The Parenting Journal

Most baby proofing advice assumes you want to buy things. A cabinet full of magnetic locks, a hallway full of foam bumpers, outlet plates in every room. The minimalist parent looks at that list and feels a familiar tension: I...

Both approaches share the same non-negotiables: stair gates, anchored furniture, locked chemicals, and covered outlets. Montessori proofing uses height and curation to define safe zones, not locks and barriers. Fewer toys in rotation makes hazards like broken parts and loose...

How to baby proof an RV or camper: latch the galley cabinets, secure the door, check the bunk and cover the outlets.

Baby proof a fish tank: the stand, the lid, the heater and the cords, and why open water needs an adult close by.

A host’s checklist for a family-ready rental: pool barriers, windows, stairs, tipping furniture, locked cleaners and a safe sleep space.

Before a puppy joins a home with a baby or toddler, plan the timing, the zones and the gates, and keep an adult in every shared moment.

Most grandparents’ homes are frozen in time, safety-wise, at the age their own children left. The cabinet locks came off years ago. The outlet covers went in the trash. The decorative bowl of coins on the entry table has been...

A baby shower is one of the most joyful events you can host. It’s also, from a child safety standpoint, one of the most complicated. You’re inviting a crowd into a space you normally control, disrupting your usual routines, and...

Use zones, gates and a daily routine so a dog and a toddler are never alone together; a gate is the line between zones, and an adult is the rest.