Babyproofing Checklist: How to Prepare Your House Before Baby

Preparing for a newborn involves more than setting up a nursery or assembling the crib. It also means creating a home that’s ready for all of the milestones ahead—even if many of those months still feel a long way off.

For many adoptive families, babyproofing and getting the house ready is one meaningful way to prepare during the waiting period. While you’re working through the adoption process, there may be days when it feels like everything is out of your control. Completing practical projects around your home is one way to feel prepared for the moment you finally bring your baby home. Along with preparing their home, many waiting families use this time to plan for the cost of adoption and the everyday expenses that come with caring for a newborn.

Many of these safety measures won’t become essential until your baby starts rolling, crawling, and pulling up. Still, preparing your home now gives you one less thing to think about after placement and can offer a welcome sense of progress during a season that often involves more waiting than doing.

Use this room-by-room babyproofing checklist as you prepare to adopt a baby and create a safe, welcoming environment for your growing family.

Quick Babyproofing Checklist

If you’re wondering what you need to baby proof your house, start with these important safety essentials.

• Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Install outlet covers or tamper-resistant outlets.
• Secure heavy furniture and televisions to the wall.
• Lock cabinets containing medications, cleaning supplies, and sharp objects.
• Cover sharp furniture corners.
• Remove dangling blind and curtain cords.
• Set your water heater to no higher than 120°F.
• Install safety gates near stairs before your baby becomes mobile.
• Create a stocked infant first-aid kit.
• Save the Poison Help number (1-800-222-1222) in your phone.

Once you’ve completed these basics, you can move through your home one room at a time.

General Home Safety

Each home is different, but every babyproofing house checklist should include a few basic safety improvements before your baby arrives.

One helpful exercise is to get down on your hands and knees and look around from a child’s perspective. Cords, table corners, decorative objects, and small items that seem harmless from adult height suddenly become much more noticeable.

As you prepare your home:

• Keep plastic bags, batteries, coins, magnets, and other small objects out of reach.
• Secure dangling electrical cords behind furniture whenever possible.
• Check low shelves and tables for breakable décor.
• Keep potentially toxic houseplants out of reach.
• Store emergency contacts where caregivers can easily find them.
• Look for peeling paint, loose hardware, or damaged safety devices.

Many families complete these projects while preparing for their adoption home study since they’re already evaluating their home with safety in mind. Even if you’ve already completed your home study, it’s worth taking another walk through each room before your baby arrives.

Babyproofing the Nursery

The nursery doesn’t need to be elaborate, but it should provide a safe place for your baby to sleep, grow, and spend time together.

Choose a crib that meets current federal safety standards, and check that it has no missing, loose, or damaged hardware. Crib slats should be no more than 2⅜ inches apart. Position the crib away from windows, curtain cords, wall décor, and furniture your child could eventually climb.

Always place your baby on their back for sleep on a firm, flat surface with only a fitted sheet. It can be tempting to decorate the crib itself, but blankets, pillows, crib bumpers, and stuffed animals should stay out of an infant’s sleep space.

If you’re painting or decorating the nursery, finish those projects well before your baby’s arrival so any lingering odors have time to dissipate.

Once your baby begins pulling up, remove mobiles and hanging toys that could become safety hazards.

If you’re still early in your journey, this may also be a helpful time to review the adoption requirements that must be completed before placement.

Kitchen Safety

You may not think much about your kitchen while caring for a newborn, but before long your baby will be fascinated by every cabinet, drawer, and appliance within reach.

Installing safety devices now also gives you time to childproof your kitchen and get used to cabinet locks before life gets much busier once your baby is home.

Consider these precautions:

• Install cabinet and drawer latches where you store cleaning products and sharp utensils.
• Keep small appliances unplugged when not in use.
• Turn pot and pan handles toward the back of the stove while cooking.
• Store knives, alcohol, and breakable items well above a child’s reach.
• Secure trash cans with locking lids if possible.
• Keep tablecloths and appliance cords from hanging over edges where little hands can grab them.

Bathroom Safety

It doesn’t take long for an ordinary bathroom to become full of things babies shouldn’t touch—from medications and cosmetics to standing water and hot faucets.

Add a non-slip bath mat and consider purchasing an infant bathtub designed for newborn bathing. Install a toilet lock before your child becomes mobile, and keep medications, vitamins, razors, and personal care products inside locked cabinets.

To help prevent accidental burns, adjust your home’s water heater to a maximum of 120°F.

Never leave a child unattended near water, even for a moment. Empty buckets, bathtubs, and sinks immediately after use. Even a small amount of standing water can pose a serious risk for young children.

Living Room and Shared Spaces

Before your baby is crawling, they’ll likely spend lots of time stretching, rolling, and playing on the living room floor. Looking at the room from that perspective often reveals hazards that are easy to miss.

Secure televisions and tall furniture to the wall, especially if they’re located near climbing opportunities.

Cover sharp coffee table corners, organize electrical cords with cord covers, and keep remote controls, batteries, candles, and fragile decorations out of reach.

If your home has a fireplace, install a protective screen or guard to help prevent burns.

For homes with stairs, install hardware-mounted safety gates at the top of stairways before your baby begins crawling.

Babyproofing Timeline: What to Do Before Your Baby Reaches Each Milestone

You don’t have to complete every babyproofing project at once. Many safety updates can be completed before your baby comes home, while others become more important as your child reaches new developmental milestones.

Before Your Baby Comes Home

This is the ideal time to complete projects that only need to be done once, including:

• Anchor heavy furniture and televisions.
• Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Set the water heater to 120°F.
• Prepare the crib and secure hazardous household items.

Taking care of these larger projects early means you’ll have more time to focus on your new baby once you’re home together.

Before Your Baby Starts Rolling

As your baby becomes more active, begin looking at your home from floor level.

This is a good time to:

• Cover outlets.
• Secure cords.
• Remove small objects from floor level.
• Pad sharp furniture edges where needed.

Before Crawling

Once babies become mobile, they often move faster than parents expect.

Before your baby starts crawling, be sure to:

• Install cabinet locks.
• Add safety gates.
• Secure trash cans and pet bowls.
• Recheck every room from floor level.

Before Pulling Up and Walking

As your child begins standing and climbing, take another walk through your home.

Look for anything they can now reach that wasn’t accessible before, and:

• Clear reachable shelves and tabletops.
• Secure button batteries and remotes.
• Recheck furniture anchors.
• Remove anything that could encourage climbing.

Every new milestone is a reminder to look at your home again. A space that works well for a newborn will naturally need a few updates as your child begins rolling, crawling, climbing, and walking.

Don’t Forget About Visitors and Caregivers

Baby proofing also means making sure anyone who cares for your child understands your home’s safety routines. Whether that includes grandparents, relatives, babysitters, or close friends, taking a few minutes to walk your adoption village through your home together can help everyone feel more confident. Show them where medications and cleaning supplies are stored, how safety gates and locks work, and which areas should remain off-limits.

This is also a good time to talk about safe sleep practices. Even well-meaning family members may have outdated advice based on what was recommended years ago. Sharing your family’s routines ahead of time helps everyone provide consistent care and gives you greater peace of mind.

Finally, don’t forget about pets. If you have dogs or cats, give them time to adjust to the nursery, new sounds, and changes in your routine before your baby arrives. Creating safe spaces for both your baby and your pets can make the transition smoother for everyone in the household.

Frequently Asked Questions About Baby Proofing

Prepare Your Home and Your Heart

Preparing your home with a babyproofing checklist won’t shorten the wait, but each cabinet lock, covered outlet, and finished room can help you feel more ready for the moment your child comes home. You may not know exactly when that day will arrive, but you can feel confident knowing your home will be ready when it does.

If you’re just beginning your adoption journey, you can start with our free newborn adoption application and learn more about how Angel Adoption helps families build the future they’ve been dreaming about.