Baby proofing overwhelming & clueless lol

Re: Baby proofing overwhelming & clueless lol

• xJKxOR member

  April 2016

  All we've done is:
  - anchor heavy furniture to the wall (shelving units, entertainment Center, etc)
  - outlet covers
  - door catches on the bottom drawers of our entertainment Center, pantry, utility closet
  - gate for stairs
  
  our kitchen has 22 cupboards/drawers he can access (most are too heavy for him to open yet). Honestly though there is only like 5 that I'll probably put catches on; the rest hold pots/pans/Tupperware/etc. He could make a mess but it's not going to hurt him so I'm not worried about those drawers. 
  
  I won't be doing door locks, stove locks, toilet locks, etc. I've seen some people use painters tape (get the colour of your trim) to tape down cords to the wall. It helps make it a little less noticeable. 
  
  If you're that concerned just get a small playpen/playyard and put him in there when you need to run to the bathroom or laundry room quickly and can't be supervising him directly. 

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• LoveLee85 member

  April 2016

  I'd rather just baby proof my main area than use a playpen. Most LO's I have been hate the playpen and freak out when they get put in there.

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• ForeverEverAfter member

  April 2016

  I have a 3yo and a home daycare, and I've never used locks on dishwasher, stove, fridge or toilets. 
  
  Along with the interior doors you mentioned, you'll want latches at the top of all exterior doors once LO starts walking, to prevent him from wandering outside. 
  
  Anchor bookshelves, tv stands to the wall. Install anti-tip brackets for flat screen TVs.
  
  For the kitchen, I'd just prioritize the cupboards. In mine I have the under sink cabinets locked (dishwasher pods, bags, recycling), and my cupboards with glass casserole dishes and cereal boxes. The ones with pots, cookie sheets, canned goods I didn't bother.

  

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• jwebbbber45678 member

  April 2016

  We bought a play yard. It's much bigger than a play pen. You can even buy two sets and link them together to make it twice as big if you have the space. My baby is so mobile and active. He loves crawling, standing, and walking along the edges of furniture. The area is big enough for my guy to roam around happily within it and play with all his toys. It's so big even my husband and I can hang out in there with him. It's been so useful. We have an open kitchen and living room and I can actually make dinner while he safety plays in the yard and we haven't had to baby proof anything. 

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• blizmark member

  April 2016

  I don't know how big your kitchen opening is but they make play yard gates that you can set up in a big circle, which is I think what PP is talking about, that I would imagine you could open up to cover a wide opening. I don't think they would be super expensive. So far we have put those doorknob covers on all the doors Baby gate in front of her door Baby gate blocking off the kitchen (because we don't have a door to our basement and the cats need to get down there and can't jump a gate- we've tried it) Outlet covers Put our DVD stand and DVDs in the basement Put all of our knickknacks in the basement Moved our desk into the guest room and moved an armoire into the living room, where we now have a charging station for the laptop, iPads, etc. that DD can't reach DD isn't crawling yet, just pushing herself around backwards at random, so I can still run to the bathroom and not feel too worried

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• mmd091909 member

  April 2016

  We also have an open floor plan, it does make things tricky. We close bathroom doors, use a baby gate on the stairs, plug all outlets and only lock a couple cabinets. The one under the sink since it has soap & dishwasher detergent and one that has small appliances. I've removed frames or glass items that are under 2-3 feet high. Everything else is free to explore. It won't hurt him to pull out a Tupperware container or pot. I did the same with my older two, I find that they lose interest a lot faster when they have access to more. 

  

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• newATthiz member

  April 2016 edited April 2016

  jweber4747 said:

  We bought a play yard. It's much bigger than a play pen. You can even buy two sets and link them together to make it twice as big if you have the space. My baby is so mobile and active. He loves crawling, standing, and walking along the edges of furniture. The area is big enough for my guy to roam around happily within it and play with all his toys. It's so big even my husband and I can hang out in there with him. It's been so useful. We have an open kitchen and living room and I can actually make dinner while he safety plays in the yard and we haven't had to baby proof anything. 

  @jweber4747: this sounds like a great idea! Do you mind sharing which play yard you purchased? Thanks!

  
  

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• barrelocarol member

  April 2016

  Great thread. I feel the same way. 
  
  M we are taking baby proofing very slowly. We are essentially doing it in stages, as Joshua's abilities emerge. For now, we've done outlet covers and removing random things from the ground. 
  
  I can't manage baby proofing all at one time and I realized it's because you never know what will pique their interest. 
  
  Joshua loves tags and cords but hasn't been going for big fixtures like our planters or cabinets yet. 

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• LoveLee85 member

  April 2016

  It's not in the house, and more of a safety thing, but I spent 10$ on reflective white and red tape!!!! I'm COVERING my stroller with it on all the metal. So many people these days are running over sidewalks because they are too busy texting to see where they are driving!!! I am making sure It is very noticeable from each angle. We had a few local tragedies in the last year, each had a horrible experience with not being noticed. All in the day time, too. 

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• ChristaG22 member

  April 2016

  Play yard! Best thing I've bought. When I can't directly supervise her- that's where she goes. I've got a nice padded mat that the play yard sits on and she's good to go. It's also a great place to store all the toys. You can get so many different kinds and you can make th linked ones really large. Check Amazon- they have tons. 

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• jen83mn member

  April 2016

  We've done a few things so far now that LO is crawling everywhere: gate at top of stairs, outlet covers, locks on kitchen and bathroom cabinets that have soaps, etc. (Anchoring furniture and TV is next.) We plan to do more as we figure out what he's interested in.
  
  But our pack n play has been great for us when we need to finish getting ready in the morning, run to the bathroom, do laundry, etc., and LO actually loves it! We keep different toys than he usually plays with in there so when he goes in there he has something new to play with. We don't leave him in there for long periods of time, but when we need to get something done quick and can't keep our eyes on him, it works great! He also still loves his jumperoo, so that's another option for us

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• dmbfan46835 member

  April 2016

  Just outlets and we bought special foam padding for the fireplace. Getting a new tv next week and hanging it and all the components on the wall. We plan to see what he wants to get into and baby proof accordingly. Although he did find a toothpick while rolling and crawling around in the kitchen. 

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• LoveLee85 member

  April 2016

  dmbfan46835 said:

  Just outlets and we bought special foam padding for the fireplace. Getting a new tv next week and hanging it and all the components on the wall. We plan to see what he wants to get into and baby proof accordingly. Although he did find a toothpick while rolling and crawling around in the kitchen. 

  This is me with my dog and a messy DH! I'm on alert 24/7 for choking hazards on the floor. My LO loves tiny little strings, tags and anything small. Lol He's all about the details. 

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• dmbfan46835 member

  April 2016

  @lovelee85 OMG! What's with the tags and cords and stuff?? And zippers! They are like trouble magnets! Lol

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• jen83mn member

  April 2016

  dmbfan46835 said:

  @lovelee85 OMG! What's with the tags and cords and stuff?? And zippers! They are like trouble magnets! Lol

  My LO loves outlets, wall vents, door stoppers, straps (on his high chair, stroller, my pumping bag, etc.), zippers, anything with tags, his dad's hat, and glasses. Funny that's what they gravitate toward even in a room full of toys!

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• sdheft619 member

  April 2016

  So this is what I'm doing, which is a little different since we don't have an open floor layout, but I feel like you could do it in sections. I am cleaning room by room out. I am still in the living room and it's getting my spring cleaning done. Wiping all he base boards and putting outlet covers on if I did that wall. Making lots of notes for my DH  fix it attach things! I'm emptying out all our side tables and going through the stuff, because I know she will! She's not crawling yet so I have plenty of time. Good luck!!
  
  i feel like you need some type of play yard like everyone above has said so you don't have to worry about baby. Babies R us has a travel one on sale (it's for outside but I don't see why it wouldn't work inside when he sunshade is taken off). 
  
  Good luck!!

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• mrsmctaggart6 member

  April 2016

  to 
  I'm trying to do this in areas I spend time in because it also keeps my large dog off of her, he's friendly but liable to knock her over accidentally... Nm the to in front of the pic, I apparently can't use this stupid iPad...
  

  image.jpeg 82.2K

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• ElleMF728 member

  April 2016

  We only lock cabinets with cleaning stuff or glassware.  I also lock our movie cabinet just because it is a pain to clean up once or twice a day when the kids remove all 80,000 movies and distribute them around the room.  We also have an open concept and have literally one door on the main floor and that is to the basement.  
  
  I just let him be most of the time and pop him in his bouncer if I need to go upstairs to get DS1 or something.  He doesn't like it, but at least I know that he is safe.  My biggest problem are the stairs, I've literally caught him upstairs once when I walked 10 steps away to fill DS1's sippy cup up with water.  The kid is a speed demon and big into climbing. Once I walked in to the playroom after using the bathroom and he was on top of my 2 year old's picnic table.  Like, sitting on top of it.  He is going to give me a heart attack.  

  

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• jwebbbber45678 member

  April 2016

  https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M4SYM2S/ref=mp_s_a_1_4_a_it?qid=1461990455&sr=8-4&keywords=play+yard

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• thinkpink101 member

  April 2016

  I'm kind of at a loss too. First time with a baby in this house, and it's both large and open. I decided to only lock up the dishwasher tabs/cleaners in the kitchen. I literally have over 60 bottom cabinets and drawers, I can't childproof them all! There is also no good way to make the kitchen inaccessable because of the open concept. We had the super yards for our first three but they didn't work for very long. DS1 cried hysterically every time we put him in there once the novelty wore off, and the twins were able to work together to knock the whole thing down. Other than gating off the stairs and having one child proofed gated off room if I need to go to the bathroom or something I don't know what to do. My biggest problem is the basement door. We have cats and their litter boxes are downstairs. They are big cats so a regular cat door is too small, if I got a dog door I'm pretty sure the baby could fit also. There is no way to gate off the area around the door. Any ideas?

  
  

  
  

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• LoveLee85 member

  April 2016

  thinkpink101 said:

  I'm kind of at a loss too. First time with a baby in this house, and it's both large and open. I decided to only lock up the dishwasher tabs/cleaners in the kitchen. I literally have over 60 bottom cabinets and drawers, I can't childproof them all! There is also no good way to make the kitchen inaccessable because of the open concept. We had the super yards for our first three but they didn't work for very long. DS1 cried hysterically every time we put him in there once the novelty wore off, and the twins were able to work together to knock the whole thing down. Other than gating off the stairs and having one child proofed gated off room if I need to go to the bathroom or something I don't know what to do. My biggest problem is the basement door. We have cats and their litter boxes are downstairs. They are big cats so a regular cat door is too small, if I got a dog door I'm pretty sure the baby could fit also. There is no way to gate off the area around the door. Any ideas?

  That is exactly why I don't want a play yard. It won't go over well. I'm just wanting the main area safe for him. I didn't even factor in my 3 different bathrooms worth of cabinets?! YIKES. And like pp mentioned above, the external doors need top locks, also. Ugh. Right now I'm trying to find ways to hide the cords. And about to buy an entertainment center that isn't 3 shelves of glass. Along with 12 or more different glass corners to hurt himself on in just that one entertainment center. He's goes straight for it every time. :-/

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