify your initial baby proofing and allow you to super-baby proof the space you know she’ll occupy most often.