Childproofing a Toddler's Room

Child's Point of View

• Consider the room from your child's point of view. Get down on the floor and study things from your child's height. Notice whether or not toys or other desirable objects in the room are out of reach, so that your child might not be tempted to climb on furniture and risk falling. Make sure blind cords or electrical cords are arranged in such a way that they couldn't choke a child who ran into them or became entangled in them. Putting yourself in your child's place may help you spot hazards.

Furniture

• Attach bookshelves and dressers to the wall with safety brackets to prevent toddlers from pulling the furniture over on top of themselves. Pad sharp corners and edges that a running child might bump into. Place toys on lower shelves so children can easily reach them and won't be tempted to climb. Replace breakable glass lamps and decorative items with sturdier, nonbreakable materials.

Electrical

• Inexpensive plastic plugs can cover electrical outlets, preventing your toddler from sticking a fork or a piece of a toy into the outlet and suffering electrical shock. Tape down electrical cords to prevent tripping, or hide them behind furniture. Don't leave cords dangling where children could pull heavy lamps, radios, humidifiers or other appliances on top of themselves.

Windows

• The Window Covering Safety Council reports that since 1990, more than 200 infants and young children have strangled in the cords of blinds and drapes. Replace corded blinds and drapes with cordless versions, or enclose the cords in inexpensive plastic reels that shorten the cords and put them out of reach of little ones. If your toddler's room is above ground level, place a safety grill across the lower half of the window, so that your toddler can't accidentally fall out of an open window.