Childproof Your Home, Inside & Out

Every childproofing checklist on the internet was written for a two-story colonial in the suburbs. Ours weren’t. Durango homes come with wood stoves, steep exterior stairs, decks with a view and a drop, detached garages full of equipment, and a mudroom that’s part gear locker and part hazard closet.

So here’s a walkthrough that covers the standard stuff and the mountain-house stuff. Do it on a Saturday morning. Most of it costs less than dinner out.

Step 1: Outlets and Cords

Every unused outlet within reach needs a cover. Skip the little plastic plugs that pull out with a tug — they’re a choking hazard themselves. Sliding outlet covers and box covers are the better call, and outlet and cord protectors are cheap enough that there’s no reason to do half the house.

Then deal with cords. Lamp cords, charger cables and blind pull cords are all strangulation and pull-down risks. Run them behind furniture, secure them with cable ties or cord channels, and cut looped blind cords or wrap them on a cleat well above reach.

Step 2: Cabinets, Drawers and Anything That Latches

Kitchen and bath cabinets get cabinet and drawer locks — magnetic ones are the least annoying for adults and the hardest for toddlers. Prioritize in this order: anything under a sink, anything with medication, anything with knives, then everything else.

Move cleaners and chemicals up high rather than relying on a latch alone. A latch is a delay, not a guarantee. That goes double for the garage, which we’ll get to.

Step 3: Stairs, Gates and Guardrails

Install a safety gate at the top and bottom of every staircase. At the top, use a hardware-mounted gate — the pressure-mounted kind can give way under a running kid. Pressure-mounted is fine at the bottom or in a doorway.

Check your railing spacing while you’re at it. Balusters more than four inches apart are a head-entrapment risk, and plenty of older Durango homes and cabins predate that standard. Temporary railing netting or plexiglass panels close the gap without a full rebuild. The same check applies to your deck railings — arguably more urgent out there, given what’s usually on the other side.

Step 4: Furniture and TV Tip-Overs

This is the one people skip and it’s the one that kills kids. Dressers, bookshelves and TVs all go over when a toddler climbs them. Anchor them to studs with anti-tip straps or brackets, and put a TV mount on anything big enough to matter.

Step 5: Corners, Edges and Hard Surfaces

Coffee tables, hearths and stone countertop overhangs are all at exactly toddler-forehead height. Bump cushions and corner covers handle the worst of it. Fireplace hearths deserve special attention here — a raised stone hearth is the single most common source of stitches in a house with a walking one-year-old.

Step 6: Bathroom and Water

Toilet locks, faucet covers and a non-slip mat cover most of it — see toilet and tub safety. Turn your water heater down to 120°F to prevent scald burns; it’s a two-minute adjustment that also saves you money.

Never leave standing water unattended. Buckets, mop pails and the cooler you filled for the tailgate are all drowning hazards for a kid under two.

Step 7: Detectors, Extinguishers and the Wood Stove

This one’s less about childproofing and more about the whole house, but it belongs on the list. Smoke detectors on every level and in every bedroom. Carbon monoxide detectors too — and if you heat with wood, gas or propane, that’s not optional. Fresh batteries, tested.

Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and another near the stove or shop. If you burn wood, put a hearth gate or freestanding screen around it. A stove that’s been running an hour will burn a hand instantly, and there’s no amount of “hot, don’t touch” that beats a physical barrier.

Step 8: Outside — the Part Most Checklists Miss

Around here, the outside is where the real hazards live.

• The garage and shop. Fuel cans, antifreeze, power tools, chainsaws. Lock the cabinet, or better, lock the room. Padlocks and hasps are cheap.
• Lawn and garden chemicals. Up high and locked, in original labeled containers. Never decanted into a drink bottle. Ever.
• Deck stairs and drop-offs. An outdoor gate at the top of deck stairs, and a hard look at any spot where the grade falls away.
• Water features and irrigation. Ponds, ditches, stock tanks and irrigation boxes. Cover, fence or fill.
• Gates and latches. Self-closing, self-latching, with the latch mounted above 54 inches on the outside of the gate.
• Trailers and equipment. If it’s parked in the yard, it’s a jungle gym as far as a four-year-old is concerned. Chock it, lock it or move it.

Nice work. None of this is complicated — it’s just a matter of actually walking the house and doing it. And the peace of mind is worth an afternoon.

Project Shopping List

Here’s what you’ll need. If we don’t have something on the shelf, we’ll special-order it — just ask.

• Outlet and cord protectors
• Cabinet and drawer locks
• Child safety gates
• Bump cushions and corner covers
• Toilet and tub safety hardware
• All-in-one child safety kit
• Anti-tip straps and brackets
• TV mounting hardware
• Smoke detectors
• Carbon monoxide detectors
• Fire extinguisher
• Non-slip treads and tape
• Cable ties and cord channels
• Padlocks and hasps
• Home safety testing kits
• First aid kit
• Anchors and installation hardware
• Deck posts and handrails

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