When to start babyproofing: before the baby moves, and what each stage actually adds

Before the baby moves (pregnancy to 3 months)

A newborn does not go anywhere, which is exactly why this is the time. The jobs that need a drill, a stud finder and a free afternoon get done now: anchor every dresser, bookcase and TV (tip-overs are the one hazard with a federal body count, in do you really need to anchor furniture); check outlets for the TR mark and swap or cover the ones without it; set the water heater to 120 F; move the crib away from windows and cut every blind-cord loop, per blind cord safety; put smoke and CO alarms on every level. None of it depends on the baby's age and all of it is easier before there is a baby.

Rolling and reaching (4 to 6 months)

A baby who rolls can roll off a changing table or a bed, and a baby who reaches can pull a cord, a blind pull or a hot cup. The changing table gets its strap used every time and the dresser under it is already anchored. Cords get shortened and routed, per how to babyproof cords. The floor gets cleared of anything smaller than a toilet-paper tube. The stage guide is babyproofing at 6 months, and it is the one to read now, before crawling starts.

Crawling (6 to 10 months)

The stage that changes the house. A crawler reaches the stairs, the cabinets under the sink, the outlets at floor level, the trash can, the dog bowl, and every corner of every low table. Gates go up (hardware at the top of the stairs, per best baby gates for stairs); cabinet locks go on the doors with chemicals and knives; outlet protection is finished; corner guards go on the coffee table. The full walk is babyproofing for a crawling baby, and the kitchen on its own is babyproofing the kitchen.

Pulling up and cruising (8 to 12 months)

Now the child pulls up on the dresser, the TV stand, the oven door handle and the toilet. The anchoring done at month one pays off here; the oven gets a lock and the front stove knobs get covers, per best stove knob covers; the bathroom door gets a lock on the outside and the toilet a lid lock, per babyproofing the bathroom. Corners at 30 inches (counter overhangs, the hearth) join the list.

Walking and climbing (12 to 24 months)

A walker reaches door handles and window sills, and a climber turns every chair into a step to both. Door knob covers and lever locks go on the doors that lead somewhere dangerous, per best door locks and knob covers; windows above the first floor get guards or stops, per how to childproof windows; the pool, if there is one, gets every layer in how to childproof a pool. This is also when 30-inch gates start to get climbed and the tall ones earn their price, per how tall should a baby gate be.

What can wait

Toilet locks, stove knob covers and door locks can wait until pulling up; a newborn cannot open a toilet. Window guards can wait until the child can reach the sill or climb to it, though the crib moving away from the window cannot. Corner guards can wait until crawling. What cannot wait is anything that needs a screw: anchors, the top-of-stairs gate, the window guard on a low sill. Those are the before-the-baby-moves jobs, and the whole house in one list is the babyproofing checklist.