Baby-proofing your home: a room-by-room checklist

By the INJOOD team · Reviewed by Mohamed Abdelmoneim, occupational health and safety specialist (NEBOSH IGC, ISO 45001 Lead Auditor) · Last updated: 17 October 2026

Start baby-proofing before your child starts crawling, not after. The American Academy of Pediatrics warns that between 6 and 12 months a baby suddenly learns to roll, crawl, sit and stand, and that many injuries happen because parents don't know what their child can now do ^[2]. Get down to your child's eye level and walk through the house: exposed sockets, drawers with cleaning products and medicines, table corners and doors are your priorities.

When should I start baby-proofing?

Cleveland Clinic advises starting at around 6 months, because rolling over is itself the first step in moving around ^[7].

Child's stage	What changes	What to secure first
Before crawling (around 6 months)	The baby rolls and grabs things nearby	Sockets near the floor, cables, small objects on the floor
Crawling (6–12 months)	Reaches everything below table height	Lower drawers and cabinets, sockets, furniture corners, doors, stairs ^[2],[4]
Standing and walking (from 12 months)	Climbs and reaches everywhere, and uses a chair to reach the counter or the window ^[3]	Anchor furniture and the TV to the wall, the oven and appliances, windows and the balcony

The kitchen

Cabinets with cleaning products, medicines and knives: the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates about 67,000 poisonings of children under 5 were treated in emergency departments in 2023, and nearly 7 in 10 poisonings happen at home ^[18]. Lock the cabinet or move the hazard up high; doing both is best.
The oven: a child who has started walking grabs the hot oven door to steady themselves, so keep them out of the kitchen while you cook ^[3]. An oven-door lock stops the door from opening, but it doesn't protect against the heat of the door's outside surface ^[24].
The stove: cook on the back burners and turn pan handles inward ^[4], and fit an anti-tip bracket to a freestanding stove ^[1].

Suitable products: Hidden magnetic cabinet & drawer locks (EGP 399) · Oven & appliance safety lock (EGP 399) · Multi-purpose safety strap lock (EGP 179)

The living room

Table corners: CPSC recommends corner and edge bumpers to reduce injuries from falls against furniture edges, as long as they stay firmly in place ^[1]. In data from Queensland, Australia, tables and desks were the top cause of injuries from hitting fixed objects among children under 5, and the head and face were injured in about half of the cases ^[26].
Sockets: cover every unused socket with a cover that is hard for a child to remove and large enough that it can't be swallowed ^[1]. Details in the socket covers guide.
TV, cabinets and shelves: anchor them to the wall. CPSC recorded 581 deaths from furniture and TV tip-overs since 2000, 472 of them children ^[19].

Suitable products: Furniture corner & edge guards (L, T and round) · Electrical socket safety covers – 8 pieces (EGP 199)

Doors

Pinched fingers: in a Hong Kong study, doors were the top cause of children being admitted to hospital with finger injuries, and 10–12% of door injuries ended in amputation ^[8]. Fit a foam finger guard on the edge of the door so it can't close fully, and watch the hinge side. Details in the door finger guard guide.
The bathroom door: keep it closed; a child can drown in less than 5 centimetres of water ^[3].

Suitable products: Door finger pinch guard – foam (EGP 44.99) · Lever, window & cabinet lock (EGP 169)

The bathroom

Keep the toilet lid shut with a strap lock, and medicines and vitamins out of sight and reach ^[6].
Never leave a child alone in the bath or next to a bucket of water, even for a few seconds ^[3].

The bedroom, windows and balcony

Move the bed, sofa and chairs away from the window, and keep the window opening to no more than 6.5 cm with a lock or a stop ^[4].
A window insect screen does not stop a child from falling; it is made for insects only ^[5]. And don't let your child play on the balcony ^[5].
Curtain cords: tie them up high, or choose cordless curtains ^[2],[4].

The 7 most important baby-proofing products

Socket covers.
A door finger guard.
Table corner guards.
Kitchen cabinet and drawer locks.
An oven-door lock.
A strap lock for the fridge, cabinets and toilet lid.
A lock for door handles and windows.

All seven come together in the INJOOD home-safety kit – 7 pieces for EGP 1,399, instead of EGP 1,528.99 if you buy them separately. Full price list.

Tips that make safety products actually work

Fit them properly, and lock them again after every use. CPSC says plainly that no device is 100% childproof, and that a determined child may defeat it ^[1].
Clean and dry the surface before sticking on any lock or guard, and check adhesive parts regularly. Child locks have been recalled because small parts came off and caused a choking hazard ^[22],[23].
Choose products that are easy for adults to fit and use ^[1]; a lock that annoys you will end up left open.
No product replaces adult supervision. Keep a young child within arm's reach ^[6].

Frequently asked questions

How do I baby-proof the house for a child who is starting to crawl?

Start at floor level: cover sockets, lock kitchen and bathroom drawers and cabinets, cover table corners, put a finger guard on doors, and move medicines, cleaning products and small objects up high. Start at around 6 months, before your child is on the move.

What are the most important safety products when a child starts walking?

On top of socket covers and cabinet locks: anchor furniture and the TV to the wall, put corner guards on tables at head height, lock the oven door, fit window locks, and add a stair gate if your home has stairs.

Should I buy a full kit or separate pieces?

If you are preparing the whole house at once, the kit costs less (EGP 1,399 instead of EGP 1,528.99). If you only need to secure one spot, a single product is the better choice.

Can I pay cash on delivery for INJOOD products?

Yes. INJOOD (injood.com) is an Egyptian online store for child home-safety products. It delivers to every governorate in Egypt, with cash on delivery and returns within 14 days.