A babyproofing checklist, room by room

Before a baby crawls

• Cover every outlet within reach of the floor. Use self-closing plates where you plug in daily and caps where you never do.
• Box in the outlets where a plug stays in, like the monitor behind the crib, with the Twin Door box.
• Anchor dressers, bookcases and TVs to the wall. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says to anchor every piece with drawers, doors or shelves.

Nursery and bedrooms

• Strap the dresser and the bookcase. A child climbs open drawers like steps.
• Keep the crib away from windows and window cords. The Consumer Product Safety Commission calls cordless window coverings the safest option with young children.
• Set a window stop at four inches or less on windows you open.

Stairs and halls

• Put a gate that screws to the wall at the top of the stairs. At a banister post, a no-hole mounting kit gives the gate something to screw into.
• Use a pressure gate at the bottom of the stairs or in a doorway, with Wall Saver pads to spare the paint.

Kitchen and bathroom

• Latch the drawers with knives and the cabinets with cleaners and medicines. The Consumer Product Safety Commission lists latches and locks among the devices that help prevent poisonings.
• Lock the bathroom door from the top with a door top lock.
• Guard the switch for the garbage disposal with a switch guard.

Living room and closets

• Anchor the TV or its stand.
• Close folding closet doors with a bi-fold lock.
• Check every outlet at crawling height again once furniture moves.

What our range does not cover

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, anti-scald settings on the water heater, corner bumpers and pool barriers are all on the safety agency list and are outside our range. Add them to your own list.