How to Childproof Your Home on a Budget

If you’re expecting a little one, you may be tempted to run out and baby-proof your home before he or she even arrives. Don’t feel like you need to do that just yet, but when your baby is beginning to learn how to crawl, start looking at ways to protect him or her.

Unfortunately, childproofing your home can become quite the expense. If you have a professional come into your home and baby-proof it, it could cost up to $90 an hour – and if you get your own childproof products, the price total can also add up quickly. However, there are a lot of DIY ways to childproof your home. You can rest assured that your baby will be safe and you’ll save some money as well. Here are some areas in your home to consider baby-proofing and some frugal ideas to help you out.

How to Childproof The Kitchen

The kitchen is where you want to start baby-proofing your home. To keep your child from opening the refrigerator and pulling food out, get a couple of Command Strip hooks and stick them on the door and the side of the refrigerator. Take a rubber bracelet or a hairband and connect the hooks.

Also, consider how you want to baby-proof your stove and oven. If your oven has a lock, make sure to have it engaged at all times to keep your baby from pulling himself up on the handle and falling over. To protect your child from playing with the stovetop knobs, simply pop the knobs off and stick them in a drawer. Replace them when you’re ready to cook.

How to Childproof The Bathroom

Just like the kitchen, it’s important that you baby-proof the bathroom. Wrap a rubber band around the roll of toilet paper to keep your baby from playing with it!

If you don’t want to buy a fancy toilet seat lock, take some painters tape and secure it by taping it down.

How to Childproof Cabinets

Cabinets are perhaps one of the most important things to baby-proof because of what you keep in them. If you have door knobs on your cabinets, use a hair tie or a rubber band and secure the knobs together to keep your baby from pulling the doors open. If there are handles on the cabinet doors, place a rod or a rolled up newspapers through the handles to secure them.

How to Childproof Bookshelves

Bookshelves can be really fun for babies. Who doesn’t love pulling books off shelves and throwing them on the floor? Unfortunately, it’s not so fun for parents. To keep your child from potentially ruining your books, place a thin rubber inner tube around the bookshelf. Use one inner tube for each shelf and place it so it’s difficult for those tiny fingers to grab books and pull them out.

How to Childproof Air Vents

Those central air vents in your house are fun for your baby to drop toys in, losing that toy for who knows how long. Instead of worrying about digging a toy out of a vent, remove the vent and place a layer of chicken wire underneath it. Replace the cover. Now you don’t have to spend your days retrieving lost toys!

How to Childproof Doors

Doors are another important thing to childproof in your house. You don’t want little fingers to get jammed and you don’t want your child wandering into rooms they shouldn’t be in. To protect your little one’s fingers, cut off about a foot of a pool noodle, then slice it so it will fit over the side of the door.

To baby-proof door knobs, slide a sock over them and secure the base with a rubber band. Adults can still open the door by squeezing the knob and turning, but it should be a little more difficult for a baby to figure out.

How to Childproof The Fireplace and Radiators

Of course, fireplaces and radiators are very dangerous for babies to be around. If you rent, first ask your landlord if they will provide a cover or a shield for your fireplace or radiators. Some landlords are required to give you one. You could also place a chalkboard over your fireplace opening. It protects your child and it also gives them a place to draw and play.

How to Childproof Sharp Corners

Afraid your baby may fall and hit her head on the sharp corner of a table? You don’t have to spend much money to protect her. If you have some old tennis balls lying around, slice two perpendicular lines into the tennis balls, then slide them over the corners of your furniture.