View Full Version : Childproofing the house
DH and I have very different ideas about childproofing the house. I was wondering if you could tell me what you did or didn't do to child proof your house?
And what about when you go to visit the grandparents? Do you spend the whole visit saying don't touch? My in-laws have a tonne of statues and figurenes (sp?) - some of which have been passed down for generations - all over the house. And my parents have stuff... well, everywhere! Just wondering if I should be asking them to have a kid-friendly area for bub. I know its early now, but they'll take some convincing! :rolleyes:
This is one of my biggest concerns! I dread the day that sticky hands or worse - paint or pens are going to come into contact with my cream fabric, or that the wine bottles are pulled out of the wine rack and smashed on the ground :eek:
If it is in the road or can be grabbed, move it!!!
There are some things that you can't move that you just have to teach them not to touch. But most people have heaps of stuff at baby level that can't be touched and unless you want to spend all day saying, don't do that, etc etc, I would just move it.
When we go to Grandmas, if he finds something interesting that he shouldn't I just move it. But he is usually so preoccupied with people and toys that there isn't enough time to look at anything else.
I don't let O walk around with sticky hands and he can only play with pens when he is sitting in his chair. There will always be accidents though, just happens with kids I guess.
I would definately get some to those power point plugs, they are great!!!
E :)
Hi Shaelia,
I was really worried about approaching my MIL about this, but I was happily surprised one day when we went there and found the glass coffee table plus a few other offenders gone without my having to mention it! :)
Maybe your parents and in-laws might want to invest in a playpen if they don't want to put things away. As Happy Lady mentions, usually on these type of visits bubs doesn't usually get a moment to themsleves with all the cuddling, playing etc that goes on.
In your own home, try to achieve a balance between safe and totally minimalistic with padded walls....... We have left a few things around that DS can get to that are "ours" but are not going to harm him. I have dedicated the bottom shelf of our book shelf to all his books and a few toys so that he will generally be happy stopping at this level. I also have a small kitchen cupboard with plastic containers, ice cube trays etc and he knows that is "his" cupboard.
Michelle
whatwasithinking
28-11-2005, 10:08
We were one of the lucky ones - our DD#1 never seemed interested in touching stuff she shouldn't have. We never childproofed the house.
And it's funny though - we got so used to our child not doing anything that when I babysat for a friend I didn't realise that little boys throw things in the toilet! OOPS.
Don't know if DD#2 will be the same or not - too early to tell.
Sorry I couldn't give any advice.
What about cleaning chemicals in cupboards, etc? Or just stuff in cupboards in general. Are they safe? This new place doesn't have a lot of high places to store things.
And any ideas on cables? With all the electronic junk we have, there are metres and metres of them laying around the house, although most of them are coiled away so they'll look neat.
Cables are one of the things that we just tell O not to go near. He is really good and isn't that interested in them.
I would definately move all chemicals. If you can't really move them I would get the cupboard locks. But I always feel better when they are completely out of reach! :)
My dh is much more casual about safety than I am. I bought ds a playpen that he is happy to sit in when I'm in the shower or outside. I also bought a gate for the kitchen. It saves me worrying whether he's in there or not.
All the chemicals etc are in the cupboard above the oven and the glassware is up high. So now ds can crawl around as much as he likes and it's relatively safe. We had some electrical cables out, but I put a small table in front of them, so he can't get to them. The power point covers are a must.
I figure it doesn't take too much effort (at the crawling stage) to make the house safe and it's definitely worth it!
rynosmum
28-11-2005, 10:57
My DS is nearly 18 months old now and we have had a pretty good run. We certainly put ALL of the medicines and chemicals away in baskets on a top shelf - this is just too much of a risk otherwise.
Glasses and plates are still in low cupboards and he knows where they are but doesn't bother with them after we told him not to. If he sees plates or glasses in the living room, he calls me in and popints to them until I move them or he will carry them to me and say 'TA' so I take them away.
He has also learnt pretty well to not touch cables etc. It's all about being firm and consistent about your message. We can go into a friends house, I will get down to his level and point to something and say 'no touching - not for babies' and he will deliberately avoid it. We've always done this and he's picked up on it pretty well.
I feel it's important that bubs know what they can touch and what they can't - if you just hide everything, they will just go straight for new things at friends houses. I also have 2 drawers for him in the kitchen for toys and plastic containers plus a shelf for him in the pantry where I put boxes and plastic jars that he can play with.
When I have a shower or have to run outside I do put him in his high chair though. Nothing is more tempting than nobody watching ! :D
Glasses and plates are still in low cupboards and he knows where they are but doesn't bother with them after we told him not to. If he sees plates or glasses in the living room, he calls me in and popints to them until I move them or he will carry them to me and say 'TA' so I take them away.
That's so funny. My DH has a habit of dropping coins where ever he goes and O is always bringing them up to me saying 'ta'. It is almost obsessive.LOL
A good thing though.
Mother Duck
28-11-2005, 11:14
H'ya Shae
I wouldn't stress too much as the safety stuff seems to just happen over time, remember you will have a bit of a window before bubba is terrorizing all over the show!
Alot depends on bubbas personality too.
We have several cupboards that M is allowed in such as tupperware which I let her pull it all out and take as an opportunity to clean it up! Others she knows she is not allowed in and just doesn't seem to worry about it.
Other awesome tricks - playpen while I am in shower etc, highchair while I am trying to cook (she has her own rolling pin!) - power point plugs - gates at the door for peace of mind
OR
concrete weights for bubbas shoes ;)
Someone else mentioned having their own shelf - this is my rule of thumb - everywhere she has her own shelves and draws etc - then she respects the things that are not hers (except for the remote and the phone both of which she is OBSESSED with)
Oh and as for the inlaws - don't worry - you won't have to mention it they will soon notice when grabbing hands grab! They had kids too once
With Bella, we childproofed the house to the extreme!
We chose an area ... the lounge/dining and made it safe for her and free of "don't touch" elements. The stereo and anything at her height were removed and then replaced back into the room one thing at a time so that she only had to learn not to touch one item at a time and she learnt really quickly. In a couple of months after she started crawling, everything was back to normal and she wouldn't touch things at other peoples places if we told her not to.
The other thing we did, was block up spaces where she could get stuck or cut herself when moving around the room. We put cardboard "skirts" around everything in this catergory ... a couch she fitted under, a gas heater on the wall with sharp corners etc. We had a couch across the gap to the kitchen as we had another access point to it ... if we hadn't have had another door, we would have had a gate across the gap.
I am a firm believer in bedrooms being safe places ... I have always had a minimum of furniture and toys in them so that I knew that it was safe to put a door gate on and leave her to play ... of course, I was just up the hallway from her and kept the doors open so I would hear her.
I put my kids into beds as soon as they could climb out of their cots (15mths and 17mths) ... Daniel was in a portacot at 5 months due to him always getting tangled up in the bars of his wooden cot. I put bedrails on their beds and when they were able to go without them, I put a layer of sleeping bags etc on the floor just in case they fell. Daniel still falls occasionally, but the floor is so soft that he just whimpers then puts himself back to bed!
We also used plug guards, put chemicals up on high shelves or where putting them up high was not possible, put locks on the cabinets, kept toilet and bathroom doors shut and used door gates to contain them in the areas that were safe. We also got rid of our cd towers as they are one of the most dangerous items you can have around with little kids! They are unstable and full of pretty things that are just begging to be touched!
My kids are very active, always covered in bumps and bruises to the point where I was accused of being violent toward Bella, but was apologised to after I left her with them for ½ an hour (at the plunket nurses office) and they saw her climb bookshelves, jump off the desk, run straight into a wall, get stuck under the desk etc. I could protect her to a point, but she was always going to experiment with risky play unfortunately! Daniel is exactly the same!
Bruises have not marred their intelligence or confidence ... I am more worried about chemicals, medicines etc ... they are more likely to do great harm.
I love the shelf/draw idea - would have never thought of that!
also like the concrete weights for bubbas shoes - knew I could count on you Jessie! :D
My dh isn't keen on the idea of power point plugs - have to check with him why that is tho.
I feel it's important that bubs know what they can touch and what they can't - if you just hide everything, they will just go straight for new things at friends houses. rynosmum, that is a great way of looking at it! I've never thought of it that way before. Thank you for saying that in a way that made sense to me! :D
There are heaps of gadgets you can get for childproofing.
For eg: Rubber covers for corners....plugs that plug into electric sockets....plastic knob covers for the stove knobs.....straps that go over the bin, the toilet, the fridge door etc...and child proof latches that hold cupboards and drawers shut.
I have them all over the kitchen and while it takes a bit of getting used to..O cant get the knife from the drawer and sneak up on me!! :eek:
O's mom.
lol kb - lets hope he never does! :p
my dh's idea (at the moment) for child proofing the kitchen is to put those magnetic locks on the cupboards, and he is letting me put a gate across the kitchen/lounge walk way as to use the grill, the oven door has to be open. I don't want to think that he's watching bub, and he thinks I am, then I look down at what I'm cooking to find roasted baby! :eek: (Overdramatic, I know, but still!)
The reason that dh doesn't like the power point plug thingys (that's a tounge twister, even when it comes to typing :D ) is because 'not everyone will have them at their house, so he'll go straight to them, but if we teach him not to touch, he'll be safe everywhere!' (Hopefully!)
I agree...when O goes to 'play' with outlets we chant 'NO' and do the finger wag...it works.....for now!!
The general rule I used is at home I want to have large areas completely baby friendly because I don't want to be saying 'no' to DS all the time. I need to be able to do my own thing (cooking, cleaning, sneaking some internet time or whatever) and not have to worry about him.
I haven't gone overboard and we still have some electrical cords exposed etc but have just taught DS that we don't touch them. Even though we have those plug thingies for power points, we still tell DS to not touch them - it just saves my worrying about him sticking something into them when I'm not watching. As already mentioned, so long as they have their own areas they are allowed to play and you are consistent, it's not too much of a drama.
Re grandparents' homes - neither sets have babyproofed their houses. Basically, whenever we are there, DS is being watched by an adult (if he's not already in the grasps of a grandma :eek: ) At my IL's I have taught DS not to touch the remote controls which are kept in a very expensive Italian glass bowl ontop of the glass coffee table. You would think it would be just too attractive, but by being consistent, DS knows not to touch and doesn't even 'see' it anymore. At home, we've just given him his own remote with the batteries removed.
Listen to me with all my bloody advice!!
This morning O pulled a free standing full length mirror on top of himself.........attacked the tissue box and taught it a lesson...and just now has caught his finger in the kitchen drawer as he BROKE the childproof lock on it!!!!
Thats what I forgot to tell you. The rubber corners: No good....O pulls them off then eats them....and the pull apart locks on drawers..breaks them.
The latch one is better...but I need to replace the two he broke....so now he jamms his finger in the drawer.
As I type he has opened my nail kit....in which I keep a scalpel amongst other things.
I tell ya.....he's got it in for the both of us!!
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! :eek: :eek:
OMG! hope he's alright kb! That's what I'm terrified our boy will do...especially if he's anything like his dad! :rolleyes:
The thing that gets me is that dh is always saying to me, 'So long as we watch him....' That sounds great now, but after a horrible night with a sick, teething, grumpy child, a hubby who's been throwing up because of a virus...(all the bad things, etc) what happens if I nod off and the little rat gets into....goodness knows what - probably the fish tank or something! :p
I sound like a drama queen, don't I? I just like to be prepared for stuff - besides, dh and I used to do minature modle making - so stuff like scaples and other tools for cutting were lying around everywhere at the last house we were in (I even found a pack of scaple blades in with the pantry stuff when unpacking :confused: )
LucyE,
DS knows not to touch and doesn't even 'see' it anymore. That's fantastic - I hope we can convince our boy to be that good! :D
Thats it Shaelia...I have my eyeball on him 99% of the time. This morning I was putting my sneakers on for a walk when he pulled the mirror on himself...and this afternoon I let him go near the kitchen as its a kitchenette thing...and I have the bin up against that drawer until I get that latch..but he still managed to pull it open stick his finger in...and push......
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......................... ............
I sound like a drama queen, don't I? I just like to be prepared for stuff
No you don't. I think it's better to be safe than sorry :)
Chickadee
28-11-2005, 21:01
I think most of the main things have already been covered. One bit I missed was the toilet cleaner/deodoriser thingy that hangs on the inside rim of the toilet bowl. DD got hold of it one day and had it in her mouth, ick. Luckily it had no bleach or anything in it.
Put the poisons hotline number at every phone and program it into your mobile.
We took a bit of a middle approach. We proofed our lounge/dining room but also taught DD not to touch certain things. Her daycare helped with this too. She's never gotten into much mischief when I'm not watching her - other than the toilet rim thing and some crayoned walls - but I'm not sure how much of that is through teaching her not to touch things and how much is sheer good luck that she's not more curious.
I'm a big fan of the power point covers and locking chemicals away (or putting them up high). Smacking you head on the coffee table and jamming fingers in drawers and doors hurts A LOT, but isn't often fatal. Electricity and chemicals are life threatening and it only takes a second. No matter how vigilant you are as a parent you can't possibly be watching 24/7 and I think that a little insurance on these serious issues is worthwhile.
And as for other ppls houses, most likely the kids will have stacks of other interesting things to do (rather than look at the power points) and I also think that you tend to be more watchful at other ppl's places. I don't think its a reason not to childproof your home for these specific hazards.
As another thing, have you turned your hot water thermostat down to 50 deg C (or had a tempering valve (sp?) fitted)? I have a nurse friend who looks after children in the burns unit :( and this is the one thing she told me to do when I had kids.
Cheers
As another thing, have you turned your hot water thermostat down to 50 deg C (or had a tempering valve (sp?) fitted)?
This is one subject that I keep approching with dh. He loves his hot showers, and just doesn't seem to like the idea of doing this. I don't know how often I've burnt myself (minor stuff only) from the hot water at the kitchen tap at this new place. I dread to think of what would happen to little fingers, let alone what's attached to them! :o
Does anyone know how hard it is to turn the thermostat down? Do you have to get a licenced plumber to do it? I'll keep approaching the subject with dh....but may just have to be sneaky about it! ;)
stormanet
28-11-2005, 22:25
Hiya :) I don't know about you, but I was really starting to get a bit paranoid about the bath plug during bath time, one pull and it is very dangerous for little hands (or other parts). All I did was go to Big W and buy two of those non slip mats for showers... end to end they fit in the bath and completely cover the plug hole. They not only stop the danger of the plug hole but also provide a non-slip surface for my crawling little man!
K
I only know about gas hot water systems (although I guess electric is the same). The thermostat is easy to turn down, you don't need a professional. I think its a simple dial (DH does it :) ). You may need to fiddle to get it right, I also like hot showers and find I need to use straight hot water (just about :D ), but its still hot enough for me but will take much longer to burn sensitive fingers.
Cheers
Hiya :) I don't know about you, but I was really starting to get a bit paranoid about the bath plug during bath time, one pull and it is very dangerous for little hands (or other parts). All I did was go to Big W and buy two of those non slip mats for showers... end to end they fit in the bath and completely cover the plug hole. They not only stop the danger of the plug hole but also provide a non-slip surface for my crawling little man!
K
Hi Stormanet
I know how you feel. I dread being on TV as that mother of the latest toddler needing the fire brigade to cut them loose from the plug hole :eek:
Cheers
Mother Duck
28-11-2005, 23:19
Stormanet - very clever with the bath mat thing!
At the out laws I bought a really long non slip mat for M to have in the water so that MIL's back didn't give out trying to hold her still !
Except I accidently got the non-clip walk on stuff - that floats!! OOPS
I meant to say before re chemicals - all I did was pack them all neatly into a click shut container under the sink (you can get some that are too tight for little hands to undo) - seems to work well
You will be amazed at what they learn though.
I realise I may cop a bit of flack here - and no offence to those who do use them - but the table corner things, nup - M hears us say 'watch your head M' when she looks like she is going to bang her head - she has learned through a few knocks to look up
Not that I would let her fall badly to learn - oh dear I hope the above makes sense I feel I could be digging myself a hole by explaining anymore!
ThomasMum
29-11-2005, 13:12
Hey girls, I just want to say thank you very very very much for sharing your brilliant ideas!
We need those, as Thomas now not only is a crawling lunatic but also start to grab anything he can grab to help him standing up :( so frustating watching him :o
Thanks! :)
T'sMum
Chickadee
29-11-2005, 16:27
I realise I may cop a bit of flack here - and no offence to those who do use them - but the table corner things, nup - M hears us say 'watch your head M' when she looks like she is going to bang her head - she has learned through a few knocks to look up
Nope, no flack from me on that one. When DD would be crawling under or near something and make a move to sit or stand up I used to scramble to get my hand between her head and whatever she was about to knock it on. At Gymbaroo tho I was told that it's better to tap or knock on the object instead - the noise gets them to stop and look at it and is supposed to help make them more spatially aware. I don't know how well it works for very young babies but I started doing it when Chloe was around 14 months and saw some improvement.
Good tip Martha - have to try and remember it!
I had a question for you all...... (damn baby brain!)
oh yeah!
The tv stand! Ours is one of those little ones that just holds the tv and is on wheels - and I went to move it today, and the tv almost fell off and crushed my feet! :eek:
Now, I wasn't pulling down on it to get up (like I can see a kid doing), I was trying to pull it towards me (if that makes sense) and it tipped forward straight away.
How do you child proof something like that? Would putting a few bracing boards to hold it in place be the way to go? Or would you go out and get something new (and safer?)
You could put the telly on the floor (but then you have the little fingers problem) or buy a more stable TV unit / table, or somehow fix the unit to the wall?
Not many idea but that's all I have at 9pm on a Friday night.
Cheers
Thanks for the ideas xkwzit - I guess we'll have to experiment. :eek: (dh and tools! :eek: :eek: ) :D
You're telling me - my DH + power tools = DISASTER :D
stormanet
03-12-2005, 13:31
heya again :) with the tv on top of the cabinet, I saw on tv a guy whose kid had accidentally pulled the tv onto herself and she was a mess.... he used brackets on either side of the tv to connect it to the cabinet. It seems like a great idea, one that I am going to try one day soon as those big tv sets we now have way an absolute tonne!. Oh yeah, the groundsman at my school has done the same thing to make it harder for the tv's and video's to be stolen.... I'll let you know how it goes... and no i'm not particularly handy, just like drilling stuff :) That plus an older tv means it should be ok evenif I stuff it up a bit *laugh*
stormanet
03-12-2005, 13:33
just read my last post... way instead of weigh... only 8 months off work and i've turned into a mental vegetable!!
Another bathtime safety tip is to always put the cold water in first as you can warm it up with the hot water, but hot water takes a LOT of cooling donw!
It just means that if your little one happens to learn to climb into the bath when you have left it unattended briefly while it is running on that one day that you forgot to bring a towel into the bathroom (just a scenario ;) ) ... that they will fall into cold water as opposed to boiling hot water that will scald or burn them!
Thanks. It's amazing the little things you don't think of.
I'm really paranoid about hot water and small babies - actually hot things of any kind and kids. I got lots of little burns when I was a kid, most through things that had been left laying around rather than me trying to get at them, so it's good to know that something can be done.
stormanet - good luck with the drilling! ;) :)
Chickadee
04-12-2005, 20:52
This is a bit late, I've been away :) We bought our tv in 2001 and it came with a plastic retention strap to fix the back of the tv to whatever stand it was on. That way the TV can't be pulled forward off the stand by little people. But the stand itself has to be stable to start with.
If your tv didn't come with a strap, basically all you need is a length of metal strapping, you can buy it at any hardware store and it is predrilled with holes every cm or so. I probably don't have the name quite right so you may have to describe what you want. We used this to fasten bookshelves to the wall so they couldn't be pulled forward and down by climbinb toddlers. There should be a handy screw somewhere on the back of the tv, and then just screw the other end to your tv cabinet or stand. Most Ikea cabinets and wall units come with similar strap systems for fixing them to the wall, so you may even be able to try there if you're stuck for one.
rynosmum
04-12-2005, 21:09
I'm absolutely paranoid of TV's on stands since reading about the tragic death of a toddler (daughter of a Broncos player) who at 18 months, pulled the TV onto herself when her parents were in the kitchen. Such an easy thing to happen. :(
We have a Balinese tall TV Cabinet. All the stereo bits, DVD player etc are in the bottom which has two locakable doors with vertical bars so it can't be climbed.
He won't be able to reach up to the TV for many years. The whole cabinet is so heavy, I can't even tip it.
I'll only trade this in when I get rich enough to get a wall-mounted Plasma.....yeh baby ! :D
A wall mounted plasma would be nice..... :D
I'm thinking a new stand might be the way to go. It's so rickety, I wouldn't trust it - and tv's are heavy things.
I never thought about bookcases being a problem, but I guess that they can be just as bad - the things you just don't think of!
We purchased an Ikea cabinet for out TV and other electric stuff DH just 'has' to have. It was inexpensive and is lockable so little hands can't get to it. The front is glass so our remote controls still work too :)
I normally fill baths with warm water and then run the cold water for a few seconds so that the spout is cool to the touch when DS gets in.
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