The Parenting Journal
Room by Room
Pool Alarms and Covers: Layered Water Safety for Families with Babies
Every summer, a child drowns in a backyard pool while an adult is home. No screaming. No splashing. Just silence, and then a frantic search that ends in tragedy. Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury death in children...
Room by Room
Kitchen Table and High Chair Safety: Preventing Falls at Mealtime
About 9,400 children under age 3 are treated in U.S. emergency departments each year for high-chair-related injuries (CPSC). That number stopped me cold when I first read it, because I know exactly how those moments happen. You turn around to...
Room by Room
How to Baby Proof a Built-In China Cabinet
Every china cabinet looks like a display case to an adult. To a two-year-old, it looks like a challenge.Built-in china cabinets are one of the trickier baby-proofing jobs in any home. They’re fixed to the wall, often finished in paint...
Room by Room
How to Baby Proof a Pull-Out Pantry
My younger daughter was 18 months old when she figured out the pull-out pantry. I heard the familiar rumble of the drawer gliding open, then silence. By the time I crossed the kitchen, she had a box of pasta in...
Room by Room
How to Baby Proof a Medicine Cabinet Properly
Every 15 seconds, someone in the U.S. calls a poison center about an exposure, about 2.1 million calls in 2024 alone, according to America’s Poison Centers. A significant share of those calls involve children who found something they shouldn’t have....
Room by Room
How to Baby Proof a Lazy Susan Cabinet
Most cabinet locks work on one assumption: the door opens from one spot. A Lazy Susan breaks that assumption entirely.The rotating tray inside means your child can push the door open at any angle, reach around the edge, and spin...
Room by Room
Living Room Outlet and Cord Safety: Hiding Hazards in Plain Sight
The living room looks safe. Soft couch, low coffee table, maybe a basket of toys in the corner. But the outlets clustered behind the entertainment center, the lamp cord snaking across the baseboard, the window blind cord looped over its...
Room by Room
How to Baby Proof Under the Kitchen Sink: Chemicals and Pipes
Every 15 seconds, someone in the U.S. calls a poison center about an exposure, about 2.1 million calls in 2024 alone, according to America’s Poison Centers. A significant share of those calls involve children who found something under the kitchen...
Room by Room
Bathroom Cabinet Locks: Keeping Medications and Cleaners Away from Baby
Every 15 seconds, someone in the U.S. calls a poison center about an exposure. America’s Poison Centers logged nearly 2.1 million human poison exposures in 2024, the equivalent of one case every 15 seconds. A significant share of those calls...