For months, you can put your baby down in one place and feel fairly confident they'll still be there when you look back.

And then everything changes.

It might begin with an accidental shuffle. A determined roll across the rug. Or that funny backwards crawl where they somehow get further away from the toy they're desperately trying to reach.

But once your baby starts becoming mobile, you begin seeing your home through completely different eyes.

The stairs suddenly look interesting. Every cupboard apparently contains treasure. Cables become irresistible. And things you've walked past every day without noticing are suddenly at exactly the right height for a pair of inquisitive little hands.

Preparing your home before your baby is confidently crawling means you can make thoughtful changes gradually rather than attempting to baby proof everything overnight.

Here are 10 places we'd start.

1. Get down on the floor

This sounds slightly ridiculous until you try it.

Get down to roughly your baby's height and move through the rooms where they'll spend most of their time.

The view is surprisingly different down there.

You'll notice trailing cables, low shelves, small objects under furniture, accessible sockets and things hanging enticingly over the edge of tables.

Something completely uninteresting from adult height can be fascinating when you're eight months old.

Don't just do this once, either. Repeat it as your baby develops because crawling, pulling to stand and eventually walking all create different opportunities for exploration.

2. Think about your stairs before crawling begins

If you have stairs, don't wait for your baby to demonstrate that they can reach them.

Once crawling clicks, babies can become surprisingly quick.

Current UK guidance recommends fitting safety gates when babies begin crawling and using them at both the top and bottom of stairs.

The type of gate matters too. At the top of stairs, look for a screw-fixed gate suitable for that position and without a bottom trip bar.

Measure your openings in advance and check the manufacturer's fitting instructions carefully. Staircases aren't all built the same way, and choosing a safety gate isn't simply a case of finding one that looks approximately the right width.

Planning this before your baby becomes mobile gives you time to choose something appropriate for both your staircase and your home.

3. Check furniture that could tip

Crawling doesn't last long.

Before you know it, the same baby who was happily exploring the floor will be grabbing furniture and trying to pull themselves upright.

That changes the risk posed by items such as chests of drawers, shelving units and televisions.

Check the manufacturer's guidance for your furniture and securely anchor items where required.

It's also worth considering what's sitting on the furniture.

A toddler may be far more motivated to climb towards an interesting object than an empty shelf, so think about whether tempting items could encourage climbing.

4. Investigate your cupboards

Try opening the lowest cupboards in your kitchen, bathroom and utility room.

What's inside?

Cleaning products, laundry capsules, medicines and other potentially harmful substances need to be stored securely and out of children's reach.

You may also decide to use appropriate child-resistant locks on accessible cupboards and drawers.

But not every cupboard necessarily needs to become forbidden territory.

Some parents create a safe cupboard specifically for their baby to explore, filled with things such as plastic containers, wooden spoons or other suitable household objects.

Because sometimes the most effective distraction from the cupboard they can't open is a cupboard they're actually allowed to investigate.

5. Look for anything that dangles

There seems to be something uniquely appealing about a cable dangling within reach.

Walk through your home looking specifically for anything your baby could pull.

That might include electrical cables, tablecloths or cords.

Window blind cords deserve particular attention and should be kept safely secured and out of reach.

Then look at what could happen if something were pulled.

A cable itself might not be the biggest concern - but the heavy lamp or appliance attached to the other end could be.

6. Reconsider your coffee table

The coffee table often becomes a baby's first piece of cruising equipment.

At crawling stage, they're underneath it.

Next they're pulling themselves up against it.

And shortly afterwards they're moving around its perimeter while holding on.

Look at sharp corners and hard edges, but also consider what's normally sitting on top.

Candles, heavy ornaments, hot drinks and anything breakable may need to find a different home for a while.

This doesn't mean clearing every surface and living in an empty room.

It's more about recognising which parts of your home are about to become accessible and editing accordingly.

7. Check what's hiding at floor level

Babies discover things we didn't know existed.

The tiny piece of packaging underneath the sofa.

A coin that's been beside the skirting board for six months.

Something mysterious the dog brought in.

Once your baby is crawling, regular floor-level checks become worthwhile, particularly because babies explore so much of the world with their mouths.

Pay particular attention after visitors, parties or older children have been playing. Small objects can appear surprisingly quickly.

8. Don't forget pets

For many families, your baby isn't the only small creature roaming around the house.

Pets introduce another set of considerations once crawling begins.

Food bowls, water bowls, toys, beds and litter trays can suddenly become accessible to a curious baby.

Your pet may also need somewhere they can retreat without being followed.

Safety gates can be useful for helping create separate zones within the home, depending on your family, pet and layout.

And while the first meeting between a crawling baby and a very patient dog can be lovely, interactions between young children and animals should always be appropriately supervised.

9. Think about how your home actually functions

Baby proofing is sometimes presented as an enormous checklist of products you need to buy.

It doesn't have to be.

Before adding something to every drawer, corner and surface, think about how your family actually uses each room.

Where does your baby spend time?

Which routes through the house do you use constantly?

Where are the genuine hazards?

Where could you create a safer area for exploration rather than restricting absolutely everything?

The aim isn't to stop your child interacting with their environment. Exploration is an important part of development.

It's about removing or managing hazards while giving them appropriate spaces in which to discover the world around them.

10. Accept that baby proofing changes as they do

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that baby proofing isn't a one-off job.

A home prepared for a six-month-old crawler isn't necessarily prepared for a 12-month-old who can stand on tiptoes and has recently discovered climbing.

Every so often, reassess.

Get back down to their level.

Look at what they can now reach.

Watch what they're interested in.

And adapt your home as their abilities change.

A family home can still feel like your home

There's sometimes an assumption that preparing your home for children means surrendering it to plastic safety products for the next five years.

We don't believe that has to be true.

Some things will inevitably move. Some cupboards will gain locks. The coffee table styling might become considerably more minimal for a while.

But you can still make considered choices about the things you introduce into your home.

In fact, that's exactly why BirchBaby began.

We wanted a safety gate that performed the important practical role we needed from it but didn't feel completely at odds with the interiors we'd spent years creating.

The result was The Scalloped Gate — a solid beech, wall-mounted safety gate with a softer scalloped silhouette, designed to feel considered within the home around it.

Because becoming a parent changes your home in plenty of wonderful ways.

It doesn't mean you have to stop caring how that home feels.

Getting ready for the crawling stage? Explore The Scalloped Gate, or visit our Measuring Guide to find the right size for your space.