Childproofing Your Home

Once your child begins to roll over (usually between 3 and 4 months old) it is time to childproof your house. We recommend you get down on your child’s level and crawl around on your hands and knees to see what is in reach.

We recommend: 

• Outlet plug protectors on every outlet in the house
• Not leaving any child unattended on a changing table, couch, bed or any raised surface
• All choking hazards—hard candy, nuts, small toys—be kept out of reach of small children 
• Cabinet locks 
• Keepings all chemicals in their original containers and placing them in the upper cabinets or in cabinets with a lock 
• Keeping all medications in upper cabinets out of reach of all children 
• Guns either not be kept at the house (by the AAP policy) or guns and ammunition should be stored separately and locked at all times 
• Setting hot water heater to 120°F to help prevent scalding 
• Pools should have a safety fence with a lock and children should be monitored at ALL times when around any body of water—big or small 
• All exterior doors should remain locked with a lock out of child’s reach, interior doors leading to stairs should also remain locked 
• Stairs without doors should be blocked by a safety gate 
• Knives should be kept out of reach of small children

Medical Representations
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