Mobility opens up a whole new ballgame in childrearing. While your pride swells with what your baby is learning to accomplish on their own, your mind also reels at the amount of trouble they can get into! Ultimately, baby proofing should be done before your baby is actually mobile. You don't want to find out what your baby can get into by them actually getting into it. WebMD advises that you think like a baby, get down on the floor, crawl around, and see what exactly your big trouble areas could potentially be. Their article on babyproofing highlights some areas to pay particular attention to throughout the house.

So now that you know where you need to babyproof, what do you do about it? Safety 1st makes several kits that will give you a good start. Their Drawers and Doors Safety Kit contains 25 pieces to secure cabinets and doors, cover knobs, and protect small fingers from being pinched. You can pick up this kit from Amazon for $15, 32% off the regular price. The Safety 1st Family Room Child-Proofing Kit (which is also on sale at Amazon, 25% off for $23) is a one room solution containing outlet covers, blind cord wind-ups, a VCR lock, power strip covers, furniture corner covers, and door knob covers. Several other kits are available from Safety 1st through Amazon.

In addition to the locking and covering aspect of baby proofing, most families will also need a baby gate or two. There are basically two types of standard baby gates - pressure-mounted and hardware mounted. Pressure-mounted gates require no tools to install and leave no holes or marks where they are used. The KidCo Center Gateway is a great choice for a pressure-mounted gate as the center part swings open without dismounting the entire gate. These premium gates are typically quite pricey, but their Center Gateway is currently on sale at Amazon for 74% off, at $63! The KidCo Angle-Mount Safeway Gate is an excellent choice for a hardware mounted gate and is 75% off for $58 at Amazon. This gate is ideal for use at the top of stairs and can be mounted in any position, including angled areas.

Hopefully you're now geared up and ready to attack the whole babyproofing thing. Enjoy the mobility! - Jenn