23 Month Old Getting Is Opening up Doors and Refridgerator

I'm with Carrie. He's plenty old enough to know the meaning of 'no'. My 13 month old grandson knows what 'no' means. All 4 of my kids knew by that age. You just have to be vigilant and consistent. It's work, but anything worth something is work.

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I have a different suggestion about the bathroom, why not put up the things you don't want him to get into? He's almost old enough to potty train so locking him out of the bathroom may not be a good idea, he will need to learn then not to get into this stuff, so you might as well start now.
As for the fridge, get him a cup that's insulated so things stay cold in it and let him know he can't get in the fridge without permission, I've got 3 kids and 6 grandkid's and this has never been an issue, they ask and are never told no, but sometimes I have to remind them that they already have something, LOL! It sounds like this is a game for your little one, being a big person and getting things out of the fridge! Good Luck, they're only young once!

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Well I agree with Cheryl C. What do you think they did 30 years ago, before they had all these door latch protectors, and door knob protectors, etc. They taught (trained) the child to obey and they inforce the rules consistently, as for a 23 month old having his own agenda, thats because you have allowed it and haven't taught him any different, you the one in charge and its you responsibility to train up this little person, to be obedient to you and other adult in authority in his life. when you take him to someone elses home that don't have all these safety lock, you won't have to chase him around keeping him out of everything because you have trained him to obey your rules.
all these new ways of raising kids, is ruining our children and the family, kids are no fun to take any where because it to much work. Children should be a joy and not a constant little person you have to worry every minute what they are into. please take the time to train him up so he can know the guide line and know he can trust what you tell him, because you will enforce the rules consistently. Consistently is the key to any training you do, you can't do it once or twice, they have to know you mean it every time. then he can trust you. hope this helps you.

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As a previous poster mentioned, they also have locks for refrigerators, stoves, etc. You can find them in the baby proofing section of Babies R Us/Toys R Us, and even Target. Your other children shouldn't have any problems opening them... husbands on the other hand are a different story. =p

Yes, there are babyproofing doorknob handles...they work wonderfully if your door knobs are compatible. It may take a little getting used to for your 8 & 5 yr old but they should be able to handle it after a few practice turns.

As for the refrigerator lock, the one we got was nothing more than a stick on that had a latch. I have to say, it really wasn't worth the money because given enough time and "ump" in pulling the sticky part would give and the kiddo could still get in the refrig. Plus, if mine would slam the door too hard the freezer door would open and stuff would start to thaw. So unless they have come out with something better than that, I wouldn't recommend wasting the money on it.

The only thing that really worked for us were time outs. Yes, at 23 mos they are more than capable of understanding. Yes, it's a pain in the butt to take the time, but ultimately, it will be a sanity saver. Why not get the 8 & 5 year old to pony up and help watch the 23 mo old and help him if he wants a snack or drink? I certainly put my eldest (who is 17 mo older than sister) in charge of helping her with this when she was going through this stage.

Another idea would be to set out a snack basket with snacks and juice boxes that are within reach that may tempt him better than getting into the refrig.

if your fridge is one door you can get the fridge lock that has a strap that wraps around the side and has double sided tape to stick it to both sides and has a plastic piece that goes to the other side sort of like a buckle. for double doors you can get the lock that slips through and has a double lock one for each side like the cabinet lock that you use for double cabinets with door knobs on them. You use 2 fingers and squeeze the buttons in and pull the ripcord plastic like thing out of the lock. Hard to explain but there are baby lock items that are made for refridgerators. Get the doorknob covers for the bathroom doors.

I can totally relate! I have a four year old, very curious and active boy. They are just sometimes so mischevious. We ended up putting an eyehook lock at the top of the bathroom door because he flushed things down the toilet on two separate occasions that caused plumbing repairs and even a new toilet. So I'm not sure I have the solution for the lock, but the time-outs are a must. We consistently do time-outs for him getting into things, and it has improved quite a bit. Although I don't know when I'll trust him in the bathroom again without close supervision. The fridge has a push-button latch that we bought at Target, but he quickly figured out how to undo that and frequently re-locks it to be "mommy's helper". Good luck, just know you're not alone with a curious boy.

There are door knob covers that are difficult for a young child but relatively simple for an adult, a little tough for me because I have tiny hands but they loosen up after some time...also they do have something for the fridge and it is easy as pie to install and to remove once you are past it being an issue it goes on with an adhesive, it is made from a light weight plastic, one is called fridge guard, safety first makes an inexpensive one that costs like $5...lots of luck
B.

They make baby proofing material for everything you described. They have things you put over the door knob that you have to squeeze and turn to get it open. Your older kids should have no problem with it. The do have stuff for the fridge as well as the toilet. Good luck with your curious little man!

The door locks they make for refrigerators now are pretty simple to work and your older kids should be able to handle them. My sister in law actually uses velcro on her refrigerator doors. I actually keep my bathroom doors locked (they are the kind you use a coin to open) The knob covers can take some practice. Try buying one at first to make sure the older kids can do it themselves.

Now if anyone has any suggestion on how to keep my teenage son from consistantly go in the refrigerator I would love to hear it. LOL

yes there are fridge locks & appliance locks. we used a fridge lock when our oldest was younger & it worked nicely. we also used door knob covers when my youngest was little. at that time my oldest was 5 & could open the doors with the covers on them.
you can also put the soap & toothpaste up higher than your youngest can reach.

God bless!

it's time for time outs, in my opinion. a 23 month old should be quite able to obey "no". they don't have long attention spans and will forget, so you'll have to tell him "no" over and over again, but when you say "no", he should definitely pay attention. start by telling him it is not okay to get into the fridge/bathroom/lotion, whatever, and if you keep doing it you will get a timeout. if he keeps doing it, follow through. like the infamous supernanny episodes, you will have to "train" him to stay in a time out if he's never had one, but once he understands he MUST stay there, he will learn that when mommy says "no", she means it. i think my son knew what no meant not long after learning to crawl! also, another tool that will help is baby gates - i still use mine occasionally and my son is 2 1/2. i have one in the kitchen (that and the bathroom are the most dangerous rooms in the house as far as i'm concerned) and use it regularly when i'm cooking and the stove is hot. the bathroom isn't much better and he definitely does not need to have access to it, so maybe a baby gate (they have ones with a latch that open like a door, that your 5 and 8 year old should have no trouble operating) will help you out there. good luck! just remember he IS capable of knowing and obeying "no". they just forget. A LOT!

There are things you can put over the door handle that make it hard to open if you dont have the coordination to squeeze it correctly, that's what we use. As for the fridge, I would get a child lock and show the other kids how to use it. Good luck!