**Think in terms of gradually easing baby-proofing through the preschool years, with age 4–5 as a rough time to reassess much of it.** That’s a planning estimate, not a safety cutoff. Your youngest child’s abilities and behavior determine which precautions can come down.

Expect to need substantial protection throughout toddlerhood. The American Academy of Pediatrics cautions that children aged 2–4 can climb and open drawers while still failing to understand dangers or remember prohibitions during play. [AAP guidance](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/Safety-for-Your-Child-2-to-4-Years.aspx)

Different safeguards have different lifetimes:

- **Baby gates:** Often come down around age 2, or earlier if the child starts climbing over or opening them. Follow the gate’s limits, and supervise and teach stair use as you make that transition. [Nationwide Children’s guidance](https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/research/areas-of-research/center-for-injury-research-and-policy/injury-topics/home-safety/baby-gates)
- **Locks on cupboards containing harmless items:** You can reassess these as your child reliably handles the contents safely. Understanding a rule is one step; consistently following it is another.
- **Protection against serious hazards:** Keep medicines and cleaners locked away, furniture and TVs anchored, and appropriate window and pool barriers in place. These protections remain useful beyond the baby years. [CPSC guidance](https://www.cpsc.gov/safety-education/safety-guides/kids-and-babies/Childproofing-Your-Home)

Your house can become progressively more “normal.” Review each precaution by asking **what could happen if your child reached this while your attention was elsewhere**. For ordinary mess or minor breakage, you can gradually allow more access. For poisoning, drowning, or a serious fall, keep a physical safeguard.