How to Babyproof Your Home Without Ruining Your Decor

Sep 10, 2023

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Making your home safe for a little one doesn't mean turning your space into a rubber-walled daycare.

When you have a baby, and they start getting around on their own, everything in your home can start looking like a deathtrap. Your child's safety is paramount, of course, but rubber bumpers on every table corner and garish plastic locks on the cabinets look, well, terrible. Surely you can keep your kid safe without making your home like it was designed by the lead architect at My Gym, right?

Thankfully, you're not alone. There are plenty of other people out there who have figured out how to babyproof their homes without sacrificing their interior design style. So to ensure that your child grows up in a home that's not only safe but also stylish, have a look at the stylish but effective babyproofing tips below.

Once kids become mobile, they quickly gain a taste for climbing and exploring. And your larger furniture — your bookcases, your shelving units, your TV stands — are especially tempting to toddlers looking to literally reach new heights. If you're in the market for new pieces of furniture that fit your style, look for some that incorporate anti-tip features or include an anti-tip kit that will secure the piece to the wall.

In the meantime, buy some wall anchors. These will attach your furniture to the wall and keep it from tipping over if a kid pulls on it, and since they're mounted on the back of your furniture, they won't ruin your aesthetic.

Castlery makes some of the internet's most stylish furniture, and much of their potentially hazardous furniture — such as this handsome sideboard — includes anti-tip kits to improve their safety around kids.

Each set of these rugged wall anchors is made to withstand earthquakes, with the ability to support 400 lbs of tension. In other words, unless your kid has superhuman strength, they won't be able to budge these all-metal furniture straps.

Traditional childproof cabinet locks can be pretty unsightly. U-shaped locks force you to look at their tacky white plastic visage. Invisible latches are better, but can be solved by a precocious toddler. Magnetic cabinet locks stay completely hidden on the inside of your cabinet, and you unlock them with a separate magnet tool. Unless the cabinets are open, you'll never even know they're there — but your kids will, as they struggle to open the cabinet under your sink.

This set includes 20 locks and has over 10,000 five-star reviews on Amazon. It also comes with two magnetic keys that you'll be happy to stick on your fridge, as they have a clean, minimalist design.

Sharp corners on furniture like coffee tables and credenzas can cause serious injuries if your toddler falls onto them, so it's best to have something between the corner and their head. Most edge guards are bulky hunks of foam that make any room look like a rumpus room, so clear corner bumpers are a great alternative.

These ultra-clear corner guards are some of the least obtrusive in the market, but still offer a nice shock-absorbing layer of protection for your child. They couldn't be easier to install, either, as you simply adhere them to your table's corners with the included 3M adhesives.

One thing you should be aware of: if you have a glass coffee table, it's best to either put that in storage until your kids are older or keep it in a room they can't access. Glass is just too much of a hazard around kids, and there isn't really anything you can do to it to make it any safer.

You're never going to leave a baby gate up once your kid is grown just because you like the way it looks. But it is possible to find a baby gate that matches the rest of your home and won't look too hideous, while also doing the all-important job of keeping babies off of the stairs or out of forbidden rooms (like your glass coffee table room).

This sturdy baby gate is metal with an attractive wood grain veneer, making it suitable for a number of interior design styles. It's also 30" tall and expandable from 26-40" wide, boasts an auto-close feature and has double locks that an adult can easily open with one hand.

Electrical outlets are often at just the right height for a curious toddler. So to prevent electric shock, you'll want to cover any exposed outlets when they aren't in use. Traditional outlet covers tend to be pretty plain-looking, but you can add a touch of unexpected style to your space by opting for some with a bit of pizazz.

Bink's Dots have a sleek geometric pattern that provides just enough visual interest for guests to know that you went the extra mile in opting for a stylish outlet cover. They're also really tight-fitting, meaning your kid won't be able to yank them out of the wall.

If you've been around little kids, you know that their first instinct when investigating something new is to shove it into their mouths. If you're a green thumb who likes having a lot of plants around, this can be a problem, as many houseplants are toxic to ingest. So when adding greenery to your place, search for non-toxic plants. Most often, these types of plants will be classified as "pet-friendly" or "child-friendly," so always be sure to check.

Bloomscape has a robust selection of pet- and kid-friendly plants, like this Stromanthe Triostar. It's an active and entertaining plant that moves a surprising amount throughout the day, showing off the beautiful red underside of its leaves from time to time.