Safety is a top priority for all parents.
While a newborn baby comes with their own challenges, once a child is mobile you enter a new phase of parenthood and it’s time to baby-proof.
While there are the obvious items to invest in, there are now some innovative and handy products on the market to help protect your baby. Of course, baby-proofing goes beyond safety - and you may also want to think about taking some measures to protect your home from the chaos that a small person on the move can bring.
Baby proofing can seem overwhelming - especially as the modern home is full of potential hazards. There are plenty of lists and guides online to help you, while online sessions such as the Baby Academy UK’s baby safety course can really help new parents get to grips with the necessary adjustments needed around the house. This course will also inform you about what to do if an accident does happen.
While taking measures such as securing furniture to walls, baby-proofing sharp corners on furniture, removing toxic and hazardous products such as cleaning goods, batteries and alcohol from reach, and ensuring blinds and curtains are not a strangulation risk, are all sensible, here’s some excellent products to help keep your baby safe and your home happy.
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General
Fred Home Safety Starter Kit
A great place to start on your baby-proofing journey is with this Fred home safety pack, which includes seven items to help make your home secure.
In the pack are a top and lower catch to secure drawers, two different types of blocks for doors and drawers, four corner protectors, a door slam stopper, socket covers and even a gadget to check if items are small enough to be a choking hazard. A pretty comprehensive pack to get you started.
Buy now £24.99, John Lewis
LittleLife First Aid Kit
Every home needs a first aid kit, and this option is both extensive in its contents and cute to look at.
It comprehensively includes Sudocrem (25g), scissors, tweezers, forehead thermometer, vinyl gloves, nappy sacks, micropore tape, antiseptic wipes, medium and small eye pad dressings, low adherent dressing, fabric dressing strips, wound closure strips, gauze swabs, plasters, woven crepe bandages, triangular bandage, safety pins, burn gels, eye wash and ‘little star’ stickers.
Buy one for the home and one for the car.
Buy now £29.99, Amazon
Jamm doorstop
Doorstops are great pieces of baby-proofing kit as they’ll help stop tiny fingers from getting stuck in slamming doors. These Jamm doorstops work on tile, carpet, wood, laminate, stone, and marble floors. They are great value and have a sleek and minimal design.
Buy now £9.95, Amazon
Safetots Cable Tidy Unit
This little gadget will not only tidy up any unsightly wires, it will keep them out of the way of any small hands. Comes with an easy-click top lid for super simple assembly.
Buy now £13.95, Amazon
Fred Pressure Fit Wooden Stairgate
Stairgates are a baby-proofing essential. Fred is the market leader in child safety products, and has some of the most robust, best-looking and easy-to-use stairgates on the market. The brand has its screw-fit wooden stairgate suitable for the top of the stairs as it doesn’t have a low bar along the floor which could be a trip risk.
Its counterpart for the bottom is the pressure fit. Both are nice and tall - 77cm - and include a magnetic two-way lock. The gates are made of lick-proof and bite-proof materials.
Buy now £155.00, Amazon
Kitchen
BeeGo Oven Safety Child Lock
Quite obviously, an oven can be very dangerous for a curious child. This nifty self-adhesive oven safety lock, which is easily attached to your appliance with tape, is compatible with most ovens and microwaves. Each lock has been manufactured using heat-resistant PC materials to withstand extreme temperatures.
Buy now £6.99, Amazon
Leaf Print Floor Mat
Baby proofing goes beyond safety and also includes items that protect your home. This splash mat is a great pick if your child is weaning. Weaning is a messy business - and this means you don’t have to clean the entire kitchen floor every time your baby eats. It is easy to roll up and put away and could also be used for other messy situations - like craft time.
Buy now £10.00, JoJo Maman Bebe
Stokke Tripp Trapp chair
While we’re on the topic of weaning... the high chair is probably your biggest investment and making sure your child is safe while eating is paramount. You want something sturdy and supportive for your child (especially as they will probably have only just learnt to sit up), while not being too restrictive to impede their ability to eat.
The classic Stokke Tripp Trapp, which turned 50 this summer, is one of the safest chairs on the market, thanks to its solid structure, and five-point safety harness. It’s also wallet-proof - this chair is suitable for babies throughout their childhood and can even be used by adults.
Buy now £239.00, Stokke
Bathroom
Dreambaby Bathroom Safety Essentials Kit
Similar to the general Fred kit, this Dreambaby collection is specific for the bathroom. As well as drawer catches, plug covers and a door stopper, the kit also includes non-slip bath attachments, a toilet lock, a bath spout soft cover and a thermometer for bath time. This kit will pretty much have you covered.
Buy now £18.99, Amazon
Tappy Tap Guard & Bath Toy
This fun tap guard is a cute accessory for bathtime. Made from neoprene, it attaches to hot metal taps to help protect little hands from being scalded or heads from being hit. The flexible strap means it fits all taps including those with diverters. It is also semi-educational - with colourful numbers on the end of its tentacles. Who knew safety could be so cute and fun?
Buy now £24.99, Amazon
No Mould Bath Toys
Baby-proofing on a smaller scale, these mould-free bath toys are essential to keep unwelcome bacteria out of bath time. The colourful pieces are suitable for all ages and don’t feature any holes which could let water in. Not only that, but the animal ‘tub friends’ are dishwasher-safe and guaranteed to stimulate your baby’s mind.
Buy now £11.99, Amazon
Bedroom
BabyDan Wooden Bed Guard Rail
Another big life stage for a little person is moving into a big bed from their cot. Without cot sides, some children fall out of bed in the night. This wooden bed guard, which clicks easily on/off a bed frame (no tools needed), should help ease your baby through this tricky period. It is compatible with all beds other than upper bunks. Suitable for children aged 18 months.
Buy now £69.99, John Lewis
Tommee Tippee Ollie the Owl Gro Anywhere Blackout Blind
Baby proofing is also about making your life easier as a parent. This size-adjustable blackout blind from Tommee Tippee is a must-buy for parents of good and bad sleepers alike, and is especially useful around sleep regressions.
This goes up simply, attaching directly to the glass using suction cups and fits any window up to 130 x 198cm. Weighing only 200g, it comes with a travel bag so can be used at home or when on holiday or staying with family. Also machine washable.
Buy now £34.99, John Lewis
Bebe Earth Furniture Straps
Another must for baby proofing is ensuring heavy furniture like bookcases, wardrobes, televisions and draws, are attached to the walls just in case a little person decides to climb them. These straps help anchor furniture to the walls in five minutes. One pack includes eight straps and all the screws, washers and wall plugs needed.
Buy now £11.99, Amazon
Living room
Fred Adhesive Corner Protectors
One of the best things to do when you are baby-proofing is to crouch down to toddler height and see your home as they will see it - and you will be surprised at how many sharp edges you’ll encounter when you are a couple of feet tall. Corner protectors are another baby essential - and this good value eight-pack should have you covered for a fair few sharp edges in your home. Especially good for coffee tables.
Buy now £8.50, Amazon
Joie Cheer Baby Playpen - Little Explorer
This is a lovely playpen that is neither too big nor too small - it is just right! It measures about one square metre, so isn’t going to be too imposing in most homes. Made from sturdy plastic legs and material sides, it comes with a fun-coloured base and one of the sides includes toys set on a mountain scene - which is great to keep your child amused and safe.
Buy now £95.00, John Lewis
