Baby Proofing

Revez · January 2014

We're starting to look into baby proofing the house and I'm starting to get a little over whelmed with all the things that are potentially dangerous. It's like my house is a death trap. It's a wonder children have visited and not killed themselves. I've just started to look into all the things we need to get done like securing furniture to the walls, gates on the stairs, electrical covers, securing loose wires (holy hell we have a lot of loose wires), toilet clamps etc, etc, etc.

Has anyone else looked into it yet? Found any good resources? Any BTDT moms have any advice? Things you wish you did differently or things that were life saving (literally)?

I know this is getting WAY ahead of myself, but again, just looking into it.

Kebert618 · January 2014

No advice but we need to start soon as well! We also have a cat door going down into our basement that we need to figure out. It's about perfect size for a crawling baby.
I'm also dreading our backyard area this spring. We have an area that is covered with small rocks...it would be near impossible to remove all of the rocks..but pretty sure she would go after mulch as well. We'll just have to teach her early and keep a close eye.
I'm curious to see what others post!

NikkiD522 · January 2014

So glad you posted this... This is giving me a lot of anxiety.. This FTM will definitely be following!

LokiLahve · January 2014

@kebert618 there are animal doors out there that only work for an animal wearing a certain collar. Maybe that would work? Unless you cat is like mine and would die before wearing anything.

As for the baby proofing, I'm no help. We haven't started and are getting ready to tear apart our kitchen to remodel. I predict lo spending a lot of time upstairs during the construction.

Lovehavinggirls · January 2014

With dd1 we used gates, outlet protectors, moved all frames/ decorations that were at baby level up and took her lead as far as what else we moved. She was never a climber and thankfully didn't pull on the drawers or open cabinets in the kitchen so we were pretty lucky there and we just got cabinet locks for under the sink where the cleaning products were. We also kept the bathroom door shut so we never got anything for the toilet or anything else in the bathroom. As she got older we got the plastic nob for the bathroom door so she couldn't open it.

I also found when she was first crawling a great way to be able to leave the room for a min (to use bathroom/ answer door) was to use one of the round baby gates they are pretty big and you can put a bunch of toys in there. Dd1 was also a August LO but she was not walking until 18 months so the first summer we were also able to use the round gate outside with mats under it and it kept her from getting into the rocks/ mulch.

carrotcake06 · January 2014

H and I used to joke that we should rent out our big one to families looking to baby proof - he'd find something dangerous in less than 5 min.

I would recommend completely baby proofing at least one space in your house. Enclose it w gates. Other spaces you can get 90% there and then just don't leave your kid alone.

Most outlet covers are no match for my big one. Cover as many as you can w furniture. Nail down cords. Move breakable things up high. Cover up buttons (like on cable boxes) best you can. Lock kitchen cabinets, but leave one LO can open and fill it with Tupperware and other kid-safe stuff. Cushion hard corners.

Once your kid gets mobile, what you need to do will become obvious. And you'll never be able to think of all the ways something will be dangerous until your kid shows you.

MommyAmes2 · January 2014

Only thing I baby proof is my cleaners cabinet and outlets (outlet covers). I am team, "don't touch shit." It is more work, constantly telling them no and moving them away from stuff. But... I also never have to worry about them breaking or messing with stuff when we visit people.

Worked great with the first two.

Also, figured I would add. I have nothing potentially dangerous sitting around. No baby level picture frames, glass, knick knacks and so on.

magdalina.h · January 2014

We didn't put locks on the toilet. Essentially we bought baby jail (really big circular gate) and kept him in there. We've always immediately secured things to the walls and we only have locks on the cabinets that he (and soon she) can hurt themselves or the house. Such as the sinks. We keep toxic stuff out of their reach. Ummm we only put a gate at the stairs once he started getting interested in stairs.

janneann1127 · January 2014

Just start small. Remove the major things. Like, with our first, we had these giant DVD towers that were easily tipped over. We just got rid of those. Get a few outlet covers, some cabinet locks for the kitchen, and secure some of the bigger items to the wall. When the baby starts crawling, it's slow. You will be able to see what needs to be done pretty quickly.
We ended up having to move our coffee table out to the garage because it was just too much of a hassle. We had to get rid of a big house plant because he would stand up and grab the dirt and eat it. That sort of thing.

Also I second what somebody else said about making sure you completely baby proof one room. The rest, just make sure you watch them when they're in those areas.

carrotcake06 · January 2014

I will also add that the level of baby proofing you will need is one of the first indicators as to whether your sparkler will turn into a firecracker as they grow into being a toddler.

Revez · January 2014

Thanks for all your responses ladies, I hadn't even thought of when we visit someone. Yikes!

janneann1127 · January 2014

carrotcake06 said:

I will also add that the level of baby proofing you will need is one of the first indicators as to whether your sparkler will turn into a firecracker as they grow into being a toddler.

haha, this is so true! we baby-proofed everything because my easy baby turned into a FIRECRACKER as a toddler. But we have a friend who still has glass picture frames all over her house, a breakable tea set out, etc. and her kid is the same age. When we go to her house, I'm constantly having to watch my kid like a hawk cause they basically haven't proofed anything at all. But they don't have to.. their kid just isn't interested in any of it. It truly depends on your child's personality.

Speshul · January 2014

I have a completely open floorplan...so I will be on team "Don't touch shit." Or attempt a large playpen like in Rugrats.

Soleil3 · January 2014

MommyAmes2 said:

Only thing I baby proof is my cleaners cabinet and outlets (outlet covers). I am team, "don't touch shit." It is more work, constantly telling them no and moving them away from stuff. But... I also never have to worry about them breaking or messing with stuff when we visit people.
Worked great with the first two.

Also, figured I would add. I have nothing potentially dangerous sitting around. No baby level picture frames, glass, knick knacks and so on.

This is me too. I also have a kid friendly house though, no glass tables or knicknacks or anything anywhere. Makes my life easier.

My girls were sparklers as babies but they still didn't mess with too much, and they listen when I say No.

CaliforniaDream87 · January 2014

KatieS7 said:
I did very minimal baby proofing. A few cabinet locks on the chemicals and utensils and a gate on the stairs. I wanted to teach DD1 to be respectful and cautious of her surroundings. The first time she played with an outlet I yelled "danger" and took her to time-out. It didn't take long and she figured out what she could and couldn't touch/play with.

@katies7 I love this approach!

BelhurstBride · January 2014

Also on team "don't touch shit." Outlet covers are from previous owners, already secured furniture/TV so the dogs didn't tip it over, gates on the stairs, put a lock on the cabinet with chemicals.

I had to do a lot of following and teaching when DD1 first became a toddler but the plus is that she's trusty worthy at other's homes.

bluegirl0429 · January 2014

I'm glad you posted this thread. I have been anxious about baby proofing. My house is a death trap, I think.

I like the minimalist approach of just securing cabinets, having some gates, and teaching LO about not touching dangerous objects. We will see what kind of older baby/toddler he will be. He is not a sparkler but I have a feeling he will turn into a firecracker and give us a run for our money.

That.Just.Happened · January 2014

We use the magnetic drawer locks on the few drawers/cabinets that really are dangerous (i.e. under the sink where we keep cleaning supplies and the one drawer we keep knives in)....no chance even my 3yo can open those. She figured out the regular drawer locks at about 18m. That being said, we only ever locked up the most dangerous stuff....she was always allowed to get into the cabinets with the pots & pans, tupperware, etc (stuff that wouldn't break).

Never did anything with the toilets. Outlets we use just the most basic outlet plugs/covers, but DD1 was never one to try to poke stuff into them. Some kids are, in which case you need something more substantial.

A big thing for us since DD1 was a very early walker and went quickly to running/climbing was the corner guards for furniture and fireplace edges.

The thing is, it is totally dependent on each kid. Some kids will stick stuff into outlets. Mine didn't. Some kids will leap from the back of a chair onto a fireplace hearth. Mine did. Basically I would suggest having a 1yo older for a playdate and it will become very obvious very quickly what you need to protect.

That.Just.Happened · January 2014

Also, as far as the "don't touch" approach....we were able to teach DD1 not to touch the fire in the fireplace and stay away from the stove. We never gated the fireplace in like some of our friends.

However, I am also a believer in letting them burn themselves once and they will never touch it again. Obviously while being closely monitored by you, but I have always told DD1 something along the lines of "that's very hot, big owie" and then if she still wanted to touch it, I would tell her to give me one finger, then let her try to touch it very slowly (my hand doing the guiding). 99% of the time, if you do it slow enough, they will pull back before actually touching anything because it IS hot and they get the idea before they actually touch it. In that 1% of the time, if they really force the issue and touch it, they learn real quick exactly what hot means and they never do it again.

Again, I think it depends on the temperament of the child, though. Some kids that works with, some it doesn't.

BlueJewelM · January 2014

I secured furniture to the wall, I have a custom foam and fabric "cover" for my stone hearth because my toddler is a wild man and I was always afraid he'd crack his head open. Those dinky bumpers they make look useless. Cabinet locks anywhere there's glass or chemicals. I do have outlet covers, but it's funny how fast my son could take those out... We also have a hardware mounted gate on second floor. Oh and a door lock thing down to basement. No need for any kid to be there. I have always had potted plants, dog food and water bowls out, and a few picture frames here and there. DS1 used to try and play with it, but just stayed vigilant and now he ignores them. It took a while to get there though....like a really long while.

janneann1127 · January 2014

I think everyone is probably on team "don't touch shit". That goes without saying, no?
But after the 300th round of "stop climbing into the plant" and "don't eat the cat food!", you have to start moving some things around for your own sanity.

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