Your 22-Week-Old Baby

Your baby isn’t on the move just yet, but they’re still extremely curious about their surroundings (and plotting their next discovery). Around this stage, curiosity takes over as your baby starts to explore their surroundings in new ways. 

Their vision, hand-eye coordination and strength are improving every day, making it easier to grab and get into just about anything they can reach. That’s why now is a good time to start thinking about babyproofing your space.

As you prep your home for baby’s growing curiosity, we talked with pediatrician Dr. Gabriella Dauer, author of Beyond the Basics: A Pediatrician’s Newborn Guide, and Dr. Chris Klunk, a board-certified neonatologist with Pediatrix Medical Group, about how to create a safe, exploration-friendly environment that lets your baby learn and play without unnecessary worry.

🚼 Baby’s Development 

Budding Curiosity

Your baby has spent the last several weeks learning to roll and reach toward objects, testing what all their body can do and seeing how the world responds. And with those milestones comes the development of baby’s natural curiosity and their drive to explore, which helps strengthen muscles, coordination and cognitive development—but can sometimes cause a bit of anxiety for caregivers.

That doesn’t mean you need to babyproof everything, though. Dr. Dauer encourages parents to let baby explore safely, which means finding the right balance between encouraging baby’s curiosity with the need to keep certain areas and items off limits. “Babyproof what can really harm baby, and you can leave out safe items for them to play with, like pots, pans and cooking tools,” she says. 

Around five months old is when babies first start learning about cause and effect (“If I drop this spoon, it makes a sound!”), and they’re building fine and gross motor skills through constant trial and error. So even though your baby isn’t mobile yet, you can still give them opportunities to build these skills through exploring and engaging with their world. 

Plop them down in front of an unlocked (and safe) cabinet or drawer and let them experience the joy of opening it and discovering what’s inside. Move their playard or playmat into a different room some days for a change of scenery. Hand them interesting things to hold while on a walk outside (just watch out for what they put in their mouth). 

❓ Weekly How-To: Babyproof Your Home

When it comes to prepping your home for baby’s safe exploration, Dr. Dauer says harmful chemicals should be first on your babyproofing list. Anything that’s toxic for baby to ingest—household cleaners, laundry detergents and pods, medications—should be placed high up out of baby’s reach and/or in locked cabinets. (If you’re concerned about household chemicals in particular, check out our list of baby-safe cleaning products.)

For the rest of your home, Dr. Klunk recommends starting from the ground up. “Get down on your baby’s level to really see what they can reach or get into,” he says. “So focus on what can be reached from the floor. Make sure there’s nothing small they can swallow, cords that can be tugged on to pull appliances off counters or tables, cabinets that can be opened to reach harmful chemicals, electrical outlets for little fingers to explore and stairs to climb or fall down.”

There are plenty of babyproofing products out there to help you with all those basics (we’ve linked to some of our favorites below), but Dr. Klunk says parents shouldn’t stop there. “Pet bowls, litter boxes, dangling cords from blinds and curtains and small objects that pose choking risks are often overlooked,” says Dr. Klunk.

As your baby becomes more mobile over the next few months, you can start to shift your focus upward: anchoring shelves, dressers and other tall furniture to prevent tipping accidents.

Ready to get started? Dr. Seran Kim, a board-certified Emergency Physician, provides this handy childproofing checklist to help you make sure you’re taking care of all potential safety hazards:

An ER Doctor's Childproofing Checklist

Place plugs in all unused electrical outlets

Keep all cords out of reach

Secure furniture, TVs and bookshelves to the walls

Put protective padding on sharp furniture corners

Cover all fireplaces with a safety gate

Use baby gates on the top and bottom of stairs

Use safety latches on lower cabinets and doors

Lock medicine cabinets or boxes

Lock cleaning supplies

Keep house plants out of reach

Use window guards

Lock away any guns separately from ammunition

Check for chipping paint

Use stove knob covers

Use rear stove burners

Cover radiators and heating vents

Apply pinch guards on all doors

Use toilet locks

Lock your liquor cabinet

Lock away batteries

Keep small choking hazard objects out of baby's reach

👀 Looking Ahead

• Starting solids: Right around six months old is when many babies start trying solid foods for the first time. It’s an exciting (and messy) milestone that opens up a whole new sensory world.

🛍️ Panic Order

Dreambaby 
Whole Home Safety Set, 78 Piece Set

A one-and-done set with all the basics—outlet covers, cabinet locks, anti-pinch door guards and more—so you can babyproof every room in one go.

Buy

Add to Babylist

Babylist$44.99

Jool Baby 
Outlet Plug Covers (32 Pack)

Keep curious fingers away from open outlets. These snap-in covers are tough for tiny hands to pull out of the wall.

Buy

Add to Babylist

Babylist$8.99

Amazon$8.95

Jool Baby 
Multi-Purpose Adhesive Child Safety Strap (4-Pack)

These straps are perfect for keeping baby out of cabinets, drawers and even the fridge and toilets while still being easy for adults to open.

Buy

Add to Babylist

Babylist$9.99

Amazon$9.97

Target$9.99

Dreambaby 
Furniture Anchor

Anchor dressers, shelves and TVs securely to the wall to prevent tipping accidents once your baby starts pulling up and climbing.

Buy

Add to Babylist

Babylist$9.99

Dreambaby 
Furniture Bump Guard Kit

These soft foam bumpers cover sharp furniture edges to prevent wobbly steps from becoming big bumps.

Buy

Add to Babylist

Babylist$10.99

Amazon$11.97

Regalo 
Easy Step Baby Gate

This gate can be installed either via hardware-mount or pressure-mount, so it’s great for renters. And it can fit openings between 29” and 38.5”.

Buy

Add to Babylist

Babylist$49.99

Amazon$33.99

Target$44.99

Dreambaby 
Glide 'N Hide Extra Tall Retractable Baby Gate

A retractable baby gate makes for a flexible, space-saving alternative to traditional gates—great for high-traffic areas.

Buy

Add to Babylist

Babylist$59.99

Amazon$59.99

Evenflo 
Versatile Play Space 8 Panel

A portable, enclosed play space keeps your little explorer safely contained while giving them room to roll, play and practice independence.

Buy

Add to Babylist

Babylist$99.99

Amazon$94.99

Grove Co. 
Multi-Purpose Cleaner Concentrate, 2-Pack

This baby-safe multi-purpose household cleaner is a parent favorite because it's plant-based, unscented and gentle if baby happens to come into contact with it, unlike other cleaners with harsh chemicals.

Buy

Add to Babylist

grove.co$7.99