• Check floors for splinters, broken tiles with sharp edges, or pins or other sharp objects stuck into carpets.



• If your home was built before 1970, it could have lead-based paint on the walls or moldings. Check the windows, especially, for any weathered or chipping paint, and have it tested for lead. As lead paint ages, tiny particles get into the dust and settle onto the floor. A crawling baby cannot help but get dust on her hands, and from her hands into her mouth.



• Check for floor lamps that could be knocked over or table lamps that could be pulled over if your baby grabbed the cord. Move any unstable lamps, and consider taping cords to the floor with duct tape.



• Remove small objects that could be choking hazards from low shelves. To be on the safe side, consider anything that will fit inside a toilet-paper roll to be a choking hazard.



• If you can't baby-proof your entire home, use gates across doorways to restrict your baby to rooms that are safe. (You can find inexpensive baby gates at almost any big multipurpose store. Good ones are durable and designed to open and close easily; also make sure that they minimize the risk of pinched fingers.)



• Bathrooms and kitchens pose special dangers. Make sure a responsible adult is with your baby any time he's in one of these rooms.



• Even with the best precautions, the most important thing you can do to assure your crawling baby's safety is to keep an eye on him. For those times when you can't, it's great to have a playpen with some interesting toys handy.

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