Try As You Might: Childproofing Mistakes Parents Can’t Help But Make

Childproofing your home? Unfortunately, you’re probably making a few mistakes.

That’s not to say those mistakes result from poor efforts. If you’re like many parents, the childproofing process started right when your child started crawling. You secured your cabinets, covered sharp corners, picked up covers for all of your outlets, and took other essential steps to childproof your house. You thought carefully about every potential danger, purchased the most expensive products you could find, and made to pay close attention during every playtime. Yet accidental injuries are the still the leading cause of fatality among children, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of these accidents occur in the home, and many are preventable.

1. Using pressure-mounted gates without reading the directions.

The first step that most parents take when childproofing their homes: installing gates. It’s a good impulse, but Kerin says that some of the most common gates simply aren’t up to the task. “The biggest mistake that people make when trying to childproof is that they use a pressure-mounted gate at the top of stairs,” Kerin says. “First of all, any pressure-mounted gate has special restraining caps that you’re supposed to screw in.” Many parents don’t install those extra screws, which creates an obvious safety hazard; a child leaning against the gate could dislodge it, causing a serious accident. And even when they’re properly installed, pressure-mounted gates are designed for convenience, which isn’t always a good thing. “Some gates swing in both directions,” Kerin adds. “You never want a gate that opens towards the stairs.” Hardware gates can be safer, and while they require a more involved installation, Kerin says that they’re well worth the extra effort. The Consumer Product Safety Commission agrees, noting that at the top of staircases, parents should only use gates that screw directly into the wall.

2. Getting childproofing “hacks” off of social media sites.

We know, we know; we love life hacks as much as the next online publication. We’ve even employed a few childproofing hacks in our own homes. But according to the experts, that’s not such a great idea. “People are starting from a positive place,” Kerin says. “Parents go to Pinterest and they see these childproofing ‘hacks,’ so they want to try them out. Unfortunately, so many of them are not appropriate. They actually introduce dangers.”

3. Using hair ties to keep children from invading cabinets.

This is an understandable mistake; you’ve got dozens of hair ties sitting around, and they seem to get the job done. Wrap a few of those around your cabinet handles, and you’re good to go, right? Not quite. “Some kids will figure those out pretty quickly,” Kerin says. “The best solution are magnetic cabinet locks. They’re a little more expensive, and they take a couple of days to get used to, but they provide so much more safety than any other option.” Many magnetic locking systems install in seconds, and yes, they’re fairly stylish. With that said, your first priority is to find something that works, not to impress visitors with your chic decor. “People put fashion in front of function,” Kerin says, “but these are common-sense precautions. Always prioritize safety over style or convenience.”

4. Installing the baby monitor right next to the crib.

“Parents need to take the monitor off of the side of the crib,” Kerin says. “Children can’t have access to that power cord. It’s an easy fix that doesn’t cost you any money.” A study from Childproofingexperts.com showed that 60 percent of baby monitors are installed within three feet of the crib, potentially within grasping distance for a curious baby. More disturbingly, 80 percent of those baby monitors had visible warning labels, which implies that parents simply aren’t reading the instructions. Why would parents make this mistake? They’re likely not thinking from an infant’s perspective. “Every parent has been an adult longer than they’ve been a parent,” Kerin says. “Our adult world is designed around convenience, and there’s never been a convenient baby.”

5. Not thinking ahead.

Before tackling a childproofing project, make sure you’ve got the right perspective. “Let’s take the wide-view on this: Parents just need to be aware of their child’s development,” Kerin says. “They need to be looking six months down the road, if not a year or two.” In other words, if your child just started crawling, your home should be prepared for their first steps. While that might seem like overkill, kids develop quickly, and they don’t wait for parents to catch up. “Fathers will often tell me, ‘Oh, she’s not doing that.’ Well, no, she’s 7 months old! But they develop like little superheroes. Before you know it, they’re tall enough to reach the counter. You want to be proactive, not reactive.” “What might be adequate for a crawling 7-month-old might by wholly inadequate for a 12-month old. Anything you look at to provide safety, it’s important that it serves its purpose for the duration of your need. For most children, that’s [up to] 3 years and beyond.” That might seem overwhelming to new parents, but the good news is that you’ll have peace of mind throughout your child’s development. “The unexpected benefit is it makes parenting easier,” Kerin says. “You don’t have to be as stressed out. You don’t have to be that hovering parent chastising them for their innate curiosity. Just be willing to embrace a small amount of inconvenience for the child’s safety and the parent’s peace of mind.”

6. Relying on outdated childproofing information.

“At a pediatrician’s office, I saw a brochure warning parents to childproof their telephone cables,” Kerin says. “But really, who has telephone cables anymore? It’s not bad advice, but it shows that there’s a lot of irrelevant information out there.” Make sure that you’re taking your advice from a qualified childproofing resource (or better yet, several resources). We’re not excluding our own publication from this rule, by the way. While we researched this piece thoroughly, we still recommend visiting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for an accurate, up-to-date childproofing checklist. Not sure whether you’re doing something correctly? When in doubt, you can always call a professional. Kerin says that he’s always happy to answer parents’ questions, and organizations like the International Association for Child Safety exist solely for that purpose.

7. Trying to perfectly childproof an entire home.

In writing this piece, we’re not trying to scare parents into hiring professionals—and neither is Kerin, for that matter. We also can’t detail every single childproofing mistake, simply because the process differs for every household.