Time to child proof our house

[CalvertNewbie]

The pediatrician said that our son will be crawling in no time. It's about time to start child proofing. I know there are checklists online and in the parenting magazines that I'll take a look at.

Other than the obvious outlet covers, cords out of reach, baby gates, cabinet/drawer/door knob locks, is there anything you experienced parents didn't think of at first that could help us keep our little boy safe? Obviously, constant supervision. Guess I better make sure the dog & cat bowls are out of his reach too.

 

[Mojo]

When you buy cabinet locks, get the kind that magnetically unlock. They are more of a pain in the ass to install but they are waaaaaaaaaaaaay better.

 

[belvak]

A little premature since he's only crawliing and not walking yet, but make sure to keep the bathroom doors and/or toilet seats closed!!

 

[STAYATHOMEMAMA3]

The pediatrician said that our son will be crawling in no time. It's about time to start child proofing. I know there are checklists online and in the parenting magazines that I'll take a look at.

Other than the obvious outlet covers, cords out of reach, baby gates, cabinet/drawer/door knob locks, is there anything you experienced parents didn't think of at first that could help us keep our little boy safe? Obviously, constant supervision. Guess I better make sure the dog & cat bowls are out of his reach too.

Make sure to get dresser straps,that prevent the dresser from tipping over,I wish I had, I had one fall on my 6y/o and 22m/o dtrs. thank GOD they were not hurt but it was terrifying for all of us!!!

 

[poster]

The pediatrician said that our son will be crawling in no time. It's about time to start child proofing. I know there are checklists online and in the parenting magazines that I'll take a look at.

Other than the obvious outlet covers, cords out of reach, baby gates, cabinet/drawer/door knob locks, is there anything you experienced parents didn't think of at first that could help us keep our little boy safe? Obviously, constant supervision. Guess I better make sure the dog & cat bowls are out of his reach too.

Check to be sure electric cords are not accessable. A tug can pull a TV off a slick surface in an instant and remember the cords for blinds should be high out of reach.

 

[tyky]

A little premature since he's only crawliing and not walking yet, but make sure to keep the bathroom doors and/or toilet seats closed!!

 

[huntr1]

We like the spring loaded drawer latches.

This is the type we like, not endorsing the website, just the first place I found them in my search just now.

 

[CalvertNewbie]

Make sure to get dresser straps,that prevent the dresser from tipping over,I wish I had, I had one fall on my 6y/o and 22m/o dtrs. thank GOD they were not hurt but it was terrifying for all of us!!!

Wow, talk about scary! Thank God they were ok. He's only 4 months old but already grabbing for everything.

Thanks everyone, for the insight so far. Please keep the ideas coming.

 

[huntr1]

If you have floor registers for your A/C, you can get filter elements to put in them (they go between the grate and the doors that close the register off). They don't do much to filter the air, but they are good for keeping toys and whatnot out of the ductwork.

This is what I am talking about.

 

[belvak]

Another one I thought of... Make sure if you have screen/storm doors that they latch/lock securely!

 

[huntr1]

Another one I thought of... Make sure if you have screen/storm doors that they latch/lock securely!

We only open the windows behind the couch a couple inches so the baby cannot break the screen out and fall thru. I need to repair the lock on the screen door so the baby can't open it.

 

[godsbutterfly]

They also sell little rubberized pieces that fit on furniture corners - like coffee tables and entertainment centers. Those help my grandkids out a lot now that they are walking (and falling from time to time)!

 

[tiltedangel]

put all cleaning supplies in a box on top of the fridge. I know it sounds drastic but there is no way for them to reach those dangerous products. and anything that causes bubbles, shampoos, bubble baths, etc. I never really paid too much attention to it . but my cousin lost her son to dish soap. it was under the sink and the latch didn't hold, he drank it and it bubbled up in his brain. From then on everything was put well out of reach. The only good thing to come of it was he saved 8 other babies. she donated his organs.


had to add...i know there are some that will bash away that she was a bad mother and blah blah, but she used all the things they sell to keep them safe and went to put clothes in the dryer feeling secure there was nothing he could get into.

 

[itsbob]

Most of the babyproofing crap is just that CRAP.. it's a cheap replacement for parenting.

We did the outlets, but not sure that's necessary.

We have glass, plates, dishes on open cabinets that have shelves to the floor. BG was going to move everything, put it in storage.. She ended up leaving where it was/is.

Total casualties.. one plate one bowl.. But he's not climbing to reach anything and has NO interest at what's in his reach. We haven't had a caualty in more than a year.

Child proofing is like a Diaper Genie.. a feel good fix that only serves the purpose of increasing profits for the company that makes them.

Save your money, and watch the kid.

 

[bcp]

just get down and look around on his level, if it looks interesting chances are its going to be played with.

Parental common sense goes a lot further than store bought remedies.. but even still, like was mentioned earlier, things like dressers or tv stands that can tip are something to look at, when he starts standing he will be using anything in his reach to pull himself up, it takes alot less than you would think for something to tip.

and I dont care who you are, you are not going to be having an eye on the child 24 hours a day. Accidents that are not at all the fault of the parent can and do happen.

 

[getbent]

It was suggested to me to lay on the floor and look up. You'll see things that might catch their eye to try and get. I didn't move a whole lot of stuff out of reach. Obviously anything dangerous and anything that I would be upset if it was broken. Just get used to saying no ALOT, . We did do the cabinet locks and gave them a drawer with stuff they could play with in the kitchen. Had toilet locks and hubby broke both in the middle of the night when he couldn't get the damn thing unlocked, .

 

[CalvertNewbie]

put all cleaning supplies in a box on top of the fridge. I know it sounds drastic but there is no way for them to reach those dangerous products. and anything that causes bubbles, shampoos, bubble baths, etc. I never really paid too much attention to it . but my cousin lost her son to dish soap. it was under the sink and the latch didn't hold, he drank it and it bubbled up in his brain. From then on everything was put well out of reach. The only good thing to come of it was he saved 8 other babies. she donated his organs.


had to add...i know there are some that will bash away that she was a bad mother and blah blah, but she used all the things they sell to keep them safe and went to put clothes in the dryer feeling secure there was nothing he could get into.

Wow, what a nightmare! I'm so sorry that your family had to go through such a tragedy. Thanks for sharing that story, must have been difficult.

Most of the babyproofing crap is just that CRAP.. it's a cheap replacement for parenting.

We did the outlets, but not sure that's necessary.

We have glass, plates, dishes on open cabinets that have shelves to the floor. BG was going to move everything, put it in storage.. She ended up leaving where it was/is.

Total casualties.. one plate one bowl.. But he's not climbing to reach anything and has NO interest at what's in his reach. We haven't had a caualty in more than a year.

Child proofing is like a Diaper Genie.. a feel good fix that only serves the purpose of increasing profits for the company that makes them.

Save your money, and watch the kid.

I agree to a big extent of what you said. Many of the products out there nowadays are a complete waste of money. They didn't have all this stuff when my brother & I were growing up and we made it. And no, I didn't buy a diaper genie.

I know I'll be one of those overly paranoid mothers who will be afraid to even take a shower without him in my sight. There are some good childproofing products out there, though. But you're right, none of that can take the place of active parenting.

just get down and look around on his level, if it looks interesting chances are its going to be played with.

Parental common sense goes a lot further than store bought remedies.. but even still, like was mentioned earlier, things like dressers or tv stands that can tip are something to look at, when he starts standing he will be using anything in his reach to pull himself up, it takes alot less than you would think for something to tip.

and I dont care who you are, you are not going to be having an eye on the child 24 hours a day. Accidents that are not at all the fault of the parent can and do happen.

Although I'd love to say I'll be the perfect parent and that nothing will EVER happen to my son, I need to be realistic here. You're right, accidents can and do happen. He's already so curious about everything so I know he'll be trying to reach everything possible. Looking forward to many, many years of telling him "NO".

 

[itsbob]

Ok, let me offer a little insight.

My point is this. Children learn from mistakes, their curiousity has to be satisfied.

If you child proof your house to a great extent, than there is nothing for him to touch, feel or explore.. he'll go further in his exploration to get what he seeks, something new.

Leave things within his reach, he satisfies his curiosity, you tell him no, he learns. If it's out of his reach he's still going to try, more than likely fail.. he learns.

It's better for him to grab a plate from the lowest shelf and break it, then trying to reach the plate on a higher shelf and the shelf topple on top on him.

Question would be, do you want him to learn from little mistakes, and owies, or BIG mistakes and bigger owies? He's going to explore, he's going to make mistakes, and he's going to get hurt.

 

[bcp]

Let me add this from personal knowledge of younguns.

all children, let me say that again so we all understand ALL CHILDREN are born with advanced engineering skills.
If they grab something, and you say no and move it to where they can not reach it, they will construct the 9th wonder of the world to enable them to climb, cling, balance and reach said object. Im sure with the proper motivation, a cansister vacume cleaner, some baking soda and some vinagar could be used in some fashion to develope a jet pack to launch that child to the height he/she needs to go to get the now out of reach item. Maybe even a couple 2 liter coke bottles and a couple skittles and some duct tape could produce the needed lift. I dont know for sure, ask your 2 year old, Im sure he can develope something.

somewhere along the line during their early growth years, this ability is lost, perhaps due to the constant yelling of the word NO.

To prove this point, once the child is in the pre teen years, ask them to clean something, then put the cleaning supplies in a high cabinet that is out of their reach.
The child will have no idea how to retrieve these cleaning products, and can safely use this as an excuse why any certain task requiring them was not able to be completed.

 

[Homer J]

This is all you really need.

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