Childproofing Your Home

As you welcome a new baby, prepare for toddlerhood, or relocate to a new home, it is important to provide a safe environment for your child. The resources below can help with that process.
Web Resources
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Childproofing Checklist by Age
Source: International Association for Child Safety
Learn important safety measures you can take to childproof your home, based on the age and development of your child.
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Childproofing Your Home
Source: National Safety Council
This article provides information on suffocation, high-risk zones in the home, safety tips, and suggestions to help families prepare for the unexpected.
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Childproofing Your Home – Several Safety Devices to Help Protect Your Children from Home Hazards
Source: United States Consumer Product Safety Commission
This resource provides a list of inexpensive child-safety devices that are easy to find and easy to install.
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Childproofing Your Home for Poisons
Source: HealthyChildren.org
Before or as soon as children begin crawling or walking, parents and caregivers need to take extra steps to make sure harmful items are out of reach, out of sight, and locked up if possible.
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Childproofing Your Home: A Room-by-Room Safety Checklist
Source: University of Georgia Extension
This checklist includes basic tips, broken down by room, to help make your home safer for the whole family.
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Create a Safe Environment for Your Family
Source: International Association for Child Safety
This booklet provides information on childproofing, harmful house products, safe plants, outdoor safety, and child safety resources.
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Health and Safety Tips for Children
Source: Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
Common causes of accidental childhood injuries include drowning, falls, fires or burns, poisoning, suffocation and motor vehicle crashes. This guide, intended to spark conversations with caseworkers, covers health and safety concerns and avoiding risks.
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Home Safety Checklist (PDF)
Source: Safe Kids Worldwide
This checklist shows tips to keep kids safe, room by room.
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Home Safety Webinar
Source: Head Start ECLKC
This 72-minute webinar addresses safety risks and injury prevention tips for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Included are some home safety checklists that families and staff can complete together.
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How to Add Childproofing to a Home
Source: This Old House
This short video provides a parent with tips to keep a baby safe around the house by using cabinet locks, a baby gate, outlet covers, and securing a television.
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How to Childproof Your Home
Source: This Old House
This short video demonstrates quick, effective ways to safeguard children around the home.
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Injury Prevention Starts at Home
Source: Head Start ECLKC
This resource provides information for families on how to prevent injuries at home.
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Is Your Home “Baby-Proof?”
Source: Oregon Health and Science University
Protect your baby from unnecessary injury; check your home for these safety hazards. This checklist focuses on infants and young toddlers.
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United States Consumer Product Safety Commission
Source: United States Consumer Product Safety Commission
The commission provides many free safety resources including alerts, posters, brochures, handbooks, and other materials that you can use to help spread consumer product safety information in your community.
The opinions, resources, and referrals provided on the IEL Web site are intended for informational purposes only and are not intended to take the place of medical or legal advice, or of other appropriate services. We encourage you to seek direct local assistance from a qualified professional if necessary before taking action.
About this resource
Setting(s) for which the article is intended:- Home
Intended audience(s):
- Parents / Family
Age Levels (the age of the children to whom the article applies):