childproofing

[katelyn]

I want to increase our level of childproofing so that I don't have to worry quite so much as Natalie makes her way out of sight for a few minutes. I was curious as to what childproofing products everyone found useful. Any specific brand recommendations? We already have cabinet/drawer locks and outlet covers. I really like our outlet covers; they are Kidco Standard Outlet Covers. A bit more pricey but much less annoying than those little plastic things you stick in.

I'm especially looking to childproof the bathrooms.

 

[CarrieAg93]

I never did find a toilet lock I really liked. I like our cabinet locks - they're the magnetic kind. Don't forget to attach all your dressers and book shelves to the wall.

 

[Princessperky]

bleach..that is an odd childproofing thing, but I figure a clean bathroom makes me less nervous should my kid enter..and since I have two older kids, my crawler is bound to follow at some point! I try to celan the master bath every morning, 5 minutes and every hand on the floor bothers me much less.

I have a gate I rarely use, but love..it is all plastic, and it doesn't bend in the middle like many..unfortunatly I can't remember the name...

Flylady is my other odd childproofing tactic, the less 'stuff' I have the easier it is for me to move what is there up and out of the way. (or not if it wont likely hurt them, I use it to teach not touching)

 

[GolfingMom]

I never childproofed the house...I houseproofed the child. My children have learned not to touch the plants, coffee table items (even if I put a bowl of candy out) and never go in the bathroom...never have (unless they need to use it). It took some constant reminders to them not to touch or be careful but they learned.
I also didn't put locks on the cabinets or toilets etc.

 

[Linnis]

Vacume daily. When I babysat twin toddlers, it was an everyday thing to keep up with dirt and fluff, basically things they'd eat.

Maybe you can keep the bathroom off limits as in door closed unless you are in there with them. My Aunt had these thingies that went over door knobs to make it impossible for little ones to open.

 

[JulySheMustFly]

The plastic outlet covers don't work with all children. There are ones that you have to slide the cover over while holding it and then put in the plug. Also there are shields to cover the outlets when things are already plugged into them so the children can't pull them out.

OVer all it was just common sense aroudn our house. We had a gate that rarely gets used now that blocked the stairs and vaccumed/swept alot. We keep the bathroom door closed so we don't use a toilet lock. We also don't use the cabinet locks. Everything at my childrens level can be opened and played in by them without harm. Everything else is just training them what is ok and what is not.

 

[Leanna]

We keep the bathroom door closed for now, at least that's what we've been doing. He didn't used to be able to open the door and so it "childproofed" the bathroom essentially. Now he just realizes that the door is shut unless mommy or daddy are in there and he says "da door!" (which actually means that we should shut the door... door just means door, but da door has a lot more meaning ) and then runs over and closes it if we forget. Its worked out quite nicely as of this point because he realizes the bathroom is not a play area. Now he is actually getting what it IS for and points at the toilet and says "poopoo! yuck!" so it hasn't hindered his potty training abilities I guess.... and we haven't even tried to start yet.

Beyond the bathroom, we have these cabinet locks for the ones with glass items or cleaners(but we just bought them at a local store): http://www.hechinger.com/web/catalog/product_detail.aspx?pid=78995&cm_ven=Nextag&cm_cat=Building-Remodeling&cm_pla=Safety%201st&cm_ite=Safety%201st-Hardware-78995&srccode=cii_9324560&cpncode=12-7700267-2

We have a gate keeping him from the side of the house that is unfinished.

Other than that I just made the house as much his as ours and rearranged so that there weren't tons of "no don't touch"es laying around and it was safe for him. He lives here too after all.... we like it this way

 

[katelyn]

I have kept her out of the bathroom so far when I'm not in there, but my DH is getting tired of watching her when I take a shower, so I was thinking of letting her play in the bathroom while I'm in the shower, in which case it would need to be childproofed.

 

[Leanna]

... but my DH is getting tired of watching her when I take a shower...

:o :o

 

[Linnis]

:o :o

That was my reaction.

 

[lucypevensie]

I never childproofed the house...I houseproofed the child. My children have learned not to touch the plants, coffee table items (even if I put a bowl of candy out) and never go in the bathroom...never have (unless they need to use it). It took some constant reminders to them not to touch or be careful but they learned.
I also didn't put locks on the cabinets or toilets etc.

Same here.

 

[Princessperky]

Same here.

heh, missed the origional thing i meant to quote..

I use lots of things, like outlet covers, cause while I am teaching my 6 month old not to mess with them, he can't get his drooly finger in it. (my 4 year old on the othe hand can get them out, and put the plug in to vacuum)

Same with the cabnet locks, while my 6 month old can crawl to the kitchen, he cannot open the drawers down low, but DS and DD can...

Means I can be here without staring at him and spend a year teaching him (then I can teach him to open them!

Nother reason why I childproof I have visitors, they may not know my rules, and this way I only have a normal mess to clean up, not the whole stack of towels or spoons in the kitchen!

For the shower, suggest that DH spend the day with her, or he could just have a shower, and take your break!

If on the other hand it is a timming thing, I find the safest place in a bathroom is the shower, My 6 month old is in while I clean, even though he generally gets a bath at night. (He joins DS or DD, whichever is there, They get to play, and I get to clean the bathroom)

 

[andiesmama]

I never childproofed the house...I houseproofed the child. My children have learned not to touch the plants, coffee table items (even if I put a bowl of candy out) and never go in the bathroom...never have (unless they need to use it). It took some constant reminders to them not to touch or be careful but they learned.
I also didn't put locks on the cabinets or toilets etc.

Me too! That way, I didn't have to worry about bringing her to other people's homes that weren't childproofed, Andie knew from the get-go the rules about not touching stuff laying around.

 

[GolfingMom]

Me too! That way, I didn't have to worry about bringing her to other people's homes that weren't childproofed, Andie knew from the get-go the rules about not touching stuff laying around.

Exactly. I LOVE going to other ppls homes (esp gradma's and grandpa's) and not worrying about their stuff. Other family members kids aren't housproofed and well...messes are made...or items go up high to where they can't touch them...

 

[GolfingMom]

:o :o

My thoughts exactly...

 

[Leanna]

David always looks at me before touching anything when we are in other people's houses. He knows to check with me, and if I say no he repeats it "noooo" and doesn't touch it. But we still have a house thats nice and child friendly.... so it isn't the only way to teach that

 

[katelyn]

:o :o

I don't blame him though. We don't exactly get up the earliest, so to stick around long enough to watch her while I shower means he gets into work later than he'd prefer. I'm sure he wouldn't mind watching her if I took a shower in the evening, but I feel gross unless I take a shower in the morning, even if I took a shower the night before.

Also since we co-sleep, trying to wake up before she does generally doesn't work. She wakes up if I get up.

 

[Leanna]

David is our alarm clock. He announces "ta da!" or daddy, mommy, down, etc..... yup. No more sleeping for us past that point. I take my shower in the morning too...

 

[Zoomer]

I didn't childproof the bathroom, it was off limits until they started potty training. At that point, we ended up with a candle flushed down the toliet.

 

[Savedthroughfaith]

DD is not allowed in the bathroom without one of us present. The door is always closed.