Kids' Bedroom Safety Checklist: Beyond the Bed

When it comes to a child's bedroom, the bed itself tends to get most of the attention – and rightly so, it's where they spend the most time. But a few other parts of the room are just as worth a regular check, and they're easy to overlook once a room's been set up and settled into. None of this takes long, and most of it costs little or nothing to put right.

Anchor tall or heavy furniture to the wall

Wardrobes, chests of drawers and tall bookcases can tip if a child climbs on an open drawer to reach something, and it's one of the more serious hidden risks in an otherwise safe-looking room. Simple anti-tip brackets or straps (widely available and inexpensive) fix furniture to the wall studs and take a couple of minutes per item to fit. As a general rule, keep the heaviest items in the lowest drawers, and it's worth teaching children early that furniture isn't for climbing, alongside actually securing it.

Check blind and curtain cords

This one's a genuine, well-documented risk rather than an overcautious one – and the UK government has specific guidance on it. Any looped blind cord should have a tidy, tensioner or cleat fitted, with the cleat mounted at least 1.5 metres from the floor and out of reach. After use, cords should be wound up and secured rather than left hanging loose. It's also worth keeping beds, cots and any furniture a child could climb on away from windows, since that's what turns an otherwise-secured cord back into a reachable one.

Keep the floor path to the door clear

A room that's fine in daylight can be a trip hazard at 2am. Rugs without a non-slip backing, toys left mid-floor, or bags dumped by the door are all easy to catch a foot on in the dark. It's worth doing a quick end-of-day scan of the path between the bed and the door specifically, rather than tidying the room as a whole and assuming that's covered it.

Think about what's within reach of a young child's bed

As children move from a cot into their first proper bed, it's worth re-checking what's now reachable from a standing position beside it that wasn't before – sockets without covers, small items on a low shelf, blind cords again, or anything breakable on a bedside table. A room that was safe for a cot doesn't automatically stay safe once a child can get in and out of bed independently.

Don't forget the basics that apply to every room

A working smoke alarm within the bedroom or immediately outside it, and an easily opened window in case it's ever needed, are worth checking alongside anything bedroom-specific. It's an easy thing to assume is fine and never actually test.

Quick room safety checklist

• Tall or heavy furniture anchored to the wall, heaviest items stored low
• Blind and curtain cords secured on a cleat at least 1.5m up, out of reach
• Beds and climbable furniture kept away from windows
• Clear, trip-free path between the bed and the door
• Sockets covered and small or breakable items out of reach of the bed
• Smoke alarm nearby and tested

If you're also weighing up bed safety specifically – the right age for a high sleeper, or what to check on a bunk bed – our guides on bunk bed safety and high sleeper safety cover that in more detail.