When one becomes a parent, or even just has children in their home on a frequent basis, you want to have your home as child proofed as possible. There's no such thing as complete and utter safety, as accidents can and do happen even to the most careful of us, but I hope these few tips can help.
Safety plugs in the electrical sockets. One of the most obvious and easy to acquire safety items. A box of a dozen can be purchased for on average a dollar and change. There's several different types of these, the ones that completely cover the area over and around the socket and are difficult enough for you to remove, so you can feel secure that these will keep small hands from pulling them off easily. Also, if possible, I feel it's wise to place furniture in front of electrical sockets, close against the wall as to block a child's access to them if possible.
Televisions and other heavy items and appliances should always be placed on sturdy, untippable surfaces. Please, people! Stop using fold away dinner trays on wheels to support that 28 inch screen Zenith.
For the safety of the item as well as the child, if it's breakable, shatterable or sharp, move it from the coffee table to a high shelf or mantle where little fingers can't reach it.
If you have a fireplace, make sure there screen in front of it has a tight enough mesh weave to keep popping embers from landing on people on the other side of it. The tools to the fireplace; poker, bellows, matches, lighter, what have you, should all be kept where small children can't reach them.
Measure the distance between the slats on your child's crib, especially if its an older crib, second hand, heirloomed to you or bought at a tag sale. The newer cribs are built with the industry standard of no more than 2 3/8 apart, but you should still check to be sure. You shouldn't be able to get a soda can through the space. Any wider spacing between slats can enable the child to get their head trapped. Once the child is standing up and becoming very mobile within the crib, lose the mobile hanging above and the bumpers around the inside of the crib. Never put heavy blanketing, lots of stuffed toys or pillows in an infants crib. It looks nice but they don't need it and it can be a danger.
Blinds on your windows can be a danger as well. Be sure they aren't hanging low enough for the child to reach and possible entangle themselves in them. Cribs should be far enough away from any windows with blinds that the child can't lean out and get tangled. The cords hanging from the sides of these blinds shouldn't be allowed to dangle within their reach as this also presents the danger of strangulation.
Children's toy boxes don't need lids or covers and should have some type of open holed ventilation as children love to crawl into hiding places and can easily become trapped inside such as how we used to hear of children trapped in old discarded refrigerators, as well as the danger of head injury if the lid should fall while they're rummaging around in the toy box.
Never let infants sleep on adult beds. With the softer mattresses, heavier blankets, pillows and height from the floor, not only is there the danger of suffocation from re-breathing, There's the danger of the child falling off the bed and injuring themselves.
If you have stairs, use child gates at both the top and bottom of them. Be sure the measurements of gate and hallway are complimentary so as to ensure the gate will be firmly and securely in place and the child unable to push it loose from between the walls.
Glass coffee tables or any table or furniture with sharp hard edges is a large potential for injury especially with young toddlers who are prone to falling and stumbling as they learn to navigate the way around.
Electrical cords should be taped together and hidden behind furniture that is against the wall or taped securely to the wall themselves. Cords of any type, electrical, telephone or other should be made inaccessible to the child. There is both the threat of strangulation and of pulling down a heavy or sharply edged object they're connected to.
Drawers, cabinets and shelves within the child's reach should all have child safe latches to prevent them from opening them and getting at solvents, chemicals and other items inside that pose potential threat of injury.
Toilets should have their lids down preferably with a childsafe latch, bathroom doors themselves should be closed.
A lot of this is common sense, much may sound excessive and you might say The child should just be properly supervised. I agree and am the first to say that none of these tips should be utilized as an excuse to feel secure enough not to watch your children. We must remember that there is no such thing as a complete safety. No matter how thoroughly a house is child-proofed, actively watching the child is vital. Hundreds of tragically avoidable injuries occur everyday. There's no reason not to be safe rather than sorry... especially when it comes to the safety of children. Watch them like a hawk and do what you can to child proof your home on the off chance that the first time they climb out of their crib is while you're at the other end of the house taking a shower or the one in a million chance you break your leg leaping over the coffee table to snatch them off the couch they've just managed to climb onto. There's too many avoidable accidents, too much child proofing we don't utilize and as my grandfather used to be fond of saying: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.