# Day 207: Babyproof before they move

> A baby who rolls both ways and reaches for everything is weeks from moving across a room. The floor-level sweep, the furniture anchors, and the one number to save before it's needed.

- Series: Your seventh month, day by day (https://chorevia.com/learn/seventh-month), day 207 of 365, week 28
- Canonical URL: https://chorevia.com/learn/seventh-month/day-207
- Last reviewed: 2026-10-21
- Publisher: Chorevia (https://chorevia.com)
- Cite as: Chorevia. "Day 207: Babyproof before they move." Last reviewed October 21, 2026. https://chorevia.com/learn/seventh-month/day-207

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

Your baby can't get across the room yet. That's exactly why today is the day: the AAP's advice is to babyproof ahead of the next skill, not behind it, and the next skill is coming.

## Heart

By the end of this stage, many babies roll both ways ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/Movement-4-to-7-Months.aspx)), and a baby who rolls twice has crossed a rug. The AAP's first instruction is to look at floor level for coins, buttons, small toy parts, and button or coin batteries, which can cause swift, life-threatening damage if swallowed ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Home-Safety-Heres-How.aspx)). If you think your baby swallowed a battery, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away, without waiting to see what happens: your baby may need an X-ray at once, because a battery stuck in the esophagus can do severe damage in 2 hours ([Poison Control](https://www.poison.org/battery)).

## Head

The rest of the list is furniture and doors. Anchor dressers, bookcases, and TV stands to the wall; gate the top and bottom of stairs with gates mounted to the wall studs, not accordion-style; plug unused outlets; and choose cordless window coverings or tie cords out of reach ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Home-Safety-Heres-How.aspx)). Lock up medicines, cleaners, and alcohol, and save Poison Help in your phone ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Home-Safety-Heres-How.aspx)). Skip baby walkers: they don't help babies learn to walk, can delay it, and send thousands of children to hospitals each year, mostly from falls down stairs ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Baby-Walkers-A-Dangerous-Choice.aspx)).

## Body

The crib counts as a room. Lower the mattress before your baby can sit up, move it to the lowest position before they can stand, and take down any mobile once your baby is 5 months old or gets up on hands and knees ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Make-Babys-Room-Safe.aspx)). Sitting without leaning on the hands comes for many between 6 and 8 months ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/Movement-4-to-7-Months.aspx)), so if the mattress is still up, tonight is the night. The guide's [babyproofing](https://chorevia.com/learn/6-months#babyproof-before-your-baby-moves) section has the list in one place.

## Try today

### The crawl-level sweep

- **Time:** 10 minutes per room
- **From the guide:** [Babyproof before your baby moves](https://chorevia.com/learn/6-months#babyproof-before-your-baby-moves)

1. Get down on your hands and knees in one room and look at what's at that height: coins, buttons, small toy parts, batteries ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Home-Safety-Heres-How.aspx)).
2. Lift the sofa cushions and look under the furniture; coins, toy parts, and pen caps collect there ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/injuries-emergencies/Pages/Choking-Prevention.aspx)).
3. Push on each dresser, bookcase, and TV stand. Anything that rocks gets anchored to the wall ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Home-Safety-Heres-How.aspx)).
4. Follow every cord: blinds, lamps, chargers. Cordless coverings or cords tied out of reach, outlets plugged ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Home-Safety-Heres-How.aspx)).
5. Write the room's name on a list and cross it off. Next room tomorrow.

**Make it work:** Save Poison Help, 1-800-222-1222, in both parents' phones before you stand up ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Home-Safety-Heres-How.aspx)).

## Watch for

- **Normal:** a baby who rolls off the play blanket and onto the bare floor, pleased with themselves. **Call Poison Help right away** at 1-800-222-1222 if you think your baby swallowed a battery or anything poisonous, even if they seem fine ([Poison Control](https://www.poison.org/battery); [AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Home-Safety-Heres-How.aspx)).
- **Normal:** everything within reach going straight to the mouth ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones/6-months.html)). **Call 911** if your baby is choking and can't cry, cough, or breathe, or has a weak cough, high-pitched sounds, or blue or pale skin, and start back blows and chest thrusts ([Red Cross](https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/resources/learn-first-aid/infant-choking)).
- **Normal:** rocking on hands and knees without going anywhere. **Call your pediatrician right away** after any head injury; a call is advised for every baby under 1 ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Head+Injury)).

## For you

One room a day is fine. The AAP's list is long because houses are, not because you're supposed to do it all this afternoon ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Home-Safety-Heres-How.aspx)). Start with the room the baby spends the most hours in, then the room with the stairs. A list with one room crossed off is a safer house than a list you were too tired to start.

If you're the partner: the anchors are yours. A drill, a stud finder, and the dresser in the nursery, this weekend ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Home-Safety-Heres-How.aspx)).

## Sources

- American Academy of Pediatrics. "Movement Milestones: Babies 4 to 7 Months." HealthyChildren.org, updated 2021. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/Movement-4-to-7-Months.aspx
- American Academy of Pediatrics. "Home Safety: Tips for Families With Young Children." HealthyChildren.org, updated 2022. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Home-Safety-Heres-How.aspx
- National Capital Poison Center. "Swallowed a button battery? Battery in the nose or ear?" Poison Control, accessed 2026. https://www.poison.org/battery
- American Academy of Pediatrics. "Baby Walkers: A Dangerous Choice." HealthyChildren.org, updated 2022. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Baby-Walkers-A-Dangerous-Choice.aspx
- American Academy of Pediatrics. "Make Baby's Room Safe: Parent Checklist." HealthyChildren.org, updated 2020. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Make-Babys-Room-Safe.aspx
- Bradin S. "Choking Prevention for Babies & Children: What Every Parent Needs to Know." HealthyChildren.org, updated 2026. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/injuries-emergencies/Pages/Choking-Prevention.aspx
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Milestones by 6 Months." Learn the Signs. Act Early. program, updated 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones/6-months.html
- American Red Cross. "Infant Choking: How To Help." Accessed 2026. https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/resources/learn-first-aid/infant-choking
- American Academy of Pediatrics. "Head Injury" (symptom checker). HealthyChildren.org, accessed 2026. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Head+Injury