Six months, rolling everywhere, and my mother says babyproofing is a modern invention

velvet_tiffin_489718 Jul 2026

Our son is 6 months, rolling everywhere, and clearly planning something bigger. My mother, who is with us most days, says she raised three children without a single plastic gadget and we should simply watch him. Every list I find online goes the other way: corner guards, door stoppers, toilet locks, fridge locks, socket covers, stove knob covers and so on. Most of these lists come from shops. For those of you past this stage: what did you fit before crawling that you were glad of, what turned out unnecessary, and what did you only realise you needed after something happened? I'm trying to separate experience from a list someone made to sell things.

2 comments

cinnamon_diary_419518 Jul 2026
It's been ten years, so take it loosely: socket covers and one gate for the kitchen were the two we used. Corner guards fell off within a week. What we didn't think of was wires, laptop chargers, the TV cable, the curtain cords. She found every single one.
plum_spoon_323218 Jul 2026
Get down on the floor at his height and crawl round each room once. Whatever you can reach, he will. That told us more than any list. We bought maybe five things in the end.
- velvet_tiffin_489719 Jul 2026
  Did this early this morning, before the house was up. Found two coins under the sofa, a loose skirting board and a plug point behind the TV I'd forgotten existed. Short list, as you said.