There are a lot of things to consider when you have a baby at home. And one of these things is childproofing—the act of making an environment or object relatively safe for children. This includes restriction of children to safe areas or preventing children from reaching unsafe areas. It may really sound depressing, especially if you have a collection of some fine pieces of breakable figurines and/or décor, because you will end up storing it in a cabinet or keeping it out of the reach of your little ones. You don’t want your toddlers to be rushed to the ER because of being cut or choking on sharp items from breakable glasses.

A playpen is another device that is commonly used as a form of childproofing. By restricting the movement of a child while resting, playing, or bottlefeeding, playpens require a somewhat lower level of supervision while in use.

Safety gates (“baby gates”) are used to help prevent a child from accessing an area of a house, especially the stairway, or to allow an exterior door to be open for ventilation while restricting a child’s movement.

The question is, it possible to go overboard with childproofing? YES! That is, by fencing the whole room. I think that’s taking it a little too far. Children do need to learn what they can and can’t touch—in a safe environment.