Making Our Home Baby Friendly (A Room By Room Plan By Mum Who’s Very House Proud And Struggling To Let Go!)

Making our home baby-friendly is both the point and the goal, and a little heartbreaking at the same time.

Our 6 month old is officially on the move, and it became very apparent, very quickly, that our home was not ready, and neither was I. There were so many things around the home that suddenly felt unsafe, like the TV not being secured to the wall, and my office having glass shelves that could easily fall and smash.

So we made the decision to prioritise safety over aesthetics. And let's be real, it wasn't really a decision, just the next step in making our home our family home. But it was a sad moment knowing it was time to say goodbye to my beautiful, Libra Moon, aesthetic office, and hello to the safe, baby-friendly space where he can play and I can work without fear of anything happening.

Rather than tackle the whole house in one overwhelming go, we're doing it room by room. Some spaces are done, some are very much still on the list. So here's exactly where we're up to, what we've prepared so far, and what's still to come.

✅ The Office, officially complete!

Today the office is officially complete, and it's the first room I get to properly tick off the list.

Out went the glass shelves and my beautiful white and gold cabinet, and in came white filing cabinets that feel so much more "grown up" and appropriate for where we're at in life. I even ordered organiser tabs and sorted all of our paperwork, and got myself a label maker, so it's safe to say I've been having the time of my Capricorn life in here. There is genuinely nothing that lights me up like a colour-coded, labelled, everything-in-its-place system.

We also built new shelves and drawers in the wardrobe to get everything in order and finally sorted through all the clutter. And the most important part: we built a play pen with a foam mat (that frustrated the absolute life out of me trying to line up the geometric print, if you know, you know), a floor mattress, a play mat and toys for Jude to enjoy while I work. Now he has his own safe little corner to explore right beside my desk, and I can actually get things done knowing he's happy and safe an arm's reach away. Function won over aesthetic in here, and honestly? I love it more for it.

🔜 Still to prepare, room by room

Here's everything still on our baby-proofing list, plus the bits we've already ticked off along the way.

The living room

The TV is officially fitted to the wall, which was our number-one non-negotiable (there is no securing a determined, pulling-up baby, but there is securing the telly). Next on the list here is safely securing all the cabinets and locking off the drawers so he can't pull them open or tip anything.

The kitchen

The plan here is to secure the drawers and cupboards, especially anything with cleaning products, and then create a baby-friendly drawer down at the bottom just for him. I'm talking a whisk, his little wooden knives, plastic spoons, all his own safe bits to grab and play with. I really want him to feel involved in the kitchen with me, part of the action, without any of the danger.

Our bedroom

Our bedroom is pretty much set up, but we've reached the part of our co-sleeping journey where my baby has turned into a rolling panda. So right now we're figuring out the safest possible way to make sure he doesn't go bump in the night, because this boy does NOT stay still anymore. If you’re a proud co-sleeper (we actually have a a three sided cot pushed agains our bed) please send me your tips on instagram @lattesandlisanne.

Bath time

Oh, bath time. The bath seats are honestly driving me a little mad. He wants to hop out of his original one, and the new sit-up one is a pain. Last night I tried to just hold him instead, and the little dude launched himself forward and had himself a surprise swim. He's completely fine, I grabbed him fast, he was just a bit shocked (me more than him, if I'm honest!). So finding a bath setup that actually works for us, and never taking my hands or eyes off him in there, is high on the list.

(Quick, honest safety note because it matters: never leave a baby unattended in the bath, not even for a second, and not even in a bath seat. Those seats are a positioning aid, not a safety device. Learned nothing new last night, but it was a good reminder to stay glued to him.)

Jude's room

Which is basically a glorified play and change room at this point since we’ve become full time co-sleepers, but I've been having so much fun making Jude's room a lovely place to be. There are still drawers and mirror doors in there that need securing, but right now he's never in there on his own, so it's lower down the priority list, but we know it's inevitably essential and it'll get its turn.

Outdoor

Look, I like to think I'm raising a free range baby, even in our tiny, surburban back garden, so other than the BBQ, outdoors feels pretty safe for now, especially as he's only 6 months old and won't be grilling steaks any time soon. We'll revisit this one the second he's upright and fast, because all he seems to do right now is laugh at the dogs, watch the trees and eat the grass.

The bit I want you to hold onto

Here's what all of this is really about, and it took me a minute to realise it… I'm not just making our home safe for Jude. I'm making it safe for me too.

Because the real goal isn't a perfectly padded, latched-up house. It's the feeling of being able to put my baby down and not freak out. To trust that he's free and safe to explore his home, and that I can breathe, work, cook, and just be, without that low hum of worry following me from room to room. Every drawer we secure and every corner we soften buys back a little bit of my peace, and that peace lets me actually enjoy watching him discover the world.

So we'll keep going, room by room, no rush, until every space feels safe for him and calm for me. Because a home where I can let him roam free and trust he's okay? That's the whole dream.

Are you in the baby-proofing trenches too? Come share your best safety hack (and your best "RIP to my aesthetic" story) with me over on Instagram. 🤍