I consider myself to be somewhat an expert in the area of babyproofing. I'm sure there are other moms out there who would like to challenge me on the credentials of my expertise, and for them, I present Exhibit A:
This is Caleb, ripping the trim off his window at about 16 months.
It just got worse from there. Case in point:
Luckily, Caleb has outgrown much of his destructive behavior. For a few months, we were able to kick back, relax, and open our cabinets with ease. But now that I once again have a cruising baby, I find myself on Round Two of babyproofing.
Wait...she said Round Two... I thought she had three kids? Yes. I am only on Round Two, because Gracie was such a gentle, obedient, thoughtful little child that I didn't need to babyproof. All it took was a raised eyebrow from Mommy, and she left it alone.
Then I had two boys.
I have jokingly said that someday I am going to start a babyproofing business. Until then, I will share my wealth of knowledge with you, and some products I've tried, all of which are available at Babies R Us, Target, or OneStepAhead.com.
There are two kinds of babyproofing: the kind that keeps your kid safe from your house, and the kind that keeps your house safe from your kid. In this entry, I'll talk about the first.
The Living Room
If you have furniture with pointed edges, cover them with foam corner guards. Cruising babies and running toddlers can fall on them, poking their eyes or splitting their lips. They look bad on your furniture but it's worth it.
Install anti-tip brackets on all bookshelves and cabinets. Don't forget the TV! Kids have been crushed by them. Most people have flat screens now, which are lighter but still dangerous. If you can mount yours to the wall that's even better.
If you have a woodstove or fireplace, a gate is a must. Don't count on teaching your kid "no" to leave it alone. That's important too, but what if they trip and fall into it?
A woodstove gate was the hardest thing for us to find. Every hearth is a different size, so we couldn't find one that perfectly fit ours. Jeremiah ended up constructing an iron one with his dad. It took some trial and error though. When we first set it up, Caleb was able to squeeze around the back, so we had to bolt it to the wall. After that, he shoved his head sideways through the bars to climb inside. We solved that by running wire between the bars.
The closest I've seen to ours was available from One Step Ahead.
Make sure your baby can't get tangled up in curtains or blind cords. Just the other day my kids were spinning around with the curtains over their heads, wrapping themselves up like burritos. Consider cafe-style curtains or even just valances. You can also purchase cord covers for the blinds to prevent strangulation.
Keep electrical cords out of reach and put covers on your outlets. I have seen Caleb try to stick a fork in them. No kidding. Bundle cords together with zip ties and tuck them out of reach.
Consider a window guard if you have a climber. When Caleb was about 15 months old, he climbed up the back of our couch and fell out the window behind it. Luckily the window led to our enclosed porch and not the ground outside, but it was still a nasty fall.
The Kitchen
Cabinet locks are the most useful kitchen item, but some are better than others. I found the inside mounted ones that you push down left just enough space for little arms to reach in and grab what they wanted. I prefer the "pretzel" shaped ones that loop around the handles if they are next to each other. Even though Caleb knows how they open, his fingers aren't strong enough to push on them. These are also good for the refrigerator. If this kind won't work for your cabinets, there are also magnetic ones that require a "key" to open them, and can be used on drawers too.
Install an anti-tip bracket on your stove. At first I thought this was pointless. Even if my kids stood on the door, the stove couldn't fall on them, so why bother? Then when we had our house on the market, the home inspector pointed out that while the stove itself wouldn't fall on the kids, anything hot on the stovetop would. Duh.
Don't forget the stove guard too. I have had many a little hand come popping up while I was stirring a pot. I usually just crack 'em on the knuckles with a wooden spoon (I jest..sort of). I found the plastic stick-on guards to be completely useless. The heat from the stove loosens the glue and it just falls off. OneStepAhead makes a metal one that sits on top of the stove and looks like a little medieval fortress.. It retails for about $35, which is cheaper than the ER co-pay for a burned hand.
Keep all sharp utensils in a crock out of reach on the counter or up in a high cabinet. That way if your kid figures out how to beat the drawer locks they can't seriously hurt themselves.
Keep your cleaners LOCKED UP. Also, know what is in your cleaners and what they might interact with. Better yet, switch to non-toxic. I use a line called Biokleen for every room in my house. It's 100% natural and it does a good job. I can even spray it on Luke's high chair without worry. And it smells like oranges.
I know it can get tedious having everything in your kitchen locked up. If that doesn't work for you, consider installing a baby gate to prevent kids from getting into the kitchen. But keep the locks on the cabinets with cleaners and knives, just in case. Also, keep a few drawers and cabinets "kid friendly", full of tupperware and plastic measuring cups, and pots to bang on. This satisfies their need to rip everything apart and you don't need as many locks.
The Bathroom
The main issue in the bathroom is cleaners, just like in the kitchen. Medicines are also a concern. Keep them out of reach, in a locked cabinet, in childproof bottles. Discard any that are expired! Many people don't do this. This goes for vitamins too. Those colorful gummy bears are fun to eat, but vitamims contain iron which can cause a fatal overdose. When kids are old enough, talk about medicine with them. It tastes too good nowadays! When I was a kid it was torture; now it tastes like bubble gum and Gracie ASKS for it. That worries me, so I make sure to talk to her about it, when she really needs it, and to never, ever take it herself.
This is also something you might want to talk about with your parents. Older people take more medicines and forget what it's like to have a kid around. Ask them to put it away.
Put the toothpaste away too. It contains flouride, which contrary to what your pediatrician will tell you, is poisonous. Visit flouridealert.org for more info.
This goes without saying, but never leave your kid in the bathtub alone. Not even for a second. Don't run to the phone. Don't run to your three year old. It can wait, or you can take the little one out of the tub.
A friend of our family had a two year old boy in the 1970's. She was playing outside with him when the phone rang in the house. She thought it wouldn't hurt to run in and answer it, and she only talked for a minute. When she came outside she couldn't find her son. He had wandered down to the creek and drowned. It only took a minute.
Burns can also be an issue in the bathroom. Always check the water before your kids get in. Don't assume it will be right. I have turned it on to the right temperature and had it fluctuate while the tub was filling up. Turn the thermostat on your water heater down so that kids can't scald themselves if they play with the knobs.
Put an anti-slip mat in the tub to prevent falls, and put a cover on the faucet to protect little heads from nasty bumps.
Don't store razors in the tub. Put them up in a cabinet after your shower.
Use a toilet lock to prevent Thomas the train from going swimming or even from Junior sampling the water. Hey a kid gets thirsty destroying your house!
The Bedrooms
The bedrooms are similar to the living room. Install outlet covers, and pay attention to curtains and blinds. Anti-tip brackets too. Kids like to climb into dresser drawers. Don't keep bedside lamps in a young child's room. They can burn themselves on the bulb, get tangled in the cord, or break it and cut themselves.
Use age-appropriate bedding and skip the bumper. Babies can get their faces trapped under them. Use the new breathable kind if your baby bumps his head.
Babygates
No two babygates are created equal. The wooden, tension mounted ones do an ok job, but they are a pain to constantly step over. These work well as temporary road blocks. If you need a permanent fix, such as for stairs, you may want to spend more and go for a metal gate that bolts into the wall with a section that swings open and locks. We have used a metal framed one with netting, thinking it would prevent head bumps. As you can see from the pic above, the netting was quickly ripped open. We have also tried plastic, which was also destroyed. Our gate works well, but just so you know, after about two years old, your kids will learn to open the lock himself.
Miscellaneous
Consider a home security system. We have a door chime I can hear anywhere in the house that lets me know when Caleb's decided to go walkabout. We also have vents on the window that will sound an alarm if it's moved. Now Gracie can sleep with the window open and I don't have to worry about the unthinkable.
Install a carbon minoxide detector in addition to smoke alarms. This is especially important if you have a woodstove.
Keep firearms unloaded and locked out of reach.Store the ammo
separately! Teach your kids to respect them.
If you have a pool, have an alarm installed to tell you when the water surface has been broken. Don't keep toys in the pool where kids will be tempted to reach for them.
Take an infant and child CPR and first aid course. These are available at community colleges and hospitals. Sometimes they're advertised as "safe sitter" courses.
Always follow the age guidelines when purchasing toys. If you have older kids, teach them to keep their toys away from the baby. They usually don't mind doing this. :)
Get your child's bloodwork done for lead screenings. Your house may not have lead paint, but toys from China do!
Consider replacing any interior doorknobs that lock. Caleb has locked himself in several rooms. If you still want privacy, install an eye-hook out of reach.
Keep pet food out of reach. We all have funny stories about eating dog food as a kid (what? you don't? this is embarrassing...) but it can harbor Salmonella. Our dog food was actually recalled last year. Have older kids wash their hands after they feed Fido.
Speaking of Fido, keep him up-to-date on shots and check-ups. He can harbor parasites that are transmissible to humans, such as pinworms.
Don't even bother with a cat.
Ok, if, like me, you live with psychos known as "cat people", keep them UTD as well and keep the litterbox locked away. It carries the risk of toxoplasmosis, an airborne disease caused by inhaling spores in cat feces.Rest assured, it's pretty uncommon in indoor-only cats as it's picked up by cats eating rodents.
Remember, cats will steal your baby's breath. Well, that's an old wives tale. But, there is a small grain of truth to it. Cats like warm bodies, and will climb in the crib to snuggle with baby and could lay on his head. Never, ever let your cat sleep in the room with your baby.
If you have any tips I left out, share them below! Next time I will cover how to keep your house safe from kids like mine.
