Childproofing - Dearborn,MI

I don't recall childproofing being expensive. I used plastic outlet covers which were very inexpensive, and little plastic clips on the lower cupboards to keep those closed. If you have cleaning supplies in lower cabinets you need to move those up high. Put the nicknacks away for awhile so they can't break things that are on tables and then you aren't constantly saying no to them. Door gates are probably the most expensive and I borrowed those from my sister when her children outgrew them. The fact is you just have to watch your new toddler a lot.

S.

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I would figure out first which cabinet doors could be a hazard. If there are just plastic things in there that couldn't really hurt save yourself the trouble.

Check out resale shops for the gates.

Figure out how many wall plug outlets should be filled in with childproof items.

I had 3 boys, and I think the only cabinets I put security things on were in the tv area and video cabinet. I guess if a kid is occupied enough with his own toys there's no temptation and curiosity for what's under the sink.

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Don't forget... Baby proofing is a relatively new idea... Ask your mom and grandma's about how they "baby proofed". Common sense goes a long way. Move chemicals up higher or lock them up. My son when he was 9 months old would remove outlet covers and child safety locks. The cupboards I really wanted to stay closed I used rubber bands. That was the only way I could keep my son out. Relax and be creative, it will all work out for you! Good luck!

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I spent a lot of money on the cabinet locks that you screw a push latch on the door and a catch on the inside cabinet - only to find out that the cabinet door style we had they wouldn't work with. We had hollow cabinet doors (I say had because a year ago we got new kitchen cabinets). We really struggled with that, because there also were not handles on the doors. We finally found some handles that we could install and then bought one that loops around each handle and then you pull it tight. We also did a lot of re-organizing so that we could minimize the amount of baby proofing. For example, we found a very inexpensive cabinet (I think we found it on clearance for $5 at Target) that we could hang in the bathroom to put our medicine in. We then hung it high enough that we felt safe. We also only put socket plugs in for the sockets that were accessible to our daughter. And when we moved furniture around we moved the plugs to where we needed them. Check dollar stores, as they may have some of the stuff that you need, for about 1/2 the price as other stores.

I will also caution, as we learned the hard way, that there is baby proofing (what you'll do now) and then toddler proofing. What we discovered was that high up cabinet was accessible to our two year old when she climbed on the sink. We had to change things up a bit at that point.

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Our daughter is 14 months and all we have done is one gate at the stairs (a cheap wooden slide one) and rubber bands holding the knobs on our cupboards together.

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A.,
I didn't read the other moms replies, so sorry if this is a repeat. Check out the following link from a recent blog posting:

http://almostfrugal.com/2008/11/20/childproofing-your-hou...

Also, I love this site (this is where the above link is from):

www.babycheapskate.com

good luck!

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Babies need to learn early on what is yours and what their boundaries are with your things. I never baby proofed anything. From the very beginning of our babies being curious and "getting into things" they got a good, solid, consistent "no, that'ts mamma's or daddy's, this is yours" and given an alternative, theirs. For example the Christmas Tree. I gave my girls their own ornaments and they could do what they wanted with them, since they were theirs. Mine were off limits. Under the kitchen or bathroom sink ALL of that belonged to ME and they were not to touch it. I had a drawer in the kitchen with all the tupperware etc that they could play with anytime...all the rest was mine, bottles of vitamins were something to shake and get a great noise...nothing inside was to eat. I did use outlet covers. If you are with your child and can be consistent with redirection, they learn very fast.
If you are not comfortable with that, I do have friends that got the cabinet latches, put all the dangerous household things on a high shelf, put all breakables away, etc. I always thought that method made the babies want it more.
I guess it depends on the child. I was lucky mine didn't want those things and I never had a problem.

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Hey, I totally understand childproofing on a budget...when my first was crawling my husband was finishing up grad school and we had NO money. My first advice is to just try to put some stuff away where she won't get it. I still have hardly any decorations out for my children to get into. I would definitely do outlet covers and make sure any 3 shelf bookcases are screwed to the wall so she doesn't pull them over on herself. I love the cabinet hooks that go around 2 handles so that it's on the outside and the child can't get into them. I think it's like $6 for a set of 2 or 3 at Target...I don't remember how much I paid, but when I'm at my inlaws I use a rubberband or a string to tie their cabinets together, another friend of mine just bought a $10 gate and put it up in her kitchen doorway so then she didn't have to worry about that at all. A lot of the expensive childproofing stuff is just convenience factors, if you don't mind stepping over a gate you can get a cheaper one except maybe for stairs I would maybe see what would best work for your stairs.

Anyway, if you look at what needs to be done at your house to childproof and then look online at what they sell to do it, you can probably think of less expensive way to do it yourself. Like foam alphabet puzzles around the fire place instead of the $30 hearth gard stuff. I've also used pool noodles to protect my rolling baby from sharp corners on furniture...good luck!!

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Hi A., I am currently a mom of 3 little girls. We have tried everything out there for childproofing and I do have some ideas for u.
1. Parents/safety 1st makes good outlet covers...a must have and even hard for adults to get off.
2. Safety 1st makes a great gate for the stairs that has a light on it. very durable and a great price.
3.Evenflo soft & wide gate best price amazon.com and they offer free shipping.it expands very big and goes small it even folds up very compact. we travel with it to in-laws quite a bit.

Good luck!
S. V

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Childproofing can be very expensive. There are so many different things out there and from my own and my daycare experiences I can tell you most of them are a waste of money. I have taken a different approach and all the families I have recommended this too have appreciated it also. Definitely by the outlet covers. They are very cheap and can be bought at most stores. As for cabinets and drawers.....we put our cleaning supplies downstairs, in the garage or an upper cabinet out of reach. I would say I am a very attentive parent so when my daughter would go to touch a cabinet or drawer I would redirect her and tell her no. After a few times she never has gone back. We did the same for items on our coffee tables. It's especially paid off for the times we have gone to family or friends homes that don't have children. She was already trained and everyone was so impressed. Good luck!

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We had one gate that allowed access to only the main living room area we spent our time in, plug covers for outlets in that room and our sons room (those suckers are cheap) two door knob covers (one for the bathroom one for the linen closet where we keep meds), hooks over the knobs of one set of cabinets where we kept food he could choke on, and locks on two drawers with knives and the junk drawer. We just made sure that anything that could hurt him went in one of those locked places and probably spent less than $30 (not including the gate which we got at a shower). We had a hands free gate that we could step on and kick open with a knee and it was great.

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This is going to sound like a crazy tip, but it worked for my family! We went to a store that sold cabinets one day and noticed that they have little clips on them to keep them shut while being shipped. Yep. We asked a sales rep if would could take a few home. He totally didn't care. They were perfect! Can't say everyone will be able to get them, but we did. Didn't have to install anything on our cabinets. By the time our son figured out how to open them, he was old enough to understand what he couldn't have!

Good luck!

S.

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Hi A.,

I am a mother of 5 and twins who get into everything. I have always believed that you didn't need to lock every cabinet and gate off every room, that you just need to do the basics and then to teach your child to stay out of what they are not suppose to be in or touch. I do cover all my outlets, and I do lock up under my sinks, but only because they have all the cleaning stuff, and I don't want to take that chance. But for the most part that's all we have really done. We would start off telling them no not to touch things and get into things and after a few times they get it and move on. But one thing you want to do is sit on the floor and look around from you childs leave as to what they are going to get into.
Good Luck.

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HI A.
You can rearrange your cabinets so that the pots and pans are in reach. And the normal under the sink stuff is out of reach.
As for the other stuff I found the toilet lock was hard for some of us grown ups to use. Just close the bathroom door. I did like the outlet plugs and there not to pricey. The stove lock was another I got but didn't need. And for gates I got the 2 for 25.oo wooden ones. Most of the gates I used took the paint off with the rubber end, or gouged them. I used post it notes to protect the paint. And had to be careful how I put the gate up so it didn't gouge the wall.
I don't need ours any more I'll look and see what I can find for you.
A. H

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A.,
The number one thing is to get all poisons(cleaning supplies), medicine, and matches up out of reach. Keep in mind that toddlers can climb up on counters and then reach higher cabinents. You may consider a locked closet. Then, I would put latches on only a few select cabinents and drawers. Most kids eventually figure out how to open these. It is only a temporary solution. I would buy outlet covers for the whole house. We had to keep our trash cans on the kitchen and bathroom counters and we had to take the toilet paper off the holder. But, all these things you will learn as you go. What one kid goes straight for another won't ever touch. Some people have to move potted plants. Just look around and realize anything within reach is likely to go into her mouth. Gates are also only a temporary solution and are not full proof. I would only gate the stairs and only until she can crawl up and down on them comfortably. Then take them down. Gates are not a babysitter. Some people also use the door knob covers and they work quite well. I would baby proof as you go and as needed. That way you don't waste money on unnecessary items. Some things you may not think of are; What items do you carry in your purse or the diaper bag? Are there any dangling electrical cords?, cook only on the back burners, is there any furniture in her room that if climbed on (by way of the drawers) could topple over on her? You will most likely have to move stereo, TV and DVD players up out of reach (or you will be saying "NO" an awful lot. Kids also do some funny things. My brother pasted maxi pads all over our bathroom. You can't think of everything, just watch her very closely during this time. It won't last long. Good Luck!

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First off, try Craig's List or garage sales for child-proofing stuff. You cannot afford NOT to do anything!

If you can't afford to purchase a bunch of child-proofing materials, simply collect ANYTHING that might hurt your child and box it up for the next 3 years. This will be the first year in several that we'll have a Christmas tree. I haven't seen my wedding gifts like candle sticks and fine china for 7 years, but it's there and I'll be able to enjoy it once my daughter is no longer a toddler.

If you can gate up or lock one room from access, put everything dangerous in that room, such as the kitchen. Move furniture to cover all outlets, if possible, or at least limit those that you might need to purchase covers for. I never locked the toilet... just be sure to keep the bathroom door shut at all times. Keep unsafe rooms closed at all times... she's not going to be able to open doors until she's 2 or so (if then).

The one thing I recommend is shelf stabilizers - attach shelving units and other heavy furniture to the wall - so she cannot pull it down onto herself. Also, don't put up anything tempting on high shelves; this may motivate her to start climbing up shelves. Put things down low that will interest her and simply store other things.

I have found that toys are the most dangerous things because they are appealing, so make sure you follow the manufacturers' guidelines on age-appropriateness.

Oh, and for goodness sakes, keep the dishwasher closed! We had to buy a new dishwasher because our lovely daughter decided to sit on the door when it was open. *sigh*

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Get down on the floor and crawl around to see what she could get into. Make sure you look in every where and behind stuff just incase she can get to it. Then you can go to the dollar store and find most child proof stuff.

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