Have you been wondering which baby-proofing products are simply must-haves? Here is a list of our top favorite handy innovations for keeping your little one safe in each of the various places around the house.
We hope this information helps you narrow down what you really need and provides the great solutions for your home and your child!
*Also be sure to check out our comprehensive article “101 Baby-Proofing Tips” if you want the full guide to home safety with little children.
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A. On the Stairs and in the Hall/Entryway
Here is a quick list of some of the best products on the market for keeping your little one safe around stairways, entryways, and hallways! These high traffic areas are known for being particularly dangerous spots, so be prepared ahead of time.
1. Stairway Special Gate from Cardinal Gates
Protect your baby from a nasty fall from the top of any stairs.
Install this handy gate that permanently mounts on both sides and can even be attached with up to a 30-degree angle on two flat surfaces.
It is durable, extendable with optional panels, and swings open with one-handed operation. One of our all-time favorites!
Do you have stair banisters or rails with dangerous gaps?
This strong, soft fabric mesh rail net comes with adjustable zip ties and cable tie mounts for easy mounting.
It blends nicely with any decor, is easy to see through, and can be easily rolled to customize the size while keeping baby safe on upper levels of your home.
Is your child a little escape artist that tries to get outside when you aren’t looking? These sensors are perfect for alerting you when someone tries to open the door and leave the house! They are simple to install and very affordable.
Give yourself peace of mind that your toddler won’t be able to slip out without you noticing!
This handy gadget is inexpensive and simple to use, but so perfect for protecting baby’s tender fingers from slamming doors.
It is made of high-density foam and keeps a door from closing all of the way (leaving approx. a 1.5-1.75-inch gap between door and jamb).
Place it higher than your child can reach and relieve the terror of kids getting pinched fingers or accidentally locking themselves into a room.
These basic door knob covers are easy for adults to maneuver, but will keep your little one from opening closed doors all the way down the hallway! They are simple to install and economical enough to have one on each door in the house.
Works only on traditional round knobs, not door levers.
Does your home have door levers instead of knobs? Even easier for little ones to figure out than door knobs, levers are mastered quickly by toddlers!
These handy locks will keep your young child from accessing areas that you don’t want them in.
For adults, simply push the button to unlock and relock for easy access.
B. In the Bathroom and Laundry Area
Take extra-precautions in these critical areas with these great inventions that will keep your child much safer! Bathrooms and laundry rooms are notorious trouble spots, with too much access to water and chemicals, so reduce those risks with these cool products.
1. Safety 1st Swing Shut Toilet Lock
Keep your little one out of the toilet with this handy auto-swing-shut lock. We love this contraption because it takes the work out of remembering to secure the lock.
Just shut the lid and baby won’t have access.
Not only is it a safety device, but could save you from potential messes, too!
We love this soft rubber safety device whale that is designed to keep the kiddos heads from banging the bathtub’s faucet.
Not only is it easy to adjust into place and mildew-resistant, the tail doubles as a handy hook for your washcloth or soap-on-a-rope.
It is super cute and my kids think it makes bathtime twice the fun.
Because it is one of our favorites, it makes this handy product an easy choice to share with you!
Useful in lots of areas around the home, these strap locks are perfect for securing cabinets with chemicals or keeping kids out of the washing machine, dryer, or other appliances.
Easy to install and simple for adults to operate, but difficult for kids to figure out.
These are a must-have and this 12-pack will give you extras for other areas around the house, too!
C. In the Nursery and Bedroom
For the best peace of mind when you are in another room, nothing beats this incredible piece of technology that will let you keep tabs on everything that baby is doing.
Being able to customize angle and zoom while observing your child on the large, clear display brings baby monitoring to a whole new level.
I especially love the long battery life on the portable screen and the sound-activated LED lights that alert you to baby’s cries, plus so many other features that make this product the queen of baby monitors.
Keep windows and sliding glass or closet doors inaccessible with these clear, easy-to-install locks.
We like these because they are inconspicuous, durable, and affordable.
Is your child a climber? We love this unique solution for keeping little ones safely inside their crib when they wake up before you do!
This pop up canopy is made of sturdy, breathable fabric mesh and is suitable for cribs or pack ‘n plays.
It is equipped with tie-able ribbons to hold it in place and has zipper access.
D. In the Kitchen and Dining Room
Children love to spend time with their parents in the kitchen, so let’s make this space as safe as we can with the great gadgets listed below.
Unfortunately, there are just too many risks in this part of the house to let kids have free range without taking multiple precautions.
Check out these products!
1. Magnetic Cabinet Locks from Safety Baby
Get ready to have your mind blown with these ingenious little locks! Not your standard system from yesteryear, these require no drilling, no screwing, and no holes in your cabinetry.
Adhered with strong 3M adhesive, these are activated with a magnetic “key” that allows you to open and close your cabinets with ease when you are ready, but leaves your toddler confounded.
These are the perfect solution for kitchens and I am so excited to pass on this recommendation!
Another fabulous magnetic locking system are these from Safety 1st! If other door and drawer locks are not cutting it, this system might be just what you are looking for.
We like that they are convenient and reliable, plus durable to boot.
The key is the ticket that allows you to open the 8 locks that come in the set and with a flip of a switch you can unlock all the locks at once so that when your child isn’t in the kitchen, you have more freedom of movement.
These handy-dandy devices are so useful, I can’t imagine baby-proofing without them.
They work for fridges, cabinets, drawers, and more. If you don’t want baby to open it, chances are these will do the job.
They are installed with adhesive and have a flexible strap so they can navigate around corners or curved surfaces. With simple, dual-button release operation they are easy for adults to open, but impossible for little ones.
I think these are one of the greatest safety latches on the market.
If you just need a simple cabinet lock, this one is perfect.
It has smooth operation and has rounded tips, which is important because they are generally installed at about eye-level of a toddler.
Not only does it have great customer reviews, but it is affordable, as well.
These are must-haves for every kitchen where stove knobs are accessible to little hands.
It only takes a moment for a child to turn a knob when you aren’t looking, so get these installed when your toddler is big enough to reach them.
E. In the Living Room and Office
When you are baby-proofing, you definitely don’t want to forget the unique challenges that exist in the living room and office areas.
Heavy furniture, cords, sharp corners, and blinds are all potential dangers that need to be addressed, so here are our suggestions for products that are very helpful in these parts of the house.
1. TV Anchors from Secure Home by Jessa Leona
One of the most common hazards in modern homes are TVs and other heavy objects and furniture that can tip and fall on little children.
Don’t let this happen to your child! These inexpensive, anti-tip, heavy-duty straps with solid metal connecting parts can be used to secure these dangers to the wall and remove this risk.
As one of the best on the market, I can’t recommend these strongly enough.
We love these strong, metal anchors that are designed to keep tall or heavy furniture firmly upright.
Furniture that isn’t anchored can easily fall over onto a small child, especially if they are in the climbing stage.
Use these for entertainment centers, bookshelves, dressers, and china hutches.
Just make sure that they are firmly screwed into a wall stud for proper support.
Nothing fancy here, just the simplest and least expensive option for keeping little fingers away from dangerous outlets.
I love the 36-count package because our house has so-many-rarely-used outlets!
These outlet caps are frosted clear and fit fairly tight, so even the craftiest little tyke won’t be able to pull them out.
These are a life-saver!
Though we love inexpensive, basic outlet plugs for rarely used sockets, if you have a few outlets that you plug things into (and out of) frequently.
In these places, it is so much more handy, though a little more expensive, to have self-closing covers.
These completely remove the hassle of keeping track of an outlet cover while running your vacuum or steam mop, and allows you to move swiftly from room to room.
What a great invention!
If your toddler is still a bit unsteady on her feet and is forever falling this way and that, protect her from the sharp corners in your home with “Caring Corners” so that she doesn’t end up seriously injured.
Attached with a strong adhesive, these handy little guards are rounded, semi-flexible protectors that turn a dangerous piece of furniture into something that you can keep, even with little children around.
It works on solid wood, tile, stone, metal, or plastic corners, and is easily installed and removed with simple instructions.
Keep those pesky cords out of the reach of little hands with this handy cord organizer set.
Not only will this keep baby from biting on the cords, but keeps them tucked away properly so that they can’t be yanked on, either.
Plus, you will love the neat look that it gives to hide away electrical cords!
Ultimately, we recommend removing any blinds with cords, if possible, because of the risks of strangulation.
However, if you do have blinds with cords, you really will need a workable solution to keep them out of reach of children.
This handy system gives you a quick and easy to keep them literally “up and away” from the heads and hands of toddlers.
Conclusion:
We hope these product suggestions help you as you look for solutions to make your home extra-safe for your child!
Happy baby proofing!