• About
    • Meet Tara
    • Family Photography
    • PR & Advertising
    • Disclosure
    • Contact
  • Celebrations
    • Anniversary
    • Baby
    • Back to School
    • Birthday
    • Bridal Showers
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Father’s Day
    • Graduation
    • Halloween & Fall
    • Mother’s Day
    • Patriotic
    • St Patricks Day
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
    • Wedding & Engagement
  • Crafts
    • Costumes & Wearables
    • Gifts and Toys
    • Home Decor
    • Jewelry
    • Kids’ Crafts & Activities
    • Papercrafts
    • Printables
    • SVG Cut Files
  • Home
    • Nehil Home Tour
    • Basement and Garage
    • Bathroom
    • Bedroom
    • Entryway
    • Kitchen
    • Living Room
    • Office
    • Outdoors
  • Lifestyle
    • Blogger
    • Favorite Products
    • Mom Life
    • Organization
    • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Kids Activities
    • Travel
  • SHOP

Spot of Tea Designs

Crafts & DIY, Parenting, Home Decor and Parties.

TwitterFacebookPinterestInstagramShopContact

How We Baby Proofed Our Home

Lifestyle

DISCLOSURE: Some of the links in this post contain affiliate links. Know that I only promote products I personally use and stand behind. To learn more about my affiliates, please review my disclosure policy here.

You can never baby proof your home too early when it comes to keeping your kids safe! Continue reading to discover the products we used in our split level home on the stairs, the kitchen, and all the spaces in between. Add some of these baby proofing items to your register and get used to all the magnetic locks you’ll be living with once baby is on the move!

How we baby proofed our home. Tips and product recommendations | spotofteadesigns.com

With a split level home we have lots of sets of stairs, lots of little rooms and lots of spots to baby proof! Below are the key places we made sure to secure starting at four months, which luckily was needed with a 6.5 month crawler and 9 month early walker!

By the Stairs

How we babyproofed our home: Example of split level home with different gates used #babyproofing #baby #safety | spotofteadesigns.com
  • We have lots of railings on our living room/kitchen level that overlooks our front entrance level. We chose to use the zip tie method to secure a Summer Infant Dual Banister Gate at the top of the main level in which we live. You can find the full tutorial on how we secured that item here.
  • For the side that goes up the stairs, we were able to then use a pressure gate, using the white wood post that was secured to the railing as one side and the trim on the wall as the other. Note that over time there has been a little wearing to the paint along that trim but I don’t think that’s avoidable and a fault of the gate. We fully expect to need to do some cosmetic updates to our home once the kids are bit older.
  • At the top of the stairs, we had to use yet another type of swing gate and we had no choice but to secure it to one side of the wall with holes. Luckily our good old zip tie method worked up here to save us from drilling into a wood banister. Tip: For top for the stair gates, make sure to look for ones that do NOT have any sort of wood structure that lays across the bottom of the gate when opened. It is another tripping hazard and therefore totally dangerous at the top of a set of stairs!

In the Kitchen

Recommended babyproofing products: @SafetyFirst Oven Locks and Appliance Locks | spotofteadesigns.com
  • Stove Covers – Like most toddlers, pasta noodles, scrambled eggs and grilled cheese are favorite meals so our stove top is used quite often. To secure these dangerously reachable knobs, we used these Safety 1st Clear View Stove Knob Covers over all four of our covers.
  • Oven Lock – We bought a two pack of these Safety 1st Multi-Purpose Appliance Lock and at first only secured it on the bottom drawer of the oven. She learned to open the bottom drawer first since it was more in reach but once standing and pulling on things, there was a need to secure the oven door also. At 18 months she was very funny, telling us “ought oh!” every time we opened the oven to grab something out just to check it, but didn’t relock this lock. She didn’t understand the concept of checking on the food and was the best safety police to make sure we secured the lock again.
  • We have a lot of lower cabinets and drawers in our kitchen. They hold all the typical items, from pots to Tupperware, pizza cutters to pantry items. Regardless of what was inside, I didn’t really want her in it so we quickly installed a mix of these Safety 1st Magnetic Locking System in less used cabinets and Safety 1st Cabinet & Drawer Latches for ones we access more often. We have the magnetic lock also in our living room so we actually have two of the locks in case we misplace one. Tip: keep it in a standard spot (ours is by the sink) and practice putting it back there after every use!

In the nursery

Tips to setting up your nursery to make it safer for baby and more functional for parents. Hang monitor high with Command Hook. #baby #nursery #parenting | spotofteadesigns.com
  • Secured Electronic Cords – We don’t have any sort of bookshelves near Brielle’s crib for a decent overhead view. Instead we attached a Command Medium Hook to the wall to hang her baby monitor. To make sure we didn’t have a dangling cord hanging from it, we secured the electronic cord along the molding using these White Cable Clips. For more tips on getting up your nursery, make sure you read this and learn from my mistakes! Oh and the crib has been moved over since taking this photo as she was too close to reach the light switch and turned it on once or twice!
  • Secured Bookshelf to Wall – Our Ikea bookshelf came with a kit to secure the bookshelf to the wall so sorry, but no product recommendations here. But a much needed reminder for safety!

 

In the Hallway

Tips to setting up your nursery to make it safer for baby and more functional for parents. Pool Noodle to block door from locking #baby #nursery #parenting | spotofteadesigns.com
  • Pool Noodle Door Stoppers – Brielle loves to open and close the doors upstairs and with a fear of her locking herself in, we added these not so beautiful but cheap and useful pool noodle door stoppers on top to prevent that from happening.
Recommended Babyproofing products we use in our home. Seen here: lever handle lock | spotofteadesigns.com
  • Linen Closet Door – Since all our doors are the same lever handle types and she learned to open it, we made sure to secure our hallway linen closet, which holds all our overflow of toiletries with this Safety 1st Lever Handle Lock lock. Note that this lock isn’t meant to be used on doors which you need to or can open from either side.

In the Bathroom

Babyproofing tips: make a sign near your toilet let to let guests know how to disengage it | spotofteadesigns.com
  • Toilet Lock – Ahh the toilet, curious appliance for children of all ages. To deter her from gaining an interest in putting things in there that don’t belong, we installed these simple Safety 1st Swing Shut Toilet Lock in both our bathrooms. Yes they can be inconvenient at times but are simple to use so it hasn’t really been a big deal. TIP: Since we have it on both the bathroom near our bedrooms and the guest one downstairs, I made sure to craft up a little directional sign for guests so I didn’t have to give a live tutorial every time someone needed to use the facilities.

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related

  |   1 Comment

Kid Craft: Watercolor Popsicle Garland An EXPLOSIVE Gender Reveal Party {GUEST POST}
Spotofteadesigns.com Signature Design showing ways to socially follow this DIY/Parenting blogSpotofteadesigns.com Signature showing how to follow on twitter. Username: spotofteadesignSOTD2019SignatureFollow4FacebookSpotofteadesigns.com Signature showing how to follow on pinterest. Username: spotofteadesignSpotofteadesigns.com Signature showing how to follow on instagram. Username: spotofteadesignsSpotofteadesigns.com Signature

Sign up to stay inspired with new posts!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Meet Tara, author of Spot of Tea Designs

STAY INSPIRED

Sign up for the Spot of Tea Designs Email Newsletter and receive an email each time a new post goes live! Privacy Policy
Shop the Spot of Tea Designs Amazon Store front | spotofteadesigns.com

Follow Me on Instagram

They didn't offer basketball in our town this year They didn't offer basketball in our town this year due to everything going on and restrictions in indoor sports. If its still going on in your neck of the woods, celebrate your all star with these cute cookie topped cupcakes after a big game!
.
See more of my basketball party hacks --> https://spotofteadesigns.com/basketball-party-hacks/
I'm so excited for today's blog post as it's the f I'm so excited for today's blog post as it's the first of a series for 2021! I'm now part of a fun collaboration with other fellow creators offering free cut files! @officialcricut and @silhouette.inc users alike will love these free designs that you can add to t-shirts, canvas bags, pillows or make them out of paper!
.
I designed this Tic Tac Toe Valentine's t-shirt with my oldest in mind, as she loves games and always new need shirts for the themed days at school. Grab it and the 12 others (seen on the second image) on my blog, Spotofteadesigns.com. 
.
Direct link --> https://spotofteadesigns.com/tic-tac-toe-valentines-free-cut-file/
❤️💗 Holiday Hashtag Series 💗❤️ Mark ❤️💗 Holiday Hashtag Series 💗❤️ Mark your calendars the fun three week series #DIYitsValentines starts Monday January 25th. There will be weekly features and lots of inspiration!!! So get your projects ready and say hello 🙋🏻‍♀️ to our fab and fun hostesses:
♥️ Beth @thekingstonhome
💗Christina @sunshinetulip
💌Katie @katieinthedetails
♥️Laura @destrophoto
💗Lexy @lovinglifewithlexy
💌Lydia @lydioutloud
♥️Mariah @giggles_galore
💗Michelle @michellespartyplanit
💌Paula @frogprincepaperie
♥️Tara @spotofteadesigns
.
We can’t wait to see your Valentine inspired DIY decor, parties, treats, and crafts! {📷: @giggles_galore} #crafts #diy
#ad Last year was tough for so many reasons, but o #ad Last year was tough for so many reasons, but one of the bright spots for us was the first year of our backyard garden! We’d call my mom on video chat for advice, took turns watering and weeding it, and eventually enjoyed all the vegetables, herbs and flowers for months. 
.
We’re currently planning ahead for this year’s garden which involves sporting our mask whenever researching plant choices. I'm partnering with @choosenewjersey to remind you to #maskupnj and social distance yourselves when you’re not staying home.
.
Things are changing daily in our state, but you can keep yourself informed with the latest updates on COVID by visiting https://covid19.nj.gov and downloading the free app for info on symptoms and exposure notification.
.
Do you have any suggestions on easy to maintain plants for our garden?
.
#spotofteadesigns #njblogger #maskup #quarantinelife #nj #slowthespread #nehilbirthdaytwins 
#mydayswithkids #childhoodunplugged #memoirsofmotherhood #theartofchildhood #candidchildhood 
#lethembelittle #simplychildren #lifewithkids #raisingmytribe #littleandbrave #adventureswithchildren 
#momstatus #momswithcameras #heymama #mynameismama #storytellingmama #mamatribevibes 
#everysquareastory #littlestoriesofmylife #motherhoodmoments
Currently working on this year's Valentine's day m Currently working on this year's Valentine's day mantle but wanted to throw it back to the time when 37 year old me did macaroni art. 🤣
My girls were super excited to see these unicorn c My girls were super excited to see these unicorn canvas crafts we were #gifted by @horizongroupusa this weekend. Unicorns + painting + magic reveal components? Yes, please!
.
My art major momma heart was pumped because I got to teach them a new painting technique - wet on wet watercolor! Plus, when you wet the canvas a few designs appear that you don't see at first glance.
.
These are now proudly displayed in their rainbow and unicorn filled bedrooms. 
.
Those looking for a new craft that entertains (they painted for 30-45 mins) check out their Just My Style brand!
Follow on Instagram

ASSOCIATIONS

Blog Meets Brand

Amazon Associates Disclosure

Tara Nehil is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Spot of Tea Designs

...is a lifestyle blog showcasing crafts, home decor inspiration, party planning and parenting.

TwitterBlogLovinPinterestInstagramShopContact

Things I Blog About

  • ⇧ UP PLEASE
  • About
  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • PR & Advertising
  • Contact

© 2021 Spot of Tea Designs · All Rights Reserved · (FC)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.