Baby proofing your home should begin as early as your third trimester of pregnancy and definitely becomes your first order of business once your baby starts to crawl. Experts suggest baby proofing your house during pregnancy because you have more time then and you’re not preoccupied with the moment-to-moment demands of caring for baby. Babies learn quickly in their first year. For new parents, it's a pleasant surprise to see how soon they begin moving and exploring. But turn your back for a moment, and the infant who was squirming helplessly on a blanket is suddenly crawling across the room at high speeds. Children are naturally curious. Tasting, touching and feeling are how infants and toddlers learn about the world around them. Take a moment to look at your surroundings from a youngster's point of view. Then make any necessary adjustments to baby proof your home. A good way to start is by getting down on your hands and knees to see the world from a crawling baby’s perspective. From this vantage point, you’ll see towering furniture, open cupboards and doors, steep staircases, and little objects on every surface. If you have older children, there may be toys around that are unsafe for infants.

Babies should sleep on their backs. This is the safest way to assure both of you get a good nights rest. Resist the urge to follow advice of people that suggest otherwise. Your baby will adjust to sleeping as they age and grow. Put them in snug fitting pajamas to provide warmth as it is dangerous to cover them with quilts and blankets.

Infants, when placed on an adult bed of any kind, can roll into the space between the wall and the mattress and suffocate. Exercise caution if sleeping in the same bed with an infant. It is possible for an infant to become wedged between your body and the mattress and suffocate. Infants should never be placed on top of soft surfaces like sofas, large soft toys, sofa cushions, pillows, water beds or on top of blankets, quilts or comforters.

The crib mattress must fit tightly so there are no gaps for an infant to fall into. Keep the crib clear of plastic sheets, pillows and large stuffed animals or toys. These can be suffocation hazards. Crib bars should be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart to prevent infants from getting their heads stuck between them. Cribs manufactured after 1974 must meet this and other strict safety standards. Place an infant or child's bed away from any windows. Check window coverings for potentially hazardous pull cords. Keep toys with long strings or cords away from infants and young children. A cord can become wrapped around an infant's neck and cause strangulation. Toys with long strings, cords, loops or ribbons should never be hung in cribs or playpens. Also, pacifiers should never be attached to strings or ribbons around the baby's neck.

Choking is also a common cause of unintentional death in children under the age of 1. Avoid all foods that could lodge in a child's throat. As babies grow and expand their dining tastes there are some foods that can be very UNSAFE for them to eat because of the choking risks they pose. While some of these foods may appear safe and not risky, they still can pose problems. If you or someone else feeds these items to your child, ensure that they are: cut appropriately for them, seated while eating them, and supervised by an adult that could save them if they were to choke. Below several foods are listed, along with tips in parentheses on how to make some of them safer, if you feel that your child needs to eat them.

• Raw vegetables, such as carrot and celery sticks (Steam them until they are soft and dice up)
• cherries, and berries (Peel them and Quarter them- cut in half the long way and then in half again)
• Raisins
• Hot-dog or other meat chunks (use only skinless hot dogs and quarter them -cut in half the long way and then in half again and then dice up)
• Any nuts, such as peanuts, almonds, and cashews
• Popcorn
• Hard candy, even suckers

These foods need to be chewed; if they aren’t, they could be swallowed whole and lodge in baby’s throat. As mentioned above, it is not recommended to give these items; the tips offered are solely advice on the safest way for ANY child to eat them.

Never let children of any age eat or suck on anything, such as hard candy, while lying down. Keep floors, tables and cabinet tops free of small objects that could be swallowed. Such objects include coins, button-sized batteries, rings, nails, tacks and broken or deflated balloons.

Use child safety gates at the top and bottom of all staircases and be sure they're installed correctly. Avoid accordion style safety gates with large openings that children could fit their heads through. Also remember that the type and size of the gate needs to be suitable and appropriate for the age of the children and the area you are closing off. Even better, block the entire hallway or area around the stairway. You shouldn’t depend on a gate alone to keep your baby from taking a tumble. Your best defense is to constantly monitor your baby whenever he’s around stairs. The average 2 year old can push out a pressure mount gate and climb over standard height gates. NEVER use a pressure mount gate at the top of a staircase. This is extremely dangerous and you need to use one that is attached directly to a wall or the railing of the stairs.

Do not smoke, use matches or drink hot beverages while holding an infant. Don't leave burning cigarettes unattended. Teach youngsters that matches are tools for adults, not toys. Adults should never ignite lighters or matches in front of children. Store matches in a fire-resistant container out of the reach of youngsters. A mixer faucet on the sink, tub and shower will prevent scalds. Set your hot water thermostat for 120° F. A baby's bathwater should be 100°F. Always check bathwater temperature with your wrist or elbow before putting a baby in to bathe, as these are the most temperature sensitive point on your body. Never allow children in a whirlpool, Jacuzzi or hot tub. Their bodies are more sensitive to hot water. Remember that radiators, heating vents, space heaters, fireplaces, stoves and hot water taps are not always hot. Children can touch them once, safely and the next time, receive a severe burn. Also keep electrical cords and wires out of the way so toddlers can't pull, trip or chew on them. Cover wall outlets with safety caps.

A swimming pool drowning could also be called a "silent death" as there is rarely a splash or cry for help to alert parents to the problem. The typical drowning victim is a boy between 1 and 3 years old who is thought not to be in the pool area at the time of the incident. To prevent these accidents from happening fence in the pool completely. Doors leading to the pool area should be self closing and self-latching or equipped with exit alarms and should never be propped open. Never take your eyes off children when they are in or near any body of water, not even for a second. Don't rely on inflatable devices, such as inner tubes, water wings, inflatable mattresses and toys or other similar objects to keep a youngster afloat. Keep toys, tricycles and other playthings away from the pool area. A toddler playing near the water could unexpectedly fall in. All pool owners and their families are encouraged to seek training in swimming, lifesaving, first aid and CPR.

Never leave a child unsupervised in the bathtub. If you must leave the room for a telephone call or to answer the door, wrap the child in a towel and take him or her with you. Don't leave a small child alone with any container of liquid, including wading pools, scrub buckets, and toilets.

The major causes of injury and death of small children have been stated above. A more comprehensive whole house and room by room check list is designed to prevent accidents before they happen. Simple things made into daily life and part of your routine will make baby proofing a snap and keep everyone safer and more at ease.

• Pack away any household objects that could hurt your baby so they’re out of his reach. Remove accessible objects, such as picture frames, bowls, and large books from tables.
• Install window guards so your baby will be safe if he pushes against a window. Make sure your windows can’t be opened more than six inches. A screen alone isn’t strong enough to hold the weight of a baby who presses against it.
• If you haven’t already, cover electrical outlets with caps or shields, or position heavy furniture to cover them completely. (Make sure your baby can’t crawl under the furniture to reach the outlet.)
• Give all your furniture a tip test. If a piece is easy to pull forward on its legs, remove it until your child is older. Also store any top- heavy furniture that the baby might pull over.
• Fill the lower shelves of open shelf systems with books so your baby can’t use the shelves as a ladder.
• Cover and cushion the sharp edges of glass table tops (a quilt or blanket works well).
• In older homes, test for lead-free paint on all painted surfaces by using a paint-test kit, available at your local hardware store.
• Enforce a smoke-free-home rule.
• Remove or put up houseplants, especially those that are poisonous when ingested, such as dieffenbachia, philodendron, English ivy, hydrangea, and hyacinth. Outdoor landscaping plants can be dangerous, too. Some that are poisonous when eaten are oleander, rhododendron, azalea, holly, foxglove, larkspur, sweet pea, and wisteria.
• Pick up any toys that have small parts or are small enough for baby to choke on.
• Keep your cat’s litter box out of the baby’s reach. To your baby, it may look too much like the sandbox at the park.
• Install pinch guards on all doors that are moveable by children.

The safest bet is to keep children out of the kitchen all together, especially while you are cooking. But young children enjoy being where you are and also can enjoy help making meals. There are simple things that you can do to make sure the kitchen is as safe as possible.

• Install cabinet latches on all baby-level cabinets so your baby can’t open cupboard doors. Or, move all breakable and heavy items to high cupboards and let baby explore lower ones. There’s nothing like a door to open in your young explorer’s path. As a further safety precaution, store all cleaning supplies including dishwashing detergent in an overhead cupboard; if the baby does invade, there’ll be nothing harmful within his reach.
• Move knives and other utensils away from the edges of the kitchen counter when you’re cooking or serving food so they don’t tumble onto the floor–within your child’s reach.
• Install corner cushions on sharp-edged countertops and tables.
• If your toddler could reach the knobs on your range and oven, remove them so he can’t turn them on or invest in knob covers to keep them protected. Also invest in a splash guard to shield the pots and pans from spilling hot stuff over the edge of the stove. Also remember to turn handles in toward the back of the stove so they are not pulled down and scald a small child.

The gathering place of families may appear safe and secure but can pose some real hazards. There are things that can be done to ensure that your entire family can enjoy being together and be protected at the same time.

• Protect your baby from burns by setting up a fireplace guard. Also, move fireplace tools out of harm’s way.
• Tie up cords or ties that are attached to drapes or blinds so your baby can’t reach them.
• Mount a safety gate on sliding glass doors so your child can’t make a quick getaway outdoors.
• Cover all outlets with outlet protectors and shield video and stereo equipment from little hands with cabinets or guards. (This saves pinched fingers and time fishing things out of the VCR and $$ replacing broken items)

What may seem like a safe and simple room, is actually quite dangerous for your small child. It is probably the most interesting of all rooms as far as your child is concerned. To keep them safe a couple things can be done.

• Keep the toilet lid down so your baby can’t accidentally fall in. If your child is insistent about opening the toilet lid, install a lid latch.
• Disable the locks on bathroom doors with masking tape so your toddler can’t lock himself in.
• Install spout guards on faucets to protect your baby from bumping his head as you bathe him.
• Keep all medications in a locked or inaccessible cabinet. (In fact, the bathroom isn’t the best place for them. Its humidity can compromise the shelf life of some medicines.)
• Adjust the water heater (experts recommend no more120° F) so hot water from the tap will not burn your baby’s sensitive skin.
• Store cleaning supplies and make-up out of reach. They can easily become big problems in the hands of a small child.

One area that your child will spend a great deal of time in that is also a hot spot for injuries. It is often an area where children are alone, unsupervised and therefore vulnerable to accidents.

• Close accessible drawers so your baby can’t climb in and pull the entire dresser down on top of himself. Or consider purchasing a no-tip latch for the back of dressers.
• Keep appliance, lamp, and phone cords tucked safely behind furniture and out of your baby’s reach. Ensure that all empty outlets have covers in them.
• Keep the crib set to the lowest setting to ensure that your little one can not climb out and get hurt.
• Install a nightlight, for instances when your child awakes at night and needs to see to safely find you.
• Use a portable baby monitor so that when your child is alone in their room you are aware of what is going on, regardless of where in the house you are.

One last VERY important thing to remember when child proofing your house isto do it before the need arises. Also, don’t do it in the presence of your child. If he watches you insert outlet covers, for example, he’ll know exactly how to remove them.