We’ve decided to give Annie free range in the new house. Yep, the gated community is being left behind. There are a couple areas with steps that I am wary of (one in the kitchen and another in the front room), but I’m hoping I can teach her caution. I briefly let her have free range in our apartment last week and she fell down the only two stairs we have. Girlfriend got cocky. Hopefully she learned her lesson (but I doubt it).
Anyway, since she’s going to be allowed to roam free, Mike and I bought some basic baby-proofing gear yesterday. I went into Babies R Us all confident. I’d counted out exactly how many cupboards and drawers the new place has, how many outlets I’d need to cover, all of that. And then I got to the store and I panicked.
I completely forgot that I’ve already baby-proofed a house, and started grabbing stuff willy nilly. “Mike, do we need a toilet lock?” “Mike, look at this invisible plug cover!” Meanwhile, Mike was chasing Annie all over Babies R Us, pulling Elmo paraphernalia out of her hands whenever she grabbed it. I had to do it alone, and I think I failed.
I got approximately one million plug covers, a toilet lock, a few door locks, and cabinet/drawer locks. I had to stick with the list, lest I need to take out ANOTHER mortgage for stuff that I wasn’t even sure I’d need. I don’t know if y’all know this about me, but I tend to go overboard. Heh.
Give me advice, oh wise ones. Do I need door stops? Corner protectors? Is there some magical baby-proofing thing I don’t know about? I’m counting on all of you to tell me what I actually need, and not try to convince me to buy something ridiculous like a wipes warmer or a giant bubble. This new place just feels like it’s going to require a whole new level of baby proofing that our apartment didn’t need. Don’t forget – we’re not talking about a normal child here. This is Annabel, who literally throws her body up against the fence of the Gated Community, looking for weakness. It’s like a scene out of Jurassic Park. She’s an evil toddler mastermind and we all must be protected!
tena says:
I tend to do the basics to keep them from being electrocuted, but not like they’re living in a bubble since you want them to know how to function in places that aren’t completely boarded up, as well.
Then again, my son actually stuck a penny in a electrical outlet at a friend’s house once and you know that cartoon image of the x-ray person getting shocked? It’s almost accurate.
So I guess I should say… When you find out, let me know.
Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] says:
Tena – Should I bring up that you have 19 kids and your house isn’t baby-proofed? That’s a testament to your rearing skills.
Kate @ UpsideBackwards says:
Ooooh! Right up until the last sentence, I thought you were protecting Annie from dangerous things in the house! Now I realise Annie *is* the dangerous thing and the house needs protecting
I’ve never had a climber, so can’t give you the best advice, but it looks like you have covered the basics. We did put foam padding on the corner of our brick hearth though, as it was just at head-hitting height for a crawler/toddler.
Best of luck!
Veronika says:
We have done very little baby proofing. Except for a baby gate at the foot of the stairs, we don’t even have outlet covers. Annie will learn to negotiate the stairs in no time and with what you already have there, I think you’re covered. Make sure no furniture can tip over if she climbs it, like dressers and the like and you’re good to go.
Casey says:
I agree with Veronika. We’ve raised two boys with very little baby proofing. We did use outlet covers. I stored cleaning supplies, soap and all that good stuff on a high shelf in the linen closet. Packed away the china and breakable knick-knacks for a couple of years and put all the tupperware sort of dishes in the bottom cupboards. There were many days I was chasing down tupperware from all over the place, but I figured it was good clean fun, cheap toys, and a battle I didn’t choose to fight. I wanted my toddlers to be safe, but I do think they need to learn how to navigate their terrain and how things work. The more things you limit their access to, the more they will insist on getting at the forbidden and mysterious!
LuAnn says:
Well said! I agree to minimal baby proofing. Cleaners, meds, knick knacks up, tupperware and baby cups/ bowls in lower cupboards, and just let her at it. You may go crazy a few days and have a lot to pick up at the end of the day, but she will be busy and TIRED! Yeah!
Kristin says:
I agree too. I used to have a huge drawer in our old house that was down low and I’d throw all the tupperware in and let my son have at it whenever he liked. It kept him entertained while I cooked dinner. I also used to have a gas stove with the knobs where he could reach, so I child proofed those.
All you should really need are outlet covers, a few cabinet locks (I stored all my chemicals and cleaners under the sink so was sure to lock those cabinets really well) and I agree about making sure furniture doesn’t tip over. If you have dressers or other heavy furniture like that, make sure its secured to the wall (I think they sell a baby proofing item for that). Might want to use a few child proof door knob locks to keep her out of rooms you don’t want her in without you with her.
Good luck!
Leah says:
I agree too. Focus on the serious hazards like TVs or furniture that could tip over, and don’t worry about things with sharp edges–she has to learn to maneuver around those. A few months ago the NYT had me scratching my head with an article about how people have coffee tables and toddlers sometimes bump into them. 1) uh, yeah, and 2) not a big deal.
Debbie says:
Same here for my three kids (now ages 17, 15 tomorrow, and 8). We blocked the stairs until they were about 18 months – when we taught them how to slide down on their tummies and crawl up on hands and knees or hold the stair poles (rails? – not the hand rail but the pieces that make up the railing). We also did outlet covers. We did have our cleaners etc. under the kitchen sink, but we invested in a good baby lock for that. Put the tupperwear in a lower cabinet and let Annie have at it. When she heads to others, just redirect her to that one because it’s more fun!
You want to keep her safe, and you definitely should, but you have to let her explore – that’s the best way to learn.
Noelle says:
One of my big concerns was little fingers getting slammed in the door or pinched in the hinges (you can teach Annie not to slam doors but once you start having playdates there will be all kinds of door slamming going on!). There are foam shapes that go on the edge of the door to keep the door from slamming shut but fingers can still get pinched in the hinges. I found similar foam shapes that went on the inside of the door, on the hinge side, that worked great. I believe I bought them at Babies R Us. I couldn’t find them online, but here’s another hinge solution I found on One Step Ahead: http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=363755&categoryId=85183#tabs
Noelle says:
Oh, and for a climber like Annie I definately recommend anchoring dressers, bookshelves, etc to the wall. You can never be too careful!
Tracey says:
I have to agree with this one. My daughter pulled the TV down on her head. Thankfully she was OK and my hubby loved the excuse to finally go get a flat screen TV.
The ironic thing about that accident was that she was 5y/o. I thought I had successfully navigated the toddler years and that I was in the clear.
I do believe in baby proofing to some degree but like previous posters have said, Annie needs to learn as well.
good luck:)
Ronnee says:
Anchoring is a must, and for more than just “babies”. My daughter stood on her armoire/toy cupboard when she was 4 and it tipped over on her and broke her collar bone…and she was 4. It’s not something you think they will do at that age, but they do!
Elle says:
One thing that’s a must for us is the door stoppers. They’re foam and you just put them on the door where they can’t reach. It saves you from running across the room at the speed of light when your child is about to slam her fingers in the door.
Jennifer says:
You could always put a blanket or towel over the top of the door and then it won’t slam on their fingers. I also turned the handles around to the doors of the rooms I wanted to keep my kids out of and locked them from the outside, including the bathroom. I did buy outlet covers and a baby gate for our office to keep off limits since we house the cat box and food and computers all in there, just way too much damage can be done.
s.a. says:
I have a super energetic and curious 19 month old.
We have a wooden gate- http://www.amazon.com/Superyard-3-1-Wood-Gate/dp/B000U5LXU6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313054883&sr=8-1 protecting our audio/visual equipment – it stretches out super long.
Our kitchen is gated off, when the stove is on the gate is closed, always.
Latches on all of the cabinets and drawers- otherwise he will just open them up and steal whatever he can. Outlet plugs. We use those door stopper things, not because of the finger smash thing, but to keep him from shutting himself in a room; this would result in him either hollering for us to open the door, or he will go to town doing something destructive and/or super messy. He just figured out how to open the front door (yay!), so we have a childproof thingy for the front door handle. Of course everything is bolted and strapped to the walls, but we did that before we had a kid, since we live in earthquake country.
heather says:
Just a cautionary tale. I baby proofed everything in my first home after leaving the ex. I had gates, locked, cupboard door protectors, everything
One day, I made a foolish decision to do a load of laundry while 3 year old H was watching barney. In the time it took me to put in a load of wash (less than 6 minutes), she had scaled a baby gate, opened two locked cupboards (thank god I kept all chemical/cleaning supplies in the locked garage) pulled out a 5lb jar of peanut butter, coated herself and her toddler sister along with most of the livingroom.
You can babyproof all you want. Just don’t lull yourself into a false sense of security when it comes to something she really wants to get at.
Trust me.
Lynn from For Love or Funny says:
I must say that our corner protectors and the hearth’s cushion gave us a LOT of piece of mind!
Bec says:
We did: a gate at the top of stairs, corner protectors and outlet covers. We tried cupboard locks but they fell off and then we just said “no” enough times that my son stopped opening them. There is an entire store where I live devoted to baby safety products. I’ve never been… I can just imagine how you’d see all those products and think you need EVERYTHING. Really, you don’t. Remember, a marketer’s job is to create fear in the consumer, thus creating a need to buy a product to alleviate that fear. Stick to the basics.
Madi G. says:
I agree with a few of the prior commenters — I think you’ve got the basics covered.
Though, I echo the prior recommendation for dresser anchors — definite must for a climber!
And, of course, baby gates for the stairs.
I would also protect cords to lamps and similar. At our home, we have 20+ dogs, cats and a free-ranging bunny. Due to the bunny, we had to encapsulate all wires inside small PVC pipes, that are painted or wall-papered to match the room. (The PVC pipes are way better than the cord protectors that are sold…you can really tailor them to the room, since you can buy those L-joints.) So in our home, we don’t have any exposed wires.
But on 2 occasions, we’ve had a toddler pull over a table lamp (while visiting other people’s homes). In both instances, they were mid-fall when they grabbed the cords. I’m not sure if this is a toddler-thing or just a my-toddler-thing, since they’re not really used to seeing exposed cords. Fortunately, the lights were fairly small/light and the bulbs remained intact, but many table lamps are quite heavy and she could get harmed by broken glass from the bulb. So if you have table lamps (or anything else that’s corded, heavy and contains glass), I’d protect the cords, or simply run the cord in a way that prevents her from grabbing it if she trips and falls.
Other than that, I’d hold off on buying anything else for now. Really, you can’t turn your house into a padded room. You can cushion every corner, etc. and she’ll still get bumped up and bruised on occasion. It’s part of growing up. Fortunately, she’s made of flesh and bone and not glass! (As a former nanny who worked in many, many homes, I’ve seen a few parents that purchased every single babyproofing item on the market. And the kids still managed to get hurt on occasion.)
Just wait to see how she interacts with the home, then tailor it to suit your needs. For instance….
We had 2 steps in our old house, leading down to the family room. One of our dogs was old and sick and he had back and hip problems, so he had a very difficult time walking up and down the steps. So we made a ramp and covered it with the same carpet as the surrounding room. It didn’t look that bad. Plus, he was in declining health — we knew he only had a few months left. So we sought to make his life as easy as possible. It really helped him.
It also had unintended benefits for our toddler! She was around Annie’s age (2-3 months older, I believe) and when she got excited or upset, she would run and she would “forget” about the steps. Sort of difficult to explain, but she would run straight into them (heading out of the family room) or run right off the upper level (heading into the family room.)
So ramps can work and they’re super easy to make at home. But perhaps she won’t have a problem with the steps — none of my other kids have had the same problem (and we’ve since moved to a 1-level home.)
Notably, this same child also ran through our screen door on several occasions (again, when excited/upset.) Now, they have this cool screen curtain thingie (I’ve seen infomercials for it). It splits in the middle, and there are magnets that automatically pull the two sides closed after you pass through. That nifty device would have saved us 5 or 6 screen doors! *LOL*
I guess my point is this: just wait and see what happens, then tailor the house to your needs. Perhaps she’ll always seem to bump into the same corner (but no others) — simply cover the offending corner.
Just use common sense and be practical. No need to be nuts about it. Even if you buy every single child safety device in Babies R Us, she’ll still get bumped up or scraped on occasion — it’s part of being a toddler. (And I daresay we need those experiences, as we learn from those minor scrapes and bumps.)
Leigh Elliott says:
We moved to our new house when our daughter was just over 2 years old. Honestly, I don’t think we babyproofed even 10% of our house. Generally she is always in our sight so having all the covers, and locks, etc didn’t feel very important to me. I would get a toilet lock knowing what I know now, since it would have saved a few toys from going in there. Some people say children can drown in a toilet….I guess I can see that happening but man, that really seems like a stretch. I will say we did put outlet covers in her bedroom.
In the two years that we have lived here the worst thing that has happened to us so far – as far as things our daughter has gotten into, was when she was 2.5 years old and I was in the shower. This was one of those times she was generally *not* in our sight, and she came into the bathroom choking on a quarter that she had found on my husbands nightstand. Thankfully she was ok. We went to the ER, had x-rays to confirm where the quarter was in her body. So if I could give any cautionary advice to what things to kid-proof, it would be keep your change far out of reach of those little hands. I thought we were well past the whole “putting things in her mouth” phase, apparently not.
In the end, do what makes you feel comfortable.
DefendUSA says:
Plug covers are great…leave one drawer at Annie height full of plastic stuff and a wooden spoon, so she can destroy it over and over…Door knob covers are great…corner things a waste…knife drawer and under sink lock great.
I mostly told the kids no when they shouldn’t be touching things. I prefered to let them be involved when cooking or cleaning and then they learn limits without all the junk in between. You do what works for you…that’s what worked for me…My kids got hurt by things like jumping from furniture, skateboard or sheer clumsy. So, do what you gotta to help you through the day…
Lindy says:
We didn’t baby proof our house- shocking I know! She’s now 5 and a happy healthy girl who understand the dangers of stairs, trapped fingers, hot ovens and all the rest of the things that can potentially maim and injure. It only take one time to trap a finger to get the to learn not to do it again. As for stairs I spent a few months teaching her to climb up and down on her bum then it was teaching how to walk up them properly. I live by the belief that if you teach them how to do it and what the dangers are they won’t get “cocky”. This is not to say she didn’t ever get hurt. She reached up once when we weren’t looking and burned her hand on the BBQ grill. Lots of tears, creams and salves to heal her little minor burn but guess what? She has never ever done that again! Good Luck! Lindy
Lindy says:
Ooops! Forgot to add that we put up stair gates just to keep her either up or down stairs. I did think about putting a gate on her bedroom door when she went to a toddler bed so she wouldn’t roam while we slept but funnily enough she won’t get out of bed until we tell her she can. She just lies there calling us. Mummy….mummy….mummmmmmmy….muuuuuuuuummy….daddy….daddeeeeeeeeee until we call out to her and tell her she can come snuggle with us. Don’t ask me how we’ve managed this miracle.
Tracy says:
Here’s a tip for something they don’t sell – cover your unused phone jacks with a piece of scotch tape. My son stuck a toy in ours when he was Annie’s age and it short circuited all the wiring in the house. We had to have the phone company come out and fix it. Fortunately, the man that came was a young father himself and thought it was “funny,” otherwise it would have cost us $150. So get the inside wire maintenance plan in your new house or use scotch tape!
We only used the cheapie plug covers, and those worked great. Gates, especially that move easy or are opened by a foot pedal, are also good for stairs. ( Actually, I liked our pet gate better than the regular baby gates. Its called “Retract-a-Gate” and it works for toddlers too.) We also had to switch to round door knobs on the front and back door because they could easily unlock and open the more modern lever type handles. For some reason, it took them longer to figure out how to turn the knob.
You can take your knobs off your lower cabinets until she gets old enough, or try to find the ones that hook on two knobs. The ones you screw in to your cabinets never seem to work that well if you have a strong toddler.
Good luck!
Deirdre says:
Well, you probably have all the basics. Here’s the thing: you probably won’t really know what else you’ll need until you move in. Having moved with a toddler from an apartment to a house, I found that he thought moving to a new house meants learning all new dangerous tricks. Plan on sort of following her behavior for the first couple of weeks. What routinely seems to be a hazard, and what is something that she’s infatuated with temporarily but then quickly learns to avoid? For me, I went nuts trying to get this foam fire place hearth stuff to stick to the slate step below our fireplace. The foam protector would fall off or the kids would pull it off. It became a game and made them MORE interested in the fireplace. When it became apparent that I’d have to hot glue the foam in place, I said, forget it. And know what? They never go near that fireplace now.
Just use what you have and then buy stuff as you find the need for it.
Kristen says:
We had outlet covers, and bolted large pieces of climbable furniture to the wall. I also had a baby gate at the top of the stairs (if they were upstairs) or bottom (if they were downstairs.) Personally, I don’t think all that other babyproofing stuff is needed. If she keeps going in the bathroom, just shut the door. If she tries escaping the house though, that’s another story…then I’d install a lock up high so she couldn’t reach it. She’ll learn quick.
Kristen says:
One other thing we did was to put cleaners, chemicals, and alcohol on a top shelf so it couldn’t be reached. I did install a drawer lock on one drawer, and put all the sharps in there, but I didn’t lock up my whole kitchen. We had one low cabinet just for the kids…all their plastic cups, bowls, etc were placed in there. My daughter used to empty the cabinet and hide in there.
Angie says:
We had outlet covers and a baby gate for the stairs. We also had a lock for the cabinet under the sink in the kitchen that had all the chemicals in it. The only other thing I can think of is window lock things. We have three floor to ceiling windows in our living room, where if they were opened all the way and someone fell through the screen, they’d fall onto concrete. We put them in, so you can only open the window a little bit.
Fibby says:
The only other thing you might consider are covers for stove knobs (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4029543&CAWELAID=551154732&cagpspn=pla).
I think that ultimately, you two know Annie best and know just what level of adventurous she is and can kind of pick and choose what makes sense for your family.
karen says:
I have managed to get two kids to a grand old age of 16 and 8, and only had a few A&E trips.
The older one is adhd, asd and has conduct disorder so I figure thats an equal match for anything Annie might do. The younger one is calmer but just as rough and tumble as her brother.
I had socket covers. I had cupboard catches for the cupboards with cleaning products and medicines in them (yep EVEN the high level ones!)
I secured all the cupboards to the walls – eldest one climbed and sat on the top of things.
I had a baby gate for the top of the stairs and the bottom of the stairs.
I had a high level lock on the study door – after a pair of scissors went into the disc drive!
Other than that the whole house was fair game. The garden was secure and they both play out in whatever weather. We have trampoline with no barrier round it too.
My kids are adventurous and brave, they climb without fear and understand that if they are stupid on the trampoline they will fly off and it will hurt. They have managed not to do this yet.
My son climbed to the height of climbing frames before 2 and I was the relaxed parent who wasnt bothered (with other mothers squeeking below). But he never fell partly, I believe, because I was never stressing about what he was doing.
So as youre about to teach Annie to go to the toilet why would you not want her to see inside it? Or flush it? If the door’s shut she wont get in with out you and when it is open you need her to feel its ok to ‘mess’ with the toilet. Surely it would be ok to go into the kitchen cupboards? Not the ones with the fragile stuff in but the one with pots and pans and tins and packets. Stacking and drumming and counting games as you’re cooking. Or copying mummy as she cooks.
And as for nightlights? Is there anything wrong with the dark?
clare says:
i’d recommend cord shortners for lamps and, er… other things that have cords…ha, i’m pregnant so cut me some slack. also the stove knobs covers. those were the two big recommendations my sis-in-law gave me, so i’m passing ’em on.
Bria says:
I bought all sorts of baby-proofing stuff when my son was a baby but so far we’ve only used plug covers and a baby gate to keep our toddler out of the kitchen and that’s it (oh…and we lock the door to the toilet). I agree with the other comments about anchoring the furniture if Annie is a climber but I also agree with the comments regarding not turning your house into bubble. Teaching Annie to be cautious is the best advice I can give…and if she refuses heed your warnings (like toddlers do), use the toddler-proofing stuff (that’s how we finally ended up keeping the door to the toilet locked…apparently playing in the toilet is way too fun to care about germs {drowning isn’t an issue with our toilet – ack…I’ve typed ‘toilet’ too many times!})
Rebecca says:
The only babyproofing we did was cabinet locks and I only locked the ones in the bathroom that had chemicals used to clean the bathroom and the ones in the kitchen with all the soaps etc . . .
I also used the things in the plugs…..and gates at the top and bottom of the steps.
Jill says:
We just did the outlet covers – honestly, she is going to have to be in other people’s house who may not be baby proofed, so why not teach her at home. I think sometimes when we lock all the cabinets, toilets, etc. it just makes them more curious. Obviously, chemicals should be kept out of reach, but other than that, I think you should wait and see. I agree with anchoring furniture and the outlet covers, but that’s it for us. PS – I have three, the youngest of which is Annie’s age and all are crazy climbers and explorers and we never had anyone get hurt.
Babbalou says:
I didn’t babyproof my house at all (except for outlet covers) but I rarely let the kids out of my sight until they were slightly older and had a little judgement and learned to walk safely on stairs while holding the railing. I did make sure the only cabinets they could reach had pots and pans, covers, plastic items and canned goods – all the toxic or sharp or electrical things were above kid height. Then my son dropped a large can of tomatoes on MY foot and I realized those cans were a little dangerous although unlikely to kill anyone. I did however make sure there were latches at about the six foot height on the exterior doors and on the door to the basement since I had a climber. I also couldn’t have chairs near the table or my oldest would stand on top the table and grab the hanging light. Thank goodness my kids always ran straight into our bedroom when they woke up, our neighbors 2-year old liked to explore when the house was quiet – not good at all. So once Annie is living free range talk to her about being careful on the steps, walking not running, etc. She will learn and it will shorten the amount of time you have to watch her like a hawk. We gave the boys a really large room for a bedroom, which was a totally safe room. If I needed a break and wanted to read for a bit and have a cup of tea I did it in there with them shut in with me. So be sure there is one safe room with a door that closes so you can have some less vigilent moments. And make sure she cannot lock herself in the bathroom. Lesson learned the hard way!
Amanda says:
My daughter is only a few weeks older than Annabel, but thank heavens she’s not a climber too! LOL I second Noelle’s suggestion of anchors because wobbly bookcases give me the heebie jeebies around kids. Not counting outlet covers, the only other piece of baby-proofing we’ve done so far is a toilet lock whose use is MANDATORY in our house. Otherwise my Lulu would be throwing everything in there! (Once, before baby-proofing, it was my toothbrush. Oy.) I think we’ll be adding door knob covers soon, at least to the basement door. Good luck!
Colleen says:
I only baby proofed cupboards that had dangerous stuff in them, kithchen and our bathroom. I took cleaning stuff out of the others. I put outlet covers only on outlets which were exposed and the kids were likes to be intrigued by. No sharp corner covers. they can hurt themselves prettty good running into dull edges as well, just have a no running rule and enforce it! I did use a gate for when they were toddlers to prevent trips upstairs but I didn’t use it very long. It’s easier to shut doors to keep then from the stairs, if you can. Towels are great door stops (above or wedged below). Don’t spend too much money, there are so many things you can do with stuff you already have. Buy cupboard locks and several outlet covers. My kids never weren’t into outlets so I didn’t ever need them….
Laura says:
I’m not the type worry about every little possible thing that could possible scratch my PRESHUS babies. We used outlet covers for both of ours and that was about it. The only other thing I did is have a rubber band bracelet thing that I still use on the doors under my kitchen sink where there are toxic cleaners. My mother has a glass top coffee table with exposed edges and she tried corner protectors on them for a while because of the sharp glass corners, but otherwise, I think corners are just a fact of life and are managable.
Lissa says:
Whatever you do, she’ll find the one thing nobody planned on! I agree with all of the recommendations for outlet covers, baby gates on stairs and tying up all cords/blind strings.
Since our 2 year old has 2 older brothers we couldn’t keep him in lockdown as long as we liked. I also couldn’t put all the toilet lock doohickeys on since the big ones tend to realize they have to go at the last minute. I used those doorknob covers and keep the bathroom door closed. They can get in easily but he can’t. I also use those for closets and the utility room.
I also recommend the tot lock if you have cabinets – it’s easy, unobtrusive and since you can’t see them – you get your own candid camera experience watching your friends try to open them.
Flip locks for all of the exterior doors. They figure out how to open door locks much earlier then you realize. Of course, after a while they start pushing chairs over to things, thus increasing their wingspan, and all bets are off!
LizL says:
You will constantly be baby proofing. The one thing I didn’t see on here that saved our house was the plastic shields that protect cable boxes/TV’s/DVD players. Because buttons are fun to press!
Jill says:
Anchor TVs to the wall.
Sara says:
We just did the basics with my twins and hardly anything with the 3rd and 4th! A must in our house was rubber corner covers for the sharp edges of the tables, outlet covers, and a chain lock up high for the doors so they couldn’t get out!
With the twins we did the cabinet locks and baby gates for the stairs, didn’t bother with the last 2 and they survived!
Good luck!
Kate says:
My good friends who have a son around Annie’s age just went with the very basics: outlet covers, cabinet locks on cabinets with dangerous stuff behind it, and a baby gate. And the baby gate only came when he started walking; until then, they just trained him with “no” to keep away from the stairs. (Now, he’s just too fast!)
The one thing I will echo is to anchor things to the wall. Not because I am a baby expert, but because this is a fun story: I have two cats who have a – difficult relationship. One day when I left for classes, I left one of the drawers on my bureau about two inches open. That’s it. Two inches. when I came home, I discovered the bureau on the floor with everything that used to live on top of it scattered all over the carpet. The cats had been having one of their tiffs, one of them jumped on it to get to higher ground, and somehow they upset the balance. Two cats! Knocking over a bureau I can barely move by myself! (It’s actual wood, not press-board, and is about 20 years older than I am!) I can’t even imagine what a climbing baby could do!
Heather says:
The best advice my own mother ever gave me was to not go overboard on the baby-proofing. When she told me to simply teach my children that they couldn’t touch certain things, I thought she must be a nut. We did do outlet covers and a couple of those doorknob covers, and of course gates at the stairway. As for the rest? My husband and I had to teach them what they could and could not touch. Did it work instantly? Of course not? Was it hard? Not really. This meant that I didn’t have to put a zillion things “away” for 4 years because I was afraid a little kid would touch/break/etc. it. And believe me, my youngest is a rascal. Of course keep her safe, but the more things you put ‘off limits’ or make a big deal about, the more she will want to climb it/break it/touch it/want it.
Kenna says:
I did what the State required for my home daycare – anchored heavy things like bookcases to the wall, outlet covers, and locking cabinets. Really though, what worked best was teaching them “NO!”. Yes it required some extra vigilance on my part, but it paid off in the end – at least I think so.
Why? Because I can leave the room to do something (like go to the bathroom) and not worry that the kids are going to get into something because I’ve taught them it’s not acceptable. And yes, that was not only with mine, but also with my daycare crew, which was comprised of ALL SORTS of different personalities!!
Case in point – way back when, I had those plastic shields for the DVD/VCR. Turned my back on a 2yo to tend to a baby, and she shoved about 6 DVDs into the player and closed it. Jammed it up completely and fried something in the process. That was one of the turning points for me – here i had it “baby proofed” and she still broke it?!?! Easier for me was to teach her NOT TO TOUCH.
Compare that to the experience of a neighbor who kept her child contained at all times…. when he was 4 and his sister was 6, she left them to play in their new playroom/her office. They found Sharpies and scribbled all over the walls, cut up her silk beading ribbons, and basically destroyed the room in mere minutes. She was aghast and kept asking me what *I* would do. I had absolutely no reply because I teach my kids that is NOT ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR and it wouldn’t have happened here!!
Is that to say I’m perfect and my kids are angels?? HA!! Not at all! They do get into things they shouldn’t (heck, they are kids) and sometimes I want to strangle them for not using their heads, but for the most part they know what is okay and what is not….. and fortunately for me, they also know (and are old enough!) to ask if they aren’t sure.
Now that I’ve said all that…. get the cabinet locks with the magnets on them. Once she is past the cabinet stage, you can flip them so they stay unlocked. I HATED trying to find those silly little levers!!
Karly says:
Electric outlet protectors were used. Gates for stairs – but we had a lot going down so it would have been a bad fall. In the kitchen the only cupboard door we babyproofed was the one with the chemicals. I gave my children a cupboard to put their “stuff” in. I made a big deal that that was their cupboard and the rest were mine. I did not allow them in the other cupboards and I did not go in theirs (when they saw me anyway). It worked!
Sherri says:
My favorite cabinet locks are the magnetic kind…they are wonderful. I would only get them for cabinets you really want to keep her out of forever. My son figured out how to open every other kind of lock at a super early age. He was six or seven before he figured out the magnets. http://www.google.com/products/catalog?rlz=1I7GGLL_en&oe=UTF-8&q=magnetic+cabinet+locks&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=4580932942640145402&sa=X&ei=ctlDTp2IIoLV0QGBx-3XBw&ved=0CGAQ8wIwAA#
Also, since she is a climber, be sure you bought the thngs that tie bookcases, etc… to the walls. I also needed these with my monkey. http://www.amazon.com/Safety-First-11014-Furniture-Straps/dp/B000056W7R
I did have a toilet lock with my little man as well…he liked to flush things like my grandmother’s jewelery and shoes down the toilet. No joke.
GOOD LUCK!!
Rachel R. says:
We just went through this. Our daughter is 13 months and gates were not an option for us. So we did the outlet covers. And the cabinet and drawer stoppers. We left one cabinet and draw in the kitchen open to her because it keeps her occupied when she insists on being in the kitchen under our feet when we’re cooking or doing dishes. So we left the pots & pans cabinet unlocked and the drawer with her bibs. She has learned those are OK for her to get into so she tends to leave the other cabinets alone even when they are not locked, which is nice. We did put up one gate to keep her out of the laundry room where we also keep the cat’s liter box and food. We moved all of the dangerous chemicals and stuff in there on a very tall shelf. Other than that we just taught her what was and was not acceptable for her to touch. We still have to remind her constantly, but she’s 1. They’re bound to test their boundaries. But it’s how they learn. And Annie will learn. It’s good to teach her to listen to y’all. So it might be a rough couple of months or more, but eventually she will listen and you won’t have to remind her all the time.
As for the steps, If they are tile or something hard I’d maybe put down a rug for awhile. Annie is likely going to fall a few times before she gets it. You might as well reduce the risk of serious injury by putting something soft down until she learns to navigate the place safely. A rug would help her determine where the steps are as well, just in case they are hard to see.
Good luck!
I’m excited for y’all. A house! YAY!
amourningmom says:
Yeah for the new house! Sounds like you have a lot covered already. I suggest cleaning supplies in a up high cupboard & anchoring heavy bookshelves. Good luck & take care.
Mary M says:
Ditch the toilet lock (it is more trouble than it is worth) and run and get an OVEN lock. All we have for our two and half year old Annie-clone is the oven lock, outlet plug covers (you have them — just use the cheap ones that are on the far left of your picture) and the cabinet and drawer locks. I repeat, we used the toilet lock a few times and it is just too frustrating!!! (For a 39-year-old at least). Plus, if you are thinking of starting potty training soon, it will make things more difficult. If she is not able to turn knobs/unlock locks yet, there is no need for the handle locks.
One thing to think about for the future is window locks–for when you have your windows open. Though if your new house is only one story (not sure from the pics), you can certainly wait/not use them. Hope this helps.
coloradolady says:
Well, I will say this, I raised two children and never purchased a single thing like this. They are well balanced adults with all their fingers and toes, never electrocuted, and they made it just fine. I firmly believe they market these things to make the parents BELIEVE they need all of this, when you don’t need it at all. If I was going to buy any of it, I’d get the plugs for the outlets and that is all. You are home with your child, you should be able to keep up with what is going on without all of these gadgets that claim to do the job for you. Just my 2 cents!!
Bria says:
You are so right about all the baby/toddler proofing stuff being marketing to make people believe they need it. As I said above, we did some basic stuff but honestly, keeping an eye on our kiddo is the best way to keep him out of trouble.
Mary M says:
Oh, one more thing — there is a cover that you can put over/against the DVD/DVR unit (if you have one). It is about $10 at babies r us and is simply an ‘L’ shaped bit of solid plastic that spans the length of the device. That, we also use as our unit sits at little finger level.
And second/third the tie up the cords and blinds. You can get fancy locks for them, but tying them up high is cheaper and just as good.
Betsy says:
I agree that you might want to wait and see what kind of trouble she’s most interested in before buying too much baby-proofing stuff outside of the basics (outlet covers, cabinet locks). Some things you may find you really won’t need. The other thing to remember is that at her age, you are close to her all of the time, and you are always watching her. She won’t have much opportunity to go off by herself and get into something before you’re there to tell her “no”. I know it’s overwhelming and it’s tempting to protect against every possible accident, but you may find that she never even tries some of the things you’re worried about! It’s funny– my son gets into way more stuff now that he’s almost 3 than he did at Annie’s age. And he’s fast, and he can unlock doors and climb over baby gates. .. ugh.
Jozet at Halushki says:
Three kids, each had their own “thing” that they tried to maim themselves with. One it was eating small object, the other was anything liquid in cabinets, the other was the cat. The cat was most difficult to baby-proof and eventually we stopped trying and just them them duke it out and establish alpha dominance.
Doors that lead to big stairs.
Medicines and toxic substances, definitely.
Anchor things that can topple.
Toilet or anything that they can fall head first into.
I don’t worry so much about points and edges. We do have a fireplace with a stone hearth, but we just placed the sofa in front of it, and usually still do. That’s because my 12yo happens to be a maniac, not because I’m so worried about the younger kids.
Other things are just habit: turn pot handles in, don’t leave toilet open, don’t leave the juggling knives out. If there is something you want to not have to worry about baby-proofing, I suggest concentrating on one things at a time and take two solid weeks to get a good Pavlovian response going. Don’t try to tackle “don’t hit the cat, don’t turn on the faucet, don’t lick the outlet, don’t climb the shelves” all at the same time.
Also, a good tip a smart mom gave me was to say “no” a little as possible. If the radiator is hot, say “ouch! hot!” If you want a child to stop running into the street, play a game of “freeze” for a few weeks, and then say “freeze” other times when you need her to stop bolting. Go Pavlovian as much as possible. Kids won’t listen to reasoning at all until they are about 5 years old, and then they stop again when they are 13. 10 for girls.
Tamela says:
Another fan of the just the basics here! Gate for stairs, outlet covers, cabinet locks for any cabinet that stored stuff I didn’t want them in and doorknob covers (for closets and front door only.) We also got locks for the knobs on the stove as they are on the front of our stove and we have a gas range, and we got a lock for the lazy susan as fingers were pinched in it a few times.
Jannette says:
Many people suggest outlet covers, and I agree. but, those plastic ones that plug into the outlet are not a good choice. My daughter loved pulling them out. It is better to change the plate that has a cover built in. It is a more expensive option, but those plastic plug ins are a choking hazard.
Good luck and enjoy their curiosity.
Erin W says:
Have you ever seen ‘Baby Mama’? There’s a scene where Tina Fey baby proofs the toilet and the other blond from SNL (can’t remember her name w/o researching it—whoops!) can’t get it open…and ends up urinating in the sink. We don’t want that scene reinacted…skip the toilet lock.
Tori says:
I know absolutely nothing about baby proofing, as I have not yet reproduced. But serendipitously, just today I saw this post on another blog I read. It seems logical to me, and it’s funny, so… win!
http://www.modgblog.com/2011/08/10/please-do-not-read-this-post-with-or-near-a-baby-top-secret-intelligence-information/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+modg+%28MODG%29
Melissa says:
They make things to attach your bookshelves, tvs, etc. to the wall to prevent toddlers from climbing and knocking the whole thing over on top of themselves….they are a must for safety. We also use corner protecters.
Casi says:
We have 3 girls, have never baby proofed. A simple no that is naughty or that is owies always worked for us. We got rid of any end tables or coffee tables in living room just so there are no corners for heads to bash into. Knick Knacks are at a minimal just makes life easier. Children are quick learners , they will learn fast what they can and can not play with you as a parent just have to be there to guide them in that direction! From reading your posts I can tell you don’t let little Annie out of sights for to long. (Which is faboulous!) I think you got this trust yourself and your daughter. Don’t stress yourselves she is going to get into things no matter what. You will waste money that could be going to the mortgage on things she is going to figure out how to get into in the long run!
HCH says:
I think you just put locks on the doors and the drawers that contain things that can hurt her; i.e. – under the kitchen & bathroom sinks, etc. Put covers on all of the outlets, and then let her learn her own boundaries. You’ll probably have tupperware and dish towels flung throughout the kitchen, and most likely you’ll encounter a tumble down the steps or a bonk into a corner, or a remote in the dog water, but kids are resiliant little things, and they learn quickly what they can and cannot do. Keep doors closed if you don’t want her to go into the room of her own valition. She will be fine, and before you know it, you will too!
Congrats on the new digs!
H
Gillian says:
The outlet covers they can rip RIGHT outta the wall in three seconds, so I don’t bother with those. In fact, I think they attract their attention to the outlet covers, which otherwise might be left alone. And I don’t do corner protectors, because I think a few beans on the head helps baby figure out how to navigate in this tough old world. I actually bought an installed a toilet lock once – and the kid IMMEDIATELY ripped it right off. Then it took me forever to scrape the adhesive off the toilet. Again – not worth the time! Also, they figured out how to take the cabinet locks off right away. Basically, I decided that the only thing that might actually KILL my child is if he pulls furniture over on himself while climbing, and so we bought those tethers that connect the top of your furniture to the wall. (And then never installed them . . . shhhhhh . . . it also helps that we have a tiny house and the children are seldom out of our view.) We also put the locks on the cabinets full of deadly poison – the ones that go inside and that you have to press down on to open the door. The kids try to reach inside through the crack, but can’t get anything out. And that’s it!
Gertie says:
We put cabinent locks on the cabinents with cleaning supplies in them or breakable things in them. We covered every outlet. We bought this foam thing for the corner edge of our brick fire place. We do not have knickknacks anywhere. We do not have a coffee table. For awhile we had a lock thing on the dishwasher because we had a problem with children opening it by themselves. Same with fridge. Hmmm…. I think that might be it.
M says:
We have a climber, and a younger one. In my opinion, single most imporant thing to do- make sure the deadbolts on your exterior doors are key locks, and not the flip locks, on the inside. The climber (2.5) figured out that he could open the door and go outside by himself if he dragged a step stool over to the door. Left the room to change the baby’s diaper, and came back to find him wandering around our freaking front yard….
As a bonus, this also doubles as extra security from intrudors too, if you have windows by your doors, they can’t break a window and flip the deadbolt to come in, since they still need a key! Brilliant!
Kim C. says:
I have mixed feelings about this option. I see the benefit of doing it, but I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable with the risks.
If you do this, make sure you keep the keys as close to the door as possible and in a place that’s easily accessible. If there’s a fire, you may not be able to dig through your purse and find the right key. So if you wouldn’t be able to find the key and get that door opened with your eyes closed, then don’t do it.
M says:
An excellent point! We tried the kid-proof doorknob covers, etc. and moved on to a sliding bolt above the deadbolt first, but these were no match for our toddler and a chair! We have a separate key for each door that we keep on the molding ledge above the door, so we always know where they are, and we have a fliplock on the door to the garage (which is right by the front door) so we could get out of the house in an emergency, but not everyone’s house is set up that way. To us, the risk of him wandering outside (especially at night when we are asleep, since he can climb out of his crib and scale the babygate at his bedroom door like a common hurdle- and I am completely against locking a child in their room) outweighed the risk of a fire/emergency. Plus, all of our bedrooms are on the second floor, and we have a fire escape ladder that we keep up there for windows. Iguess it just depends on how strong-willed and resourceful your toddler is.
Gertie says:
Oh yeah, reading over the others comments now… we did have a doorknob cover on any door that lead to the outside for awhile. Just in case we left them unlocked.
And obviously a gate in front of large staircases.
And we don’t have shelves but if we did we would DEFINITELY have tethered them to the wall because we had climbers. But really tethering shelves to the wall is a good idea regardless of whether you have children or not.
Marnie * says:
What we did was close as many doors as possible, especially the bathroom. If she can open doors, get the door knob covers so she can’t open them. We also have plug covers and straps for dressers and shelves. In the kitchen the only cabinet we have locks on are the ones under the sink (that’s were all the soaps and cleaning supplies are kept). There is nothing in our other lower cabinets that are a big deal if our kids got into them (just our pots, pans, and plastic containers). Keep some of her toys in an area where you can keep your eye on her and Good Luck.
Gertie says:
Oh and duh! The blinds cords! I forgot. We have some older blinds with those cords on them. I just cut them off. We don’t open our blinds anyways. Just turn the slats, not open the entire blinds so we didn’t need the cord.
Jamie says:
all I ever used were cabinet locks and a baby gate. But my daughter got into a bottle of tylenol and poured it all over the floor so what do I know! I go by the school of thought that you will learn from bonking your head. Of, we do have earthquake straps on our TV
Amy says:
I spent about $5 on babyproofing. I bought the outlet plugs (not covers) which are the little plastic pieces that you slip directly into the sockets. Let me tell you, it is enough of a deterrent for me when I have to pry those little suckers out to vacuum to just say “to hell with it” and go do something else. My daughter never even touched them.
Also, I bought one of those cabinet clasps that goes between the two handles and locks the doors shut. This was for the cabinet under the kitchen sink where we kept dish washing liquid and comet and such.
Thats it for my baby proofing purchases. We did keep 99% of the cleaning materials and medicines up high and out of reach. My daughter wasn’t really a climber and she never, not once, played in the potty. Maybe I was just lucky.
statia says:
I would get the basics, and then wait and see what you might need. A toilet lock may not be necessary, if you have a door knob handle on your door, and just keep the door closed. Neither of my kids were particularly interested in playing in the toilet. And they’re total opposites. So, that one, I’d wait and see. Outlets, doorknobs, and locks on cabinets that contain chemicals. Don’t get anything majorly fancy for cabinet locks. The old fashioned ones work just fine.
Alicia says:
We have four kids, the youngest of which is 2, so we’re at the “who cares/doesn’t matter” stage with babyproofing. I mean, I guess it DOES matter. I guess it IS better to babyproof. It’s just that it’s a lot of work for such a short time when you have to always be watching them anyway. So, yeah, my vote is don’t kill yourself. She’s going to get hurt sometimes, and that’s how she’ll learn to navigate and protect herself. You just try to prevent the really bad things.
Brittany says:
Well great, now she’s worthless to me in terms of veal.
Heather says:
Seriously. Tender no more.
Mary says:
Every child is diferent so the babyproof should be different. My son never have interest in the wall outlets , but he love and still does love to open doors so I put a few things to avoid finger jamming and a little chain in the front door.
Elizabeth says:
I had to baby proof as we went along. We bought our house in December right before our daughter walked so we just did the outlet covers and gate. Then as she decided where her favorite places in the house are , we started baby proofing as needed. We put a pad on the fire place hearth since it is her favorite place in the house (it is her stage for performing). Now that she is 17 months old we are looking at something for the stove since she tries to cook now. We also only baby proofed the cabinet doors she opened. She doesn’t care about some and loves the others, that’s my kid for you. If you don’t want to go overboard (because it is pretty darn expensive) then just watch how she is in the new house and go from there.
Angie says:
We babyproofed minimally. We did the outlet plugs and a gate on our very steep wood stairs. We also have large dressers and the aquarium anchored to the wall. We had one cabinet locked with cleaning supplies and all the other cabinets were accessible to the children. Overall, I don’t know if you can prevent all accidents.
We have some friends that hovered over their childrens every move. They proofed everything and were always 6 inches from the child. Even at 3 and 5 their kids make poor safety decisions because they have not learned consequences. They are capable of climbing higher and playing in more dangerous situations (playgrounds not parking lots) and they are making poor decisions about what is safe. Someone has always caught them so they are lacking in judgement when they do get to do things on their own. I think there is a lot of value in the learning that happens when children are allowed to fall. (within reason of course) Give them access to two stairs (my oldest did a flip down three stairs and after that she was more cautious when she played on stairs. AND, it all depends on the child and on LUCK. So, good luck:)
Kim C. says:
I haven’t read all of the other comments, so in case this hasn’t been mentioned already:
GET THE DOORSTOPS.
There was a story on the news this morning about a 3 year old who woke up in the middle of the night, opened the front door and was (thank GOD) found wandering on the side of a road by a passing motorist who picked him up and called the police.
So, yeah, every parent with a toddler should get the doorstops.
sarah a says:
For evil masterminds like my 2 year old and annie those round door knobs protectors will be a fun toy. After 2 days he was able to pop those off in less than 15 seconds. The honey comb style gates make great rock climbers… stick to the straight up n down bar style. We had to put a latch lock at the top of our front door because my son can unlock the deadbolt and open the door. Also the sliding door, for that we use a window lock twist found at a hrdware store. The plug in electric outlets were no match for him either! U r smart to get the ones you did with the slots blocked… good luck!!!!
Trisha says:
We did outlet covers, lower cabinet locks, furniture anchors and tv anchors, door knob covers adn that was about it. If we had stairs, we would have used a gate at the bottom for those.
My greatest fear has always been the tv falling on Dannica or her climbing a dresser and it toppling over on her, so I do advise anchors if she’s a climber for sure. I’ve seen stories about this in the news a lot lately.
The other day she reached up and burned her finger touching a hot eye on the stovetop, so my first reaction was to run out and get one of those stovetop guards but over the next few days when I was cooking, she would walk by and say “HOT! Mom!” and show me her little hurt finger and she stays away from the stove now, so I think she got it and won’t be doing that again.
I think just doing the basic babyproffing should be okay. We can’t prevent them from getting ouchies now and again unless we put them all in helmets and wrap them up in bubble wrap, so don’t drive yourself too crazy about it.
The only other thing I would recommend is the upper door locks for all the exterior doors and sliders just in case. We are installing those this weekend for our little Houdini as she had figured out the door knob covers as she’s gotten older and taller
Good luck! I’m excited to hear how the move goes.
Jen says:
Dresser/bookcase/tall furniture anti-tip straps.
The other thing I’ve read is that the tips of door stops are a choking hazard – they make a one piece door stop.
aubrey says:
I never really baby proofed. I put things in front of outlets and had a baby gate up to the kitchen and bathroom. Never really had a climber though either. My 3yo was a champion finger pincher though. I had the door guards for a while cause she was constantly getting her fingers pinched, on the hinge side of the door actually. They were like giant foam C’s you put over the door.
Right now I am needing to go get a refrigerator lock. She eats all the hot dogs, then drags a chair to take the ones I have hidden in the freezer out. I’ve told her no but she says “but I am hungry” how can you argue with that?
As for my stove..I just took the knobs off, they are easy to put back on and not as fun to turn without them.
Good luck, I think she will get the stairs pretty quick.
Melissa says:
My son just turned 3, and I am pregnant with my second son, due in a couple months. My 3 year old is WILD!!!! Early crawler, walker, runner, climber, I think he is part monkey. At this age, while he has become much more coordinated, he still needs the baby-proofing in several areas of the house.
Outside of the standard electrical coverages, I found the following items most beneficial:
1. Oven Knob Covers – Safety First Brand – My sone likes to help us cook, and our stove top is built into the center kitchen island, where he has his stepstool often pushed up against, so these protect him from turning on the gas burners
2. Corner guards – A definitive must. We have them on all pointed edged coffee and end tables, as well as anything with jegged corners
3. Top Locks on Doors leading Outside – He learned how to open the main doors early on, so we put a chain lock up high in the front door, and a slide lock up high on the back door and garage door.
4. Brackets for Tall Furniture – We have brackets on the changing table and tall dresser, as well as our desk, so he does not pull them down on himself.
5. Blind Protectors – Not sure what they are called, but I am fearful of our blinds that he will get strangled in the cords, so we bought cord winders that basically roll up all of the cords into a plastic circle that doesn’t let any cords hang down.
I find so much comfort knowing these items are in place, and can breathe easier. Hope this helps!
Melissa
FyshWyfe says:
Besides anchoring all furniture and large devices (e.g. TVs) to the walls, we’re not big babyproofers. Our daughter is 2 and we’ve never really done much. She could yank corner protectors off of the coffee tables as fast as we could stick them on, so we just watched her closely when she was toddling. We covered outlets but this is more an inconvenience for us than protection for her. We lock the cabinet that holds the household cleaners, but that’s about it. We keep glass out of reach.
We’re just really big on teaching “Hot!” “Yucky!” “Owie!” and the like. If she insist on defying those warnings, she goes to time out or smushes a finger in a drawer (which is mighty effective, btw). Just make sure you turn all the nozzles on spray bottles to off, bc if Annie puts them in her mouth and manages to squeeze the handle, she can very easily aspirate poison.
Cheryl says:
I tried to baby proof, refrigerator lock worked for one day and he pulled it off! Cabinet locks took him 2 days to figure out how to open. Never even bothered with the oven lock (found it last month when I was cleaning). He was like Annie, piled his toys up so he could climb out of his play yard. Even figured out how to push a chair over to climb on the cupboard to get what he wanted.
So I was just very careful about what I kept where he could reach it. Never did the plug covers or a toilet lock. He is now 6 and survived just fine.
FyshWyfe says:
PS- My mom recently had to counsel a family who lost their toddler to a tipped-over television. Those things are no joke. Furniture anchors!
Lisa says:
There is also another blogger (and I can’t remember her name right now) that also lost her son due to the same thing.
It’s very important to anchor furniture.
Jenn says:
Hey Mama!
I say go by your own instincts. If you think there is even a remote chance she’ll get hurt, then by all means protect away. I guess the other benefit would if you did have another baby- you’d be all set.
I think the bottom line is this….I could go on and on how I protected my own 3 children plus my school kids but the fact is, no body knows Annie better than you & Mike. So, go with your insticts….I know you guys will do the best job protecting not only Annie but also any other child who comes within your charge!!!
Lisa says:
When we baby proofed our house (including the door knob cover things that are also adult proof, a pain in the neck, AND take the paint off of the doors when you remove them) my daughter never tried to open it again. Little shit! So we never actually had to “lock” the door handle thing. We literally used it like once. SO depending on how much re-painting you want to do, etc- just keep that in mind if you go for those. Corner protectors are def important. I wouldn’t bother with the pantry door things, we never needed them. BUT Annie may since she is rather adventurous! Chains up high on doors will be needed sometime soon, so you might as well install them now. Cover the outlets, they will try to stick their cute little fingers in the cute little holes (as I am sure you are well aware). I do like me some gates if needed for protection/caging the child. We did not ever put the cabinet preventer opener things on- except below the sinks where cleaning stuff etc are kept. We just threatened to NEVER allow her to watch Dora again if she opened drawers, cabinets, etc. JUST KIDDING. maybe. Good luck. Lisa
Shannon says:
As a completely seasoned and expert mother who has raised all of one child for a total of four years, here’s my theory on childproofing:
You have to decide how much you are going to be watching your kid when he/she is in a particular area. If you want a room where the kid can entertain him/herself alone while you work/cook/clean/surf the Internet, you’re going to have to make sure everything in that room is babyproofed and gated off. On the other hand, I saw no reason to uber-babyproof a room where I would most likely be supervising my kid, such as the bathroom or my bedroom.
I admit to largely basing this theory on pre-divorce Jon & Kate Plus Eight. I saw they had an elaborate octagonal-shaped gate setup around their Christmas tree. I panicked that I should do the same with our tree, but then it occurred to me that a mother of sextuplets is probably less able to supervise every kid at every moment, so she has to babyproof more. Of course Jon & Kate’s lives became a total figurative disaster later, but at least with those gates they avoided a literal disaster.
Laura says:
Make sure any blinds cords are up so she can’t hang herself on them. They sell these things that wind them up to an out of reach height. I have to use them for my cats.
Virginia says:
It’s probably already been said but furniture anchors. I have a climber but didn’t think anything of it. Then my daughter pulled her dresser down on herself, thankfully there was a chair that it got hung up on and didn’t crush her, scared the bejeezus out of her though.
Other than that the only things I ever used were door knob covers, socket plugs and cabinet latches. I kept a door knob cover on the bathroom door and kept it closed so I didn’t need a toilet lock or any of that.
hdj says:
Keep it simple – outlet covers and the covers over the plugs that are plugged in so they can’t be unplugged. Gate the stairs. If you don’t want her in the toilet, put the knob thing on the door and keep it closed. Lock the cabinets you don’t want her in, but leave her one or two that she can get into – tupperware, etc.
Otherwise, it’s a pain in the ass for you and Mike. She needs to learn what she can and can’t get into so cover the obvious safety issues and call it good. It’s not like this is forever.
aldougl says:
Getting ready to have my 4th so I have been around the babyproofing block a time or 3. Kids quickly figure out the cabinet locks that you have to push down to open the cabinet. If you spend a little bit more on your cabinet locks you can get ones that are magnetic. Unless you hold a magnet up to the cabinet door (where installed) no one is getting into that cabinet. http://www.amazon.com/Tot-Lok-9-Piece-Loc-Assembly/dp/B00068O28M
Julie says:
When my son was a baby (he’s almost 21 now!) I never babyproofed ANYTHING. No cabinets, no doors, no steps, no outlets, nothing. I just taught him what to do and what not to do. The period of time where things need babyproofed is so short lived that it seemed a waste of money.
I didn’t allow him to roam the house without supervision. As blunt as this sounds, I think if you are watching your child you don’t have to babyproof anything.
Amelia says:
94 comments in and someone else has probably already said this, but my VERY FAVORITE thing is a magnetic cupboard lock. I think the brand is Safety 1st and they are great. No pinching little (or big) fingers at all, and you can “turn them off” whenever you want.
Mary says:
For our house, which I believe is quite smaller, our 14 month old has always had free range. However, we keep the bathroom door and the door to the master bedroom shut all the time that he’s awake. We blocked the stairs with a swinging baby gate. We have put cabinet locks on all low kitchen cabinets except the tupperware cabinet (his favorite). We plugged all outlets. After that we kind of see what intrigues him and have proceeded from there. He’s never showed interest in the fireplace, so we haven’t bothered cushioning it, but when he started trying to climb the coffee table, we moved it downstairs. Instead of baby-led weaning, it’s like baby-led proofing!
annie says:
I was lulled into thinking that “baby-proofing” was something that a person did once. yeah, not so much. kids get smarter… and taller… and braver. you have to “baby-proof” as their abilities grow. move stuff higher, change countertop habits, block stairs, etc. and you may have to do those things more than once!
Sara says:
I have a 2-year-old wild child, but I can honestly say, I haven’t done too much about baby proofing. We have outlet covers (we actually had to buy them twice because she figured out how to get the first set off by the time she was a year old). Aside from that, I’ve got low kitchen cabinets with locks on them. I had a different type of latch on the bathroom cabinet, but surprisingly, we don’t keep it latched anymore because she actually tries to close the door if it’s open instead of opening it when it’s closed (go figure). With a 2-floor house, we have a “top of stairs” gate, which I highly recommend, but we’re getting to the point where we don’t need that for her anymore either.
So that just leaves our door knob protector thingies to keep from opening the door. I got them because my nieces used to climb out of bed in the morning, open their doors and run around the house before their mother could even open her eyes. However, I have yet to need them for my own daughter because even though she knows that the door knob is how the door opens, she has yet to figure out how to actually grip it and turn.
Point being — In my opinion, I think you got everything you needed to get.
Laurie SL says:
After baby-proofing my house for my 2.5 year old, the most/only/best things that I can recommend is the electric plug covers (just basic ones, not the really fancy ones are needed) and the cabinet lock things (the plastic little hooks that adults can open but toddlers cannot). Make sure to put those cabinet locks on all cabinets that have cleaning chemicals or medicines.
Colleen says:
This is the very best kitchen cabinet lock. http://www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Mount-Magnet-Lock-Starter/dp/B000WX5JXS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313097990&sr=8-2 I found out that the push down ones were too easy for my kids to figure out and therefore, were rendered useless. I wish I had known that BEFORE I drilled holes in my cabinets.
We have the french door locks I think that you bought and I LOVE THEM. We also have a couple regular knob covers. They are great. We didn’t buy a toilet lock because we put one of the door knob locks on the door and we’d just close the door after we left the bathroom. By the time Annie needs to be in the bathroom regularly for potty time you won’t need the toilet lock anymore either since you’ll want her to use the potty and all… (p.s. I have successfully managed to train both my boys to put the toilet seat AND LID down!!!!)
Do you plan to put child locks on the door to the garage (is there a garage?) or to the outside? We do for the garage but not for the front door because there is a key lock deadbolt on both sides. (We read somewhere that kids can turn locks so a key lock was better. The key hangs out of their reach on a little hook to the side of the door.)
I was terrified when we took the baby gates down and gave our little men free range. But after realizing that their toys were in one place and the rest of the house was boring, they stuck to their playroom mostly.
Jessica says:
Outlet covers and cabinet locks were pretty much all we ever used.
Amy D. says:
Other than a baby gate at the top of the stairs, we did zero baby proofing. It seemed like the more we tried to “lock up”, the more interested he was in trying to get in. We moved cleaning stuff to a higher cabinet and left the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen for him to get into and keep his stuff.
Funsize says:
I remember you once saying Annie pulls on stuff ( ie the couch)- make sure you get something to stablize your TV/book cases. If you have stairs- baby gates for the top and bottom. Doorknob covers work for rooms you don’t want her to get into. Also, a stove top guard is good if she gets curious around the kitchen.
Kayla says:
I think I’ve mentioned this before here, but I’d definitely suggest covers for the bathtub faucets – we don’t want a burned Annie, that’s for sure!
Other than that, you’ve got some great advice here already. Cheers and good luck! (;
Christa says:
We have an upstairs, downstairs and a basement. We installed a slide lock on the basement door so they couldn’t open it and we placed a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs to keep them from going upstairs. At night, we took the gate upstairs to keep them from going downstairs. I kept the bathroom doors shut and all chemicals in a closet on the top shelf. That was all the babyproofing we did.
Eileen Closs says:
Hi! I will share the best baby proofing advice I received…crawl around the house and look at what you see. This makes you the same height as the baby, and boy do things look alot different from that view!! Good luck!!
Jacqueline says:
I have one baby gate, 3 door nob covers, a multitude of outlet covers and a lock on the bathroom cabinet. That’s it. I’m not for over baby proofing, just enough to keep them safe. Beyond that, my kids have to learn to leave some things alone.
amanda79 says:
You only need the basics, keep that pack of like 50 outlet plugs and return all the rest, you don’t need all those. You don’t need corner covers for stuff unless it’s glass and you don’t need door stops, unless you have a door that closes on it’s own. You can’t baby proof everything, how do they learn otherwise? Annie will be just fine
Elizabeth says:
I have 2 that are maniacs. I did minimal baby-proofing and they have survived. So far.
-Everything dangerous or annoying to clean up, gets put up out of reach.
-Baby gates at the top and bottom of the stairs
My general rule of thumb is to wait and see what the baby does. For babies like Annie (and my 2), no child lock or electric cover will hold them at bay. They will just find the most dangerous thing and go for it with gusto. I give, almost free range of the whole house, with little available for them to destroy or get hurt on. If they play with something bad, I tell them no and redirect. I also don’t hover.
Jen L. says:
We bought this gate: http://www.safety1st.com/usa/eng/Products/Home-Safety/Gates/Details/448-41824-Perfect-Fit-Gate
2 of them, actually. They’re pressure mounted so you can move them around. Great for containment.
Wallydraigle says:
My younger kid is a lot like Annie. She knows know fear, and pain is not much of a teacher. She’s freaking gigantic, too, so she’s capable of inflicting quite a bit of damage on herself or our stuff.
So, the only things we babyproof are:
–Things that can maim or kill. One or two steps won’t likely kill her; we leave those unguarded. A flight of stairs gets blocked off, though. Now, this take some judgment because ANYTHING can maim or kill you if you land just the wrong way. But we’re talking about reasonable risk here.
–Things that will make a godawful mess. I keep the diaper rash cream out of reach because I don’t really want to wash that out of her hair and the carpet and my couch.
–Things I value that she can break or hurt. Our bookshelves aren’t blocked off, but we made it hard for her to get to. She still gets in there from time to time, but that’s okay; I just don’t want her to have free access to all my most precious books.
Our older daughter is extremely fearful. We weren’t overprotective when she was a baby; I think it’s mostly just her personality. But with this one, we were a lot less protective. And, while she really terrifies me sometimes, I love that she approaches so many things with no fear. I think she’ll go far in life (so long as we help her temper that enthusiasm).
Shana in Texas says:
I agree with previous posters – prevent access to the things that will kill, maim, make a huge mess, or will make you cry to see destroyed. That usually means outlet covers, furniture anchors, door handle locks/covers, and high shelves behind closed doors.
All the baby-proofing in the world still won’t keep her from climbing on top of the table or back of the couch or pouring all the water out of the tub or using your mascara wand to “draw kittuhs” on the cabinet doors.
Leslie says:
So we baby proofed our condo in full, and then when our now 3 YO was 18 months we moved to our house. We put medicines up high and gated the stairs and did the outlets. And all my cleaning supplies are in the one latched cabinet. We do have a panda bear on the door to keep it from slamming/closing and that’s about it. I still have to say no a lot, but it’s nice to be able to open whatever I want without it being also mommyproofed!
Good luck!!!
Caroline says:
First, I am soooooo glad I’m past the toddler stage, lol. You’re in for a whirlwind. My first (a girl) was a challenge, but my son? Let’s just say he makes the tasmanian devil look like slow motion. He’s now 7, and I’m still trying to stay three steps ahead of him.
I used these to lock cabinets http://www.amazon.com/Cabinet-Locks-Magnetic-Tot-Starter/dp/B000HKVVH4 and I can’t recommend them highly enough. They’re easily disabled, and absolutely baby proof. I had friends with children that figured out how to undo the plastic latches, pretty quickly too, so the magnets were a lifesaver.
We did let the kids have run of house, except for the steps, which had carefully positioned gates on them. We pretty much gave up on having our house look like anyone but a toddler lived there for a few years. All plastic cups, and we still don’t use glass for the most part.
I did always make sure there was a “safe” cabinet for the kids when they were babies though. It had their plates, utensils, cups, etc and some tupperware containers. Made them feel like they had a place to bang around while I was cooking, and kept them busy. Just make sure it’s not totally underfoot, or you’ll be tripping over stuff constantly.
Good luck!!!
Jill says:
I like those foam things that go around doors so the kids cant slam their fingers. I mainly used this on my son’s bedroom door. All other doors I kept closed and he had free reign of his room and living room.
Courtney says:
I didn’t read all the other comments but the one piece of baby proofing equipment I always recommend is an oven lock. You can get one at One Step Ahead and they are awesome!