Lauren HollandBy Lauren Holland

When a toddler visits a grandparent’s home, the familiar spaces that feel cozy to adults can hide risks that a curious child may not recognize. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers a detailed set of childproofing recommendations specifically for grandparents, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) provides guidance on anchoring furniture and TVs. This checklist walks through each area of the home, from the kitchen to the backyard, so you can identify and reduce common hazards before a visit. No product or step can make a home completely childproof, and active supervision remains essential, but these practical measures can lower the chance of injury.

Quick checklist: Walk through each room with this list before a grandchild arrives.

General safety inside the home

The AAP’s childproofing tips for grandparents start with a few whole-house basics. Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors should be placed in the proper locations throughout the house. Pets and pet food should be kept out of a child’s reach. Escape plans should be thought about in advance, and fire extinguishers should be readily available. Gates should be positioned at the top and bottom of stairs. Medications should always be out of sight and out of reach of children and stored in child-resistant containers. Store your purse or any bags away from grandchildren if any medications are kept in there. Soft covers or bumpers should be positioned around sharp or solid furniture. Keep important phone numbers by the telephone and programmed into your mobile phone. Walking aids could be unstable and present a risk; if possible, move them into a closet or a room your grandchild won’t be able to enter when he visits.

Nursery and sleeping areas

If you stored your own child’s crib in your attic or garage, the AAP advises replacing it with a new one. Guidelines for children’s furniture and equipment have changed dramatically, and a crib made before June 2011 will not meet today’s safety standards. This is likely true for other saved and aging furniture that could pose risks to children, such as old play yards. Use a changing table, your own bed, or even place a towel on the floor to change the baby’s diapers. As he gets older and more likely to squirm, you may need a second person to help change his diaper. Do not allow your grandchild to sleep in your bed.

Kitchen

Put “kiddie locks” on lower cabinets; to be extra safe, move unsafe cleansers and chemicals so they’re completely out of reach. Remove any dangling cords, such as those from the coffeepot or toaster. Take extra precautions before giving your grandchild food prepared in microwave ovens. The AAP notes that microwaves can heat liquids and solids unevenly, and food may be mildly warm on the outside but very hot on the inside. For more room-specific guidance, see our Kitchen Safety page.

Bathrooms

Store pills, inhalers, and other prescription or nonprescription medications, as well as medical equipment, locked and out of the reach of your grandchild. The AAP stresses that medications of any kind should be kept up and away from a child’s reach and sight. Dispose of old or unused medications by following the instructions on the medicine label or package insert. If the label doesn’t give instructions, look for a drug take-back program in your community. Put nonslip material in the bathtub to avoid dangerous falls. If there are handles and bars in the bathtub for your use, cover them with soft material if bathing the baby there. Never leave a child unattended in a tub or sink filled with water. Visit Bathroom Safety for additional tips.

Baby equipment and toys

Never leave your grandchild alone in a high chair or in an infant seat located in high places, such as a table or countertop. Do not use mobile baby walkers. Buy new toys for your grandchild with a variety of sounds, sights, and colors. Simple toys can be just as good as more complex ones. Avoid toys with small parts babies could put into their mouths and swallow. Follow the package recommendations to find toys suitable for your grandchild’s age. Keep small button batteries, used in hearing aids and some remote controls, out of reach of children. When children swallow or inhale these batteries or put them in their noses, they can cause life-threatening chemical burns. Because toy boxes can be dangerous, the AAP recommends keeping them out of your home, or looking for one without a top or lid.

Garage and basement

Make sure the automatic reversing mechanism on the garage door is operating. Never leave a car running in the garage, as deadly carbon monoxide gas can collect quickly. Keep all garden chemicals and pesticides as well as tools in a locked cabinet and out of reach. Our Garage and Storage Safety guide covers these hazards in more detail.

Outdoor safety

Buy a car safety seat to keep inside your car. Make sure it’s installed properly (or have a trained professional install it) and that you can strap your grandchild into it easily. The AAP suggests experimenting with the buckles and clasps before you buy the car safety seat, since their ease of use varies. Make sure you know your grandchild is out of harm’s way before backing your car out of the garage or down the driveway. Purchase a stroller to use in your neighborhood. On shopping trips, whenever possible choose stores offering child friendly shopping carts with seats low to the ground. Don’t place your car safety seat into a shopping cart, and avoid putting your grandchild in the seat at the top of the cart if possible. If you have a tricycle or bicycle at your home for your grandchild, make sure you also have a helmet for him, and make sure he wears closed-toe shoes to protect his feet and toes. Although playgrounds can be fun, they also can be dangerous. Select one that has been designed to keep children as safe as possible; those at schools or at community-sponsored parks are often good choices. Inspect your own backyard for anything hazardous or poisonous. Keep your grandchild out of the yard when a lawnmower or other power yard tool is being used. Never let your child ride on your lap while mowing. If you have a backyard swimming pool, or if you take your grandchild to another home or park with a pool, there should be at least a 4-foot-high (1.2 m) four-sided fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate surrounding the pool. Make sure neighbors’ pools are enclosed by fences as well. Even if your grandchild seems to be a good swimmer, practice touch supervision anytime your grandchild is in or near water. You should also know CPR and how to swim. See Water Safety for more on drowning prevention.

Medication safety for visiting families

The AAP’s medication safety tips remind parents, grandparents and anyone who has a child or teen in their home that even small amounts of some common medicines can be deadly for babies and young children—sometimes just a pill or two. This includes opioids, heart and diabetes medications and even vitamins or supplements. Use medicine containers with safety caps, but remember that safety caps are child-resistant, not childproof. No medicine container is fully childproof and children may be able to open child-resistant caps, so keep them out of reach and sight of children. Store all prescription and over-the-counter medicines and supplements in their original packages in locked cabinets or containers. Safety latches that lock when you close a cabinet door can help keep children away from harmful products, but they do not always work. Consider buying a small safe or lockbox to lock up all medicines and drugs. Put medicines back into safe storage right after using them. Never leave children alone with medicines. Remind babysitters, grandparents and other visitors to keep purses, bags or jackets that have medicines in them away from children’s reach. Safely discard all unused medications, particularly powerful drugs like opioids and heart and diabetes drugs. Read the medicine label for safe ways to get rid of old or extra medicine. Medicine patches used for pain relief should be removed, folded in half and flushed. If your child is unconscious, not breathing, having seizures or other worrisome symptoms from possible poison contact or ingestion, call 911 or your local emergency number. If your child has mild or no symptoms, call or email the Poison Center, 1-800-222-1222 or PoisonHelp.org. For a broader look at keeping harmful substances away from children, visit Poison Prevention.

Furniture and TV tip-over prevention

When you think about keeping your grandchild safe, you may not consider the possibility of furniture or TVs tipping over. The AAP reports that a child is rushed to the emergency department at least once every single hour of every single day with injuries from a furniture or TV tip-over, and 77% of all tip-over deaths from 2000 to 2019 involved kids under the age of six. Children like to climb on furniture, and unsecured TVs, furniture and appliances are hidden hazards. The CPSC’s Anchor It! campaign advises using sturdy furniture, securing TVs, mounting flat-screen TVs to the wall, following manufacturer’s instructions, and removing items that might tempt kids to climb, such as toys and remote controls, from the top of the TV and furniture. Existing furniture can be anchored with inexpensive anti-tip brackets. New furniture, such as dressers, are sold with anti-tip devices; install them right away. The AAP adds that anti-tip devices take just minutes to install. Consider using furniture and wall anchors that are metal (such as “L” brackets), because plastic can become brittle over time and break, causing anchors to fail. The heavier the furniture, the more anchors you should use. In dressers and other clothing-storage furniture, place heavier objects on the lowest shelves or drawers and lighter objects in higher ones. Install dresser drawer stops or safety straps so your child can’t pull drawers out all the way. Never place a TV on top of a dresser, especially in a child’s room or playroom. If you have an old tube style TV and replace it with a flat screen, recycle it rather than give it away or put it elsewhere in your home. Flat screen TVs can still injure or kill a child; even though they seem light, they weigh as much as one or two bowling balls. If your grandchild has had furniture fall on them, take them to see their pediatrician or to the emergency room right away, even if they seem fine, because there could be internal bleeding or damage to their organs. Report tip-overs to the Consumer Product Safety Commission at www.saferproducts.gov, even if there was no injury. Our Furniture Anchors page explains how to choose and install these safety devices.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do if I think my grandchild swallowed a button battery?

Button batteries can cause life-threatening chemical burns if swallowed, inhaled or placed in the nose. The AAP advises that if your child is unconscious, not breathing, having seizures or showing other worrisome symptoms, call 911 immediately. If symptoms are mild or absent, call the Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 or visit PoisonHelp.org. Do not wait, because damage can happen quickly.

How can I talk to grandparents about childproofing without offending them?

Approach the conversation with respect and focus on how much you value their relationship with your child. Share resources like this checklist and the AAP’s guidance, and offer to help install safety devices or walk through the home together. Frame it as a way to make visits more relaxed for everyone, not as a criticism of their home.

Is it safe to use an older crib that has been in the family?

No. The AAP states that a crib made before June 2011 will not meet today’s safety standards, and the same is likely true for other saved and aging furniture such as old play yards. Replace older cribs with a new one that meets current guidelines.

For a complete walkthrough, visit our Grandparent Home Safety Checklist page. You can also browse the full Safety Checklists section and the Toddler Home Safety Checklist for more age-specific guidance.

Sources

Lauren Holland

About Lauren Holland

Lauren Holland is part of our editorial team and reviews and edits our childproofing guides, checking product details against manufacturer specifications and owner feedback.