How to baby-proof your home: a room-by-room checklist

Nobody warns you how fast it happens. One week your baby stays exactly where you put them. The next they have rolled off the playmat, and a month later they are halfway up the stairs with a sock in their mouth. Baby-proofing is not about turning your home into a padded cell. It is about sorting the handful of things that cause real injuries, before your baby can reach them.

This checklist follows the HSE's child safety advice, stage by stage and then room by room. For where and how your baby should sleep, see our separate guide to safe sleep in Ireland, which covers the cot in detail.

When should I start baby-proofing?

Before you think you need to. The HSE points out that babies develop new skills very quickly and that parents often underestimate how soon a baby will roll, creep, crawl and pull themselves up. Some babies are on the move by around 6 months.

The easiest way to find the hazards is the HSE's own tip: get down to your child's eye level and crawl through each room. Hallways, stairs, landings, the garden, the shed and the garage too. You will spot things you have walked past for years.

What should I do before the baby arrives?

• Blinds and curtains: the HSE advises removing blinds and curtains with cords or chains and replacing them with cordless ones. Looped cords are a particular risk for children under 3. If you cannot replace them yet, use safety devices that meet current standards and keep cords at least 1.6 metres off the ground, but remember children climb.
• The nursery layout: keep the cot, playpen and high chair away from windows with blinds or curtains.
• Carbon monoxide: the HSE advises installing at least 1 carbon monoxide alarm.
• Fireguards: guard open fires with a spark-guard and a fireguard secured to the wall, and never put anything on top of the fireguard.
• Save the numbers: put the Poisons Information line, your GP and 112 or 999 in your phone and on the fridge.

What changes when my baby starts rolling?

Rolling is when raised surfaces become dangerous. The HSE is clear: never leave a baby alone on a changing table or any raised surface, even for a second. Change nappies on the floor if you need to step away.

• Never put a bouncer or car seat on a table, bed or worktop. Keep it on the floor.
• Use the 5-way harness on every seat, bouncer, high chair and buggy, every time.
• Keep nappy sacks and plastic bags out of reach. Plastic can cling to a baby's face and cause suffocation.

What should I baby-proof once my baby is crawling?

Now everything on the floor, and everything in the low cupboards, is fair game.

• Stairgates at the top and bottom of the stairs, fitted properly and kept closed. The HSE says falling down the stairs is one of the most common causes of falls in children.
• Cupboard locks and latches on anywhere with cleaning products, medicines or sharp things.
• Small objects off the floor: coins, keys, magnets, jewellery, pen lids, batteries.
• Handbags, yours and your visitors', up high. They often hold medicines and cosmetics.
• Rugs secured with tape or rubber pads.

The HSE also advises against baby walkers. They do not help babies learn to walk, and they let babies reach kettles, medicines and stairs. Floor time with you is better.

What about when my baby starts pulling up and walking?

Pulling up means your baby can now reach table edges, drawer handles and anything left near the edge of a counter. Walking means they can get there fast.

• Anchor furniture and the TV to the wall or floor with brackets or straps: bookcases, chests of drawers, coat stands and TVs. The HSE warns these can cause serious or fatal injury if they fall on a child.
• Window restrictors on windows, ideally ones that open without tools so you can still get out in a fire. Move beds, sofas and anything climbable away from windows.
• Corner protectors on low sharp edges.
• Tablecloths away for a while. A tug brings down whatever is on top.
• Balconies: no furniture or plant pots near the railings, and no unsupervised access.

How do I baby-proof the kitchen?

The kitchen is where the burns and scalds happen. The HSE's advice:

• Never hold your child while making or drinking a hot drink. A hot drink can scald a child up to 15 minutes after being poured.
• Use a kettle with a short or curly cord and keep it at the back of the counter.
• Cook on the back rings first and turn saucepan handles in.
• Be careful opening a hot oven door, and consider a safety gate to keep small children out of the kitchen while you cook.
• Keep laundry and dishwasher pods completely out of sight and reach. Their bright colours make them look like sweets.
• Keep cleaning products in their original containers, never in drink bottles, in a high locked cupboard.

How do I baby-proof the bathroom?

The HSE says the bath is the biggest drowning risk for babies and children at home. Drowning can happen in silence, in an instant and in very little water.

• Never leave your child alone in the bath, not even for a moment, and do not leave an older child in charge.
• Empty the bath straight after use, and empty basins and mop buckets and store them upside down.
• Do not rely on a bath seat. The HSE warns they can tip over.
• Run cold water first, then warm, then cold again. Test before your baby goes in. The HSE suggests about 36°C for a newborn and 37 to 38°C for babies and children.
• Keep the bathroom door closed.
• Medicines and vitamins in a high locked cupboard. Vitamin gummies look like sweets.

How do I baby-proof the living room and bedrooms?

• TV and furniture anchored, as above.
• Remote controls, car keys, musical cards and anything with a button battery out of reach, and check battery compartments are secured.
• Hair straighteners unplugged straight after use and stored out of reach. The HSE says they can reach 200°C and take up to 40 minutes to cool down.
• Candles, matches and lighters out of reach, and never leave a candle burning unattended.
• Cigarettes, vapes and nicotine gum out of reach. Even small amounts of nicotine can be toxic to babies and children.

What should I do if my child swallows something?

Poisons: if you think your child has swallowed something harmful, ring the National Poisons Information Centre public line on 01 809 2166, open 8am to 10pm every day as of September 2026. They will tell you whether your child needs urgent medical attention. If the line is closed, contact a GP or a hospital emergency department. In an emergency, call 112 or 999.

Button batteries: go to your nearest emergency department immediately. The HSE says that if your child is over 12 months and can swallow, you can give them 2 teaspoons of honey on the way to help protect their insides. Never give honey to a baby under 12 months.

How do I know if a baby product is safe?

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) publishes product recalls and product safety advice in Ireland, including guidance on child safety. It describes the CE mark as a manufacturer's declaration that a product meets EU safety rules, so look for it on toys, pick toys suited to your child's age and stage and check the CCPC product safety page for recalls. If something seems unsafe, you can report it to the CCPC.

A small practical tip: when your baby does something new, like rolling or pulling up, note it down. In Lullagram you can log those firsts alongside feeds and sleep, and the pattern of a baby getting more mobile is often your cue to do the next round of baby-proofing.

Frequently asked questions

When should I start baby-proofing?

Start before your baby is mobile, ideally while you are still pregnant or in the early weeks. Babies develop new skills very quickly and parents often underestimate how soon they will roll, crawl and pull themselves up.

What is the number for the Poisons Information Centre in Ireland?

The National Poisons Information Centre public line is 01 809 2166, open 8am to 10pm every day, as of September 2026. If the line is closed, contact a GP or a hospital emergency department. In an emergency, call 112 or 999.

What should I do if my child swallows a button battery?

Go to your nearest emergency department immediately. The HSE says that if your child is over 12 months and can swallow, you can give them 2 teaspoons of honey on the way to help protect their insides. Never give honey to a baby under 12 months.

Do I really need to anchor furniture and the TV to the wall?

Yes. The HSE advises securing free-standing furniture and TVs, including bookcases, chests of drawers and coat stands, to the wall or floor with brackets or straps, because they can cause serious or fatal injury if they or their contents fall on a child.

Are baby walkers safe?

The HSE advises against baby walkers. They do not help babies learn to walk and they let babies reach kettles, medicines and stairs, which raises the risk of burns, scalds, poisoning and head injuries. Floor time is better.

Where can I check if a baby product has been recalled?

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) lists product recalls on its website, and you can report an unsafe product to it there too.