Buying guide
Home safety when your baby starts to move
What to secure before they roll, crawl and pull themselves up. Furniture fixed to the wall, stair gates and what to take out of their reach.
In short
- You do not need to prepare the house before the birth. You have until about 3–4 months, when your baby starts to roll.
- The most important thing is also the cheapest – tall furniture and the TV fixed to the wall.
- Screw-fitted gates at the top of the stairs, not pressure-fitted ones.
- Medicines, detergents, laundry capsules and button batteries up high and locked away.
In the first months, a baby stays where you put them. Then, one day, they do not: they roll off the bed, crawl towards a socket, pull themselves up on the edge of the chest of drawers. Each stage comes with its own risks, and the home is prepared gradually, one step ahead of your child. You do not need to turn it into a laboratory. A few things make almost all the difference.
By stage
| Roughly when | What they start doing | What you prepare |
|---|---|---|
| From birth | Nothing, but they can wriggle | Never leave them alone on the bed, sofa or changing table |
| 3–4 months | Rolls over, grabs | Nothing small within reach; sleep only in the cot |
| 6–9 months | Crawls, sits | Furniture fixed, stair gates, sockets, cables (see playpen and play space) |
| 9–12 months | Pulls up, cruises along furniture | Corners, tablecloths, hobs, windows, doors |
| Over a year | Walks, climbs | Chairs near windows, balcony doors, pan handles (see what to buy in the first year) |
The five most important things
What to buy and what to check
Wall-fixing kits for furniture. The cheapest and most important. Many pieces of furniture already have them in the box; look for them.
Safety gates.
- At the top of the stairs: screw-fixed only, without a bar at the bottom that you could trip over.
- At the bottom of the stairs and between rooms: pressure-fitted is fine.
- Compliance with EN 1930, a latch that a child cannot open, a small gap between the bars. The standard covers indoor gates for children up to 24 months, not windows.
- Measure the opening before you buy; many can be lengthened with extensions.
Socket covers. Modern sockets in Europe often have built-in shutters. If yours do not, use covers that a child cannot remove with their fingernails.
Cupboard and drawer locks, especially in the kitchen and bathroom. Safer than any lock: a cupboard up high, only for what is dangerous.
Corner protectors on low tables, at the head height of a child learning to walk.
Door stops, so they do not trap their fingers.
The kitchen
- Pan handles turned towards the wall; cook on the back rings.
- No hanging tablecloths.
- Hot drinks away from the edge and never with the child in your arms.
- The kettle’s and appliances’ cables do not hang from the worktop.
- Knives and cleaning products up high.
What to move out of their reach
- Medicines, vitamins, including what is in handbags and on bedside tables.
- Detergent capsules – they look like sweets.
- Button batteries from remote controls, scales, toys; check whether the cover is held by a screw.
- Small magnets, coins, buttons, beads, deflated balloons.
- House plants you do not know.
- Blind and curtain cords. Tie them up high or use cordless blinds.
- Plastic bags.
The simple rule: anything that fits through a toilet roll tube can be swallowed.
What you do not need
- The baby walker. It is discouraged by paediatricians and is a known cause of accidents on stairs. Details in what not to buy for a baby.
- Safety kits with 50 pieces. Most of them stay in the box. Buy what you need for your home.
- The playpen as somewhere to sit for hours. It is useful while you go to the door or to the bathroom; it does not replace supervision.
Our recommendation
Until about 4 months, nothing is needed: just do not leave them alone on high surfaces. When they start to crawl, fix the furniture to the wall, move everything dangerous up high and put gates on the stairs. Then, before each stage, get down to their height and look around the room. You will see what needs moving better than from any list.
Frequently asked questions
When should the home be prepared for your baby’s safety?
Gradually, ahead of each stage. Before they start rolling (around 3–4 months), you stop leaving them unsupervised on the bed or changing table. Before they crawl (around 6–9 months), you fix furniture to the wall, put gates on the stairs and move everything dangerous up high. Before they walk, you check what is within reach at table height.
What type of stair gate is safe?
At the top of the stairs, only a gate screwed into the wall and with no threshold bar to trip over. Pressure-fitted gates can come loose if a child leans on them and are suitable only for the bottom of the stairs or for doors between rooms. Look for compliance with the EN 1930 standard.
Why are button batteries and magnets dangerous?
A swallowed button battery can get stuck in the oesophagus and cause serious burns within a few hours. Two or more swallowed magnets can attract each other through the walls of the intestine. If you suspect your child has swallowed something like this, go straight to A&E, even if they seem well.
Think it could help someone else?
Send the guide to your partner or to a friend who is expecting a baby.