Toddler-proof vrs House-proof

Kristy - posted on 02/15/2011

We have one cabinet in our house that is locked- the one with the cleaners and we just keep them all in there. Otherwise it doesn't really matter if she empties out dishes and toilet paper and such. My house is far from toddler proof, but for the most part she knows what she allowed to play with and what she isn't. She does push her limits sometimes, but in the long run she is learning to follow directions- it is a long process though!

Raychel - posted on 02/15/2011

We have socket covers and only have a latch on the cabinets that have meds or cleaning supplis in them and they are also up high so our son can't get in them. He will be 18 months at the end of feb and he doesnt get in the cabinets and really never has but we just taught him not to get in them. It was really easy anytime he went to get in a cabinet we would just move him to a different place and tell him no.

Marta - posted on 02/14/2011

We have a gate for the bathroom. I'd close the door, but the cat's litterbox is in there, so I can't. We also have 1 cabinet lock for under the sink. The rest is left alone. My daughter has a blast "shopping" in our pantry, and pulls hotpads and towels out of drawers. It keeps her busy. But my hubby and I have taught her to "put it back" and she does it. I agree that some babyproofing is needed, but learning to listen is needed to. It's a skill we work on daily... over and over again, lol. I do think some people go a little overboard, but if it works for them and they can afford all those gadgets, rock on!

Rhiain - posted on 02/14/2011

I've done very little baby proofing. There are some basics I think you should follow - like serious sharp edges and outlets. I also block off the stairs. Other than that, nothing else is proofed. As a result, she knows what she's allowed to touch and what not. It's important for her to listen to me (when I say 'No') and understand her boundaries.

Krystal - posted on 02/12/2011

with my daughter, i tried to baby proof the whole kitchen. i soon found it was hard to do so i just baby proofed under the sink and where all our drinks are stored, plus the drawer with the utensils and her utensils. everything else is free game really. the pantry is open but all the important stuff is on the top two shelves and stuff i use with her daily on the bottom. rather than my husband always telling her no dnt touch that i have basically allowed her to touch it by getting the stuff i need. for example, when i make her chocolate milk before bed. i get the cup and the milk and she gets the chocolate from the pantry for me. then after i put the chocolate in she puts it back and closes the cabinet. just like when shes hungry and i ask her what she wants to eat from her foods, she picks her own food. i slowly give her small responsibility and shes less likely to open the places i dnt want since she know what she cant and can. when i m cooking she takes out all the pots for me on the floor then hands them to me and leaves the kitchen cuz she knows mommy is going to start cooking and its Danger time now. she even trys to put up the gate behind herself sometimes. lol. but try to give ur son some small jobs to do to help u get threw the day per say. it will take time till the adjust but after awhile they will pick it up. hope this helps.

Chrissy - posted on 02/11/2011

I would have to say to you what I say to my parents when we go over there. There is no need to move evrything and all that. She needs to LEARN what is OK for her to touch and what is not. By no means is there any thing dangerous for her, that is just common sense. Our little one will be 18 months on the 20th and she does very well when we tell her something is not hers and not to touch it. Yes, the cabinet with cleaners, and anything harmful are locked. I think it takes being an involved parent. They will learn if you teach them.

Mary - posted on 02/09/2011

HI Lisa-You are definitely not coddeling him, it is because the rest of the world is not baby proofed that his home environment should be. It is very important for toddlers to have at least one space they can explore freely without hearing "No"all the time. What we have done is gated off the kitchen and we keep our bathroom door and bedroom doors closed. We'll put doorknob covers on them when she figures it out. The rest of the house is completely baby proofed. A great gate for a great room like yours is the kidco configure gate. It has multiple sections and was designed for odd spaces. Good Luck.

April - posted on 02/08/2011

IM all for Baby proofing! I think it helps, Depending on the latches you get. Mine wrap around 2 door knobs and you have to hold the button in while pulling on the other side to release it, so My kids cant get into them, and only the important ones are locked the others have all plastic things in them, so its not a big deal if they get into them I have an 18 month old and a 27 month old, and they are into everything! But another piece of advice is I have taught them that the kitchen is only for eating in, so when Mommy Tells them to get out of the kitchen, they stay Out! until i tell them its ok to come and get in your chair and eat! It is really helpful!

Alexis - posted on 02/08/2011

We have started to teach our son how to live in his environment since he started crawling. We did put outlet covers on after seeing his intrest in them. We also have latches on the chemical cabinet. Everything else he has learned not to touch. We never kept the entertainment center blocked off or latched the toilet or even gate off the kitchen. We have taught him what he can and can not touch. The electrical sockets and the chemicals were just too much of an acident risk that we decided it would be safer to baby proof that. Besides he wouldnt learn from an accident with those two, he would die. I think we go overboard with babyproofing, another thing we are taught we need to have by the industrys that make them.

Amy - posted on 02/08/2011

We did the cabanit lock and she never figuerd them out all. I am expecting so picking up a kitchen full of pots and pans as well as mixing bowls and tuperwhere was just not what I wanted at the moment. Also She could reach the sharp things so that had to be dealt with. Personaly I am gald we did it. I have already had to call poison control more then I have ever dreamed because she figured something out. Or has a better reach.

Tanya - posted on 02/07/2011

I agree with many others that you have to pick your battles. Definitely work on teaching limits, but at the same time, if you're going to cry if it gets broken, put it out of reach. We have 3 gates in our house, one to the pantry, one on his room, one on the coming baby's room so he won't go in and disturb him, We have locks on the lower cabinets and the trash can, but have lots of open shelves in the kitchen, as well as one of those old-style radiators that can't be covered. He had to learn hot and not to touch. He tried once gently and never did again.

Tara - posted on 02/06/2011

For is we baby/toddler proofed the living room and the nursery all other rooms are off limits unless mom or dad is with her and we work with her to know her limits/respect her environment but we wanted a safe area that she could be in without too much supervision. It has worked out great and saved us a ton of money vs. Baby proofing the entire house. It has worked great too because she has learned what she can play with and what not too because my sister and the grandparents homes are not baby proofed. Also we have gates on the kitchen and stairs and if ur little one is like mine which it sounds like it... She takes it as a challenge to get into things she can't like the gates. She has the kitchen one figured out and the stair one she is still working on... She is even working on doorknobs so we have resorted to locking the deadbolts so she doesn't escape! :)

Lavonna - posted on 02/06/2011

My son is very "adventurous" lol! I use socket covers as weel. I also have a great room so i got an extended length swing gate for my hallway to keep him out of the bathroom and kitchen. I also have a gate at top and bottom of stairs. I have just recently reached my boiling point with his discovery and installed the gates. Fun fun :-/

Amanda - posted on 02/06/2011

I just remembered one other safety precaution we take after reading the previous post. We make sure that any furniture that can be tipped over (i.e. bookshelves, dressers, tv stands) are anchored to the wall.

Amanda - posted on 02/06/2011

Actually, she already knows how to climb, but she's just not interested. She's a little monkey when she wants to be. I caught her climbing my bookshelf the other night...lol.

Jennifer - posted on 02/06/2011

@Amanda....So true. Some advice from an older mom. Be prepared for your 17 month old to eventually discover that there is a world outside his reach :) Eventually he will figure out that chairs move and drawers make good ladders. Be prepared to be extra vigilant. I recommend at that point some more safety measures or you will never sit down! Good luck.

Amanda - posted on 02/05/2011

The only baby-proofing I have is the socket covers. We just keep dangerous things out of reach. My 17-month old is pretty content just playing with things that are in reach. Like the previous poster said, every child is different. Also, every parent is different. I am much more observant than my husband, so I am not as intent on the baby-proofing as my husband is.

Jennifer - posted on 02/05/2011

With only one child, you really only need to lock up the medicines and cleaning fluids and anything you don't want broken. I have five kids. We have 3 gates, tot locks (the magnetic ones you heard about from the others..they work well until your child becomes about 4 and figures them out...keep the "key" well out of reach). I have recently resorted to doorknob covers just to keep my 4yr old out of my room, her big sisters' room and to keep her from waking her 2 younger sibs during nap time. Every kid is different. Some get into more stuff than others. You have to do what works for your family. And once they stop working, ask around for something more secure, or else hope that your child is one of those more compliant kids who is content to leave well enough alone. Good luck!

Brigitte - posted on 02/05/2011

We have magnetic locks on our cupboards which they can't open without the magnet (I keep this up high). You can't see them either as they are behind the door so you don't have ugly plastic attachments on all your cupboards. We only use them on the cupboards that have dangerous items, ie cleaning products or breakable china. I'm happy for my son to pull out pots and pans and plastic tubs as this can keep him occupied for a time.

Tina - posted on 02/04/2011

I am not sure what type of safety locks you are using currently, but the ones we have seem to deter my son from even trying to open the cabinets we have them on. (Only use them on cabinets that I absolutely don't want him in, such as under the kitchen sink) We have these ones that are magnetic, and the only way to open the lock is to use the magnetic key. He tried for about a week to open the cabinets, then when he realized he couldn't do so on his own anymore, he just left it alone. The safety locks are kind of expensive, but they seem to be the best things I've found so far. I didn't want to get other ones because of the hassle of installing them and what not, but these were really simple and came with sticky strips for installation (they come with other hardware just in case, but the strips work just fine imo). Now the only time he even thinks about getting into that cabinet is when he wants to throw something away, and then I unlock it for him. (He doesn't have access to the key, usually just leave it stuck to our sink)

Blackwood - posted on 02/04/2011

so true Lisa, I hear all the time how quickly children unproof the child proofing stuff.

Lisa - posted on 02/03/2011

It's not so much that we didn't do the care stuff we could (we have a great room where the kitchen/dining/living area is just one big area so the baby gate to the kitchen can't be achieved. While we have latches though He knows how to unlock all of them. Our kiddo has outgrown every single babyproofing strategy within 2 months of it being put up. While I am perfectly ok with this it does pose the question if all that extra plastic is really worth it for them to just learn how to undo it that fast.

Blackwood - posted on 02/03/2011

Make sure the dangerous stuff is covered first and for most and for the rest, if you don't care that he may get into the cabinet under the bathroom sink and unroll all the toilet paper or that he may empty out all of your kitchen cabinets then don't worry about it. I think and I have to admit that I am a babyproofer with my conveince in mind. I have a baby gate at the bottom of my stairs and at the top. I have a baby gate to enter my kitchen, that way I know I don't have too worry about what is in the cabinets and if I'm cooking I don't have to worry about a hot stove.