Before the Grandkids Come: A Grandma’s-House Safety Clear-Out

My niece called me last week. She’s bringing her little boy to our house for Thanksgiving.

He’s just over a year old. He just started walking, and his mom says he gets into everything.

I hung up the phone smiling. Then I looked around my kitchen.

My weekly pill box was sitting on the counter, right where I leave it every morning. A basket of loose batteries sat on a low shelf. My husband’s magazines were piled on the floor by his chair.

None of it bothered me on a normal day. But that afternoon, I saw my house the way a toddler would see it. Everything was within reach.

Our own grandkids are older now, and I stopped thinking about little hands years ago. If small ones are coming to your house for the holidays, this is the clear-out I’m doing before they come.

Childproofing a grandparents’ house is mostly just decluttering with a little one in mind. I’ll walk you through it, room by room.

Why Grandma’s House Needs a Second Look

When our kids were small, we knew every unsafe spot in the house. We had outlet covers, cabinet loc