Help! DD crawling 'overnight'and need to safetyproof house!

[bottomburp]

any advice or tips please, we have been onb hols for a week with 6mth old DD and she is now crawling, came back late last night and having a nightmare this morning!

what are the best safety proof things anyone has used?
also what stairgates?saw the rollerblind ones and wondered if they were much easier?

all advice very gratefully recieved as shall be off to mothercare/john lewis this afternoon

Ideal stairgate will depend on your stairs as the fittings are all different

www.babysecurity.co.uk has detailed info on all the gates you can buy

I have one rollerblind one and find it impossible to open with one hand. Otherwise it is good as it is tucked out of the way

I've used the rollerblind stairgate at a friend's house (and used to go there frequently so got used to it) and it was a real hassle. If you have an awkward space to gate off, use the BabyDan Babyden. It's a floor-less playpen that can be reconfigured as a room divider. We used it across the floor-to-ceiling windows that led on to our balcony, and it was very effective and convenient.

Get down on your hands and knees, and crawl around looking at your house from your child's perspective. The three must-have's IMO are corner protectors, socket covers and door stops (the sort that fit on top of the door). We had a stairgate across the kitchen door as well (lived in a flat, so no stairs to worry about, but a floor-level oven one unit in from the kitchen door).

You may find that you need to fit some corner protectors on teh underside of some units, if they are raised on legs.

Make sure that all your chemicals are either stored above your waist-height, or that you have secure locking devices on the cupboard doors. We liked the Magnalock as it's invisible from the outside, self-locking and uses a magnetic key to open up.

Another thing, make sure that all the cables from your stereo/TV/computer/telephone etc are tucked well back behind the unit on which the item sits. They are extremely tempting!

babydan den sounds great - thanks theblonde.glad asked about rollerblind as wd have bought 4 in blind panic, am going to look at the website now
prettycandles, DD just gone for nap in cot - had pulled herself up on bars this morning so glad we lowered it 2wks ago!am going to crawl round now, had not even thought about doorstops.we moved last month into a house that was 2 flats but going to convert back and all doors are fire doors so slam shut heavily, think will be sorting that out this evening as well.corner protectors essential as she has already bumper head twice this morning on coffee tablelegs, she is also magnetically drawn to newspapers and PLASTIC - aarrgghh.

thank you very much for the advice, will have to leave lovely winter boots til next month now!perhaps a crash helmet is cheaper