Baby Proofing Ideas On a Budget That Are Ridiculously Simple!

This post may contain affiliate links that I may receive a commission from if you click & buy. In addition, the information on this site is NOT intended to be medical advice. See my full policy for more information.

Share this post with all your friends!

You’re getting ready for baby to arrive and you’re thinking “oh my gosh, we haven’t babyproofed our home, now what?!”. Thankfully, these baby proofing ideas on a budget can help any expecting or toddler parent make their home safe for the tiniest toes and fingers!

Babies LOVE to get into trouble around the house. No, they aren’t actually looking for trouble. However, they are notorious for exploring everything and anything that crosses their path.

Unfortunately for us parents, some of the most intriguing things to explore can be some of the most dangerous ones around the house.

Here’s a shortlist of some of the common items around your home that could be a danger to baby:

• Unanchored dressers, nightstands, or furniture.

• Electrical cords, outlets, and wires.

• Stairs.

• Cabinets.

• Drawers.

• Windows and blinds.

• Pet belongings.

Mom Tip: In addition to baby-proofing your home, learning about injury prevention AND how to respond to your child in the event of an emergency or injury at home is crucial. Can you confidently say you know what to do if your child gets injured? If not, CLICK HERE to learn all about Choking & Injury Prevention for Babies & Young Children.

Baby Proofing Ideas On a Budget

Knowing which items commonly pose a threat to babies and toddlers, you can now work towards preventing dangers by following the tips below (which come in extra helpful if you’re on a tight budget)!

Unanchored dressers, nightstands, or furniture.

Dressers, nightstands, or any large pieces of furniture around the house can pose a serious risk to babies and toddlers.

Toddlers LOVE to climb and what better to climb on than a big piece of furniture in the home? Babies typically need something to hold onto as they perfect their walking skills, large furniture comes in extra handy for that too.

Unfortunately, according to the CPSC, they share that “Between 2000 and 2019, 451 children age 17 and under were killed by furniture and TV tip-over incidents. During the period from 2017 through 2019, an annual average of 11,100 children was treated in hospital emergency rooms for tip-over-related injuries. Seventy-nine (79) percent of all furniture and TV tip-over fatalities involved children younger than six.“.

How to baby-proof furniture on a budget?

Grab a pack of these 6-pack furniture anchors for less than $6 on Amazon! They’re super easy to use and take less than 10 minutes to set up.

If you’re not a fan of that style, you can also grab a pack of furniture anchor straps, however, this option tends to run a bit pricier.

Electrical cords, outlets, and wires.

I’m not sure why electrical cords are so enticing to babies and toddlers, but I can tell you from experience they are a hit in our home!

Next up is the outlet itself, you know, those cool little spots in the wall where you can try to shove your finger into each prong until you get jolted with electricity — yikes! That’s exactly what we DON’T want here.

How to baby-proof electrical cords, outlets, and wires on a budget?

My number one top choice to keeps cords and outlets out of baby’s way is to use a flexible cable sleeve like this one. These are nice because they bend easily around corners or edges while keeping your wires protected and away from baby.

If your baby is relentless and finds the way to open up the cable sleeve, I’ve seen some parents use electrical tape to wrap up their wires, but I personally prefer these thick cable covers that stick onto the wall. Your baby will NOT be able to get into any wires with these.

For outlets, a cheap box of outlet covers like these should do the trick. However, you may have some outlets exposed due to wires and cords being plugged in. For those, a small discreet outlet box cover works wonders!

Stairs.

Alright I won’t lie, stairs are fun for us adults too. Unless you’re using them for a workout, then I will stay far far away.

Children however, can’t seem to keep themselves away from stairs at any cost.

So, this baby-proof hack for keeping the stairs safe is the way to go:

If you have a flight of stairs in your home, Toddleroo makes one of the most affordable baby gates for stairs. Their stair gate is nice because the entire gate swings open compared to other gates that have a metal frame at the bottom which could pose a tripping hazard going up and down the stairs.

Cabinets & Drawers.

One thing I learned real quick with both of my boys is that they LOVE opening all of our drawers and cabinets.

Not only do they love opening them, but they also enjoy taking every item stored inside out.

You can only imagine how much fun it was to pick up the mess, but also constantly worry about someone smashing their fingers or even worse getting their head stuck somewhere it doesn’t belong.

That’s why it didn’t take me long to realize I needed to babyproof our cabinets ASAP.

How to baby-proof cabinets and drawers on a budget?

The most budget-friendly option to keep your cabinets locked from baby is to use a U-shaped baby lock or strap lock. These sit on the outside of your cabinet, so visually, they’re not the most appealing, but they get the job done.

Another alternative (and you can see them in action below on my own personal cabinets) is to use a magnetic lock set! These locks can’t be seen externally and work incredibly well to keep both drawers AND cabinets locked.

The magnetic locks do cost a little more upfront, but they usually come in a set of 15-25 locks per box so you really do get your monies worth.

Windows and blinds.

This one makes me incredibly sad to even think about, but each year little ones get severely injured or lose their life by falling out of a window or getting strangled by window (blinds) cords.

How to baby-proof windows and blinds on a budget?

• Remove any items your baby or toddler could use to climb and get up close to the window.

• Install a window stopper (they’re beyond cheap and can be ordered online or at your local hardware store) on EVERY window in the house.

• Use a blind cord winder to keep your blind cords short, out of reach, and away from your children at all times (if you can install a cordless window cover instead, it’s worth it).

Pet belongings.

You’re probably wondering what kind of pet belongings could pose a danger to your baby or toddler? Well, these ones can:

• Dog or cat kibble can pose a choking risk.

• Cat litter can pose a choking risk or be harmful due to the toxic risks associated with cat eliminations.

• Doggie doors — little kids can get stuck inside of them.

Fortunately, these are simple problems to solve! Keep your cat litter in a bathroom or contained where your baby can’t get their arms into it.

Keep your pet’s food in an air-tight container and never leave your little one unattended while your pets are eating.

Other baby proofing hacks to keep your little ones safe.

If you need even more baby-proofing tips to help keep your little ones safe, these extra suggestions below can help minimize injuries, falls, and ouchies all around!

Watch out for corners.

Sharp corners are insanely easy for your child to get injured on. I mean, have you ever bumped an elbow on a corner of a piece of furniture? OUCH!

Luckily, you can get baby proofing corner guards for pretty cheap (in various colors to match your furniture) and keep those corners soft and safe for baby.

Prepare for spills and accidents.

It’s no surprise with babies and toddlers comes spills and accidents.

Be prepared by keeping some kid-friendly cleaning wipes and paper towels close by to help clean up any messes before your little one trips or slips on them.

Looking for more baby care tips and tricks?

• Best Organic Diapers For Babies (9 Eco-Friendly + Non-Toxic Choices)

• Do baby wipes expire? What moms need to know!

• Newborn breaking out of a swaddle? It could be time to stop swaddling!

What other baby-proofing ideas on a budget should be on this list? Drop your suggestions in a comment below!

Share this post with all your friends!