The babyproofing checklist: every room, in the order the injury data says to do it

Why this order

Most checklists are sorted by room. This one is sorted by what actually hurts children, then grouped by room so you can walk the house. Tip-overs and falls have a body count; outlets and corners mostly have emergency-room visits; and the water hazards, the pool and the bathtub, are the leading cause of death for one-to-four-year-olds, which is why they are the one section you do not skip even if you do not own a pool. The stage-by-stage version, for what to do at 6 months versus at crawling, is in when to start babyproofing, and the twelve-month pass - when reach, climbing and working hands all arrive at once - is babyproofing for a 1 year old. The next pass, when the climbing starts and the latches you already fitted stop working, is babyproofing for a 2 year old. Start at the anchoring question if you only have an hour.

Every room

• Anchor every dresser, bookcase, tall cabinet and TV stand into a stud. Best furniture anchors
• Strap or wall-mount every TV. Best TV straps
• Check every outlet for the TR mark; cover the ones without it. Are outlet covers necessary?
• Box the outlets with things plugged in; box the power strips. Best in-use covers
• Shorten and route every cord; cut every blind-cord loop. How to babyproof cords
• Guard or stop every window a child can reach above the first floor. Best window guards
• Corner guards on every sharp corner between 18 and 36 inches. Best corner guards
• Smoke and CO alarms on every level, tested this month.

Nursery and bedrooms

• Crib, bed and changing table away from every window and every cord. Blind cord safety
• Dresser anchored; the changing table too. How to anchor a dresser
• Corded blinds replaced with cordless, or cords wound up high.
• Nothing on top of the dresser a climber would want.

Living room

• TV strapped to an anchored stand, or wall-mounted. How to anchor a TV
• Bookcase anchored; heavy things on the bottom shelves.
• Fireplace hearth padded; gate up when in use. How to babyproof a fireplace
• Coffee table corners guarded; glass table gone or guarded. Foam vs clear
• Doorways gated where you need a safe room. Best pressure-mounted gates
• Room walkthrough: Babyproofing the living room

Kitchen

• Cleaners, pods, medicine and knives moved high. Babyproofing the kitchen
• Under-sink cabinet and knife drawer locked. Best cabinet locks
• Stove knobs covered if front-mounted; oven door locked. Best stove knob covers
• Trash and dishwasher strapped. Best drawer and strap locks
• Kitchen entrance gated for cooking time. Best extra-wide gates
• Water heater at 120 F.

Bathroom

• Door kept shut with a knob cover or lever lock on the outside. Best door locks
• Toilet lid locked; medicine cabinet locked. Babyproofing the bathroom
• Spout covered; never leave the tub running or a child in it.

Stairs, doors and windows

• Hardware gate at the top of every staircase; gate at the bottom. Best gates for stairs
• Banister balusters under 4 inches apart, or netted. Baby gates for banisters
• Newel post padded, landing rug secured, treads clear, stairs lit. Babyproofing stairs and hallways
• Garage, basement and exterior doors locked or alarmed. How to childproof the garage
• Windows stopped at 4 inches or guarded; screens counted as nothing. How to childproof windows

Garage, yard and pool

• Four-sided pool fence with a self-closing gate; door alarms on doors to the pool. How to childproof a pool
• Buckets, coolers and kiddie pools emptied the moment you are done.
• Garage chemicals locked and high; car keys out of reach; door to the garage locked.
• Grill and fire pit off-limits and cold before the child is out.

If you buy four things

Two ways to use this list. Working through it yourself, in spending order, is on babyproofing on a budget; which four jobs are worth paying a professional for is on professional babyproofing vs DIY.

Two companions to this list: what is babyproofing for the definition and the four hazard families behind the order above, and babyproofing for a 3 year old for the year the latches stop working and the windows and doors take over.