Any parent knows that babies are deceptive. They are small, wobbly, cute, and apparently slow, but as soon as your back is turned they become incredibly agile, quick and troublesome. Once they start moving, babies are a test of their parent’s reflexes and reaction times. With the start of crawling, comes the start of closed doors and locked cupboards.

The task of baby proofing the whole house all at once is rather daunting so start small; baby proof the areas that your baby is in the most and then branch out. If you have a baby gate and keep him or her mostly confined to one room, then focus all your attentions on that room, use it as your test. Baby proof it until you think it is complete, let your child play in it and then see what things still need baby proofing and what things really didn’t need baby proofing.

After the one room is baby proofed, move on toward making any harmful items safe. If you normally keep cleaners in lower cupboards, then consider moving them to a higher shelf, out to the garage or put a baby lock on the cupboard. Never leave a cleaner out on the floor if your baby is in the same room. You may think that your child won’t be interested or that they won’t move that far yet, but don’t be fooled; if it’s not a toy and it’s something new your baby will be after it like candy.

What is most important is to watch your child. You will not be able to prevent every accident, but take the steps you feel necessary to make your home safe for your child. If you are at home all day long with your baby you may not feel that baby proofing everything is as important since you will be able to spend more time watching your child. But if your child is ultra curious and troublesome then you may have to be ready with a supply of cushions and band aids.