Childproof your home room by room

A step-by-step plan to make your whole home safer for a toddler, done in stages over a few weekends.

Guides in this project

01Childproof a home: what actually helps 02Do you need socket covers? What actually keeps sockets safe 03Fit a pressure-fit stair gate 04Fit a screw-fit stair gate 05Fit child locks to kitchen cupboards 06Make radiators and hot surfaces safe for children 07Anchor tall furniture to a wall 08Fit window restrictors 09Fit door finger guards 10Fit a child-safe cord cleat to a blind

CG-01Walk the house and make a safety planFollow 'Childproof a home: what actually helps' to work out which rooms and risks matter most for your child's age and stage. Make a room-by-room list of what you need before buying anything — this stops you overspending on gadgets you won't use. Photograph trouble spots (stairs, windows, blind cords, cupboards) so you remember them when you're out shopping. Budget roughly £150-£400 for the whole project, and plan for two to three weekends depending on house size.

1 each · Notebook or phone for photos

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1 each · Tape measure

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CG-02Fit gates at the top and bottom of the stairsUse 'Fit a screw-fit stair gate' at the top of the stairs — a pressure-fit gate should never go here, as a child leaning on it could push it loose. Use 'Fit a pressure-fit stair gate' at the bottom, where there's no fall risk if it's nudged. Before drilling for the screw-fit gate, check the wall with a detector, and still expect to find something. Buy both gates and measure the gaps before the day you start; a gate that's the wrong width is the most common hold-up.

1 each · Screw-fit stair gate

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1 each · Pressure-fit stair gate

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1 pack · Rawlplugs and screws pack

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CG-03Lock dangerous kitchen cupboards and drawersFollow 'Fit child locks to kitchen cupboards' for cleaning products, knives and anything breakable or sharp. Do the whole kitchen in one go while your tools are already out, rather than coming back to it later. Test each lock yourself the way a toddler would tug or push — some locks are easy to defeat once a child works out the trick.

1 pack · Child safety cupboard locks (multipack)

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CG-04Anchor tall furniture to the wallUse 'Anchor tall furniture to a wall' for any bookcase, wardrobe, chest of drawers or TV unit a toddler could climb or pull over — this is one of the most serious hazards in the whole project. Check the wall with a detector before drilling, and still expect something to be there. If the detector shows a cable or pipe exactly where the anchor needs to go, stop and get an electrician or plumber to move it rather than drilling blind.

2 each · Furniture anti-tip strap

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1 pack · Wall anchors and screws pack

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CG-05Fit window restrictorsFollow 'Fit window restrictors' on every window a child could reach, especially upstairs. Check for cables and pipes with a detector before drilling into the frame or surround. If a window is relied on as a fire escape — commonly a bedroom window — fit a restrictor with a quick-release catch rather than a fixed lock, so an adult can still open it fully in an emergency.

1 each · Window restrictor kit

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CG-06Fit finger guards to doors that trap fingersFollow 'Fit door finger guards' on doors near play areas, especially ones with a strong spring or that slam shut in a draught. Do this after the cupboard and furniture work — it's quick and doesn't need much planning once you know which doors are a problem.

1 each · Door finger guard or jammer

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CG-07Cleat up looped blind cordsFollow 'Fit a child-safe cord cleat to a blind' on every blind with a looped chain or cord, especially in rooms with a cot or bed near the window. Check for cables before drilling the cleat into the wall or frame — even a small fixing can catch a cable at shallow depth near a window. Each blind takes about 10 minutes once you have the cleats.

1 each · Child-safe cord cleat

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CG-08Walk the house again and test everythingGo room to room and test every gate, lock, anchor, restrictor, guard and cleat by hand, the way a toddler would. Re-tighten anything that feels loose — a loose fixing is worse than none, because it gives false confidence. Expect the whole project to take two to three weekends, plus an extra weekend if a trade needs to move a cable or pipe first. Total materials usually come to £150-£400; add a trade call-out fee, commonly £60-£150, if one was needed.

1 pack · Spare fixings and screws (contingency)

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