I have a glass sliding door that my soon to be 2 year old has figured out how to unlock. I've tried blocking it with numerous things but she always manages to squeeze through and gets to the door. Fortunately it only goes to a screened in porch but I don't want her going out there. Any ideas what I can use to keep her out? It's very frustrating! Thank you in advance.
Put a dole (why can't I think how to spell that word right now?) or a piece of wood in the track. They also have bars that lock into place that you can use.
There is a door brace you can buy to place in the door rail to keep the door from moving. I would usually say just put a stick there but you need one that cannot be easily removed by a 2 yrs. old. I've seen them on amazon.com.
If you put a stick in the tracks ~ which is the preferred safety measure to prevent ppl from breaking in from the outside ~ so that the door cannot slide no matter what ~ then it doesn't matter whether or not the toddler can unlock the door. The door won't be able to slide until the stick is removed. DO NOT LET THE TODDLER SEE HOW YOU PUT THE STICK IN THE TRACKS, OR SHE WILL USE HER AWESOME CLEVERNESS TO REMOVE THE STICK AND SLIDE THE DOOR. ( :
Peace,
S.
My grandparents have a door like this and they just always used a thick wooden stake to place behind the sliding door so that it can't slide open. Just make sure its thick enough so it doesn't break-of course then she might be smart enough to figure that one out too-lol! She sounds like my twin girls.....always think outside the box mom~hehehe!
I didn't read the responces (sorry), but I tried all those expensive things to lock the door and they didn't work. I use a spring curtian rod (they usually cost under $10. and are adjustable) and it is the best thing I have found. My daughter is now 4 and still can't get out of our sliding doors.
You could get an alarm so that at least you'll know when she escapes! They sell them for sliding doors at Home Depot.
Or put a 2x4 on the track.
I would go from the outside and put some across the door so she is unable to open. This will not look attractive but maybe duck tape?
Is it a newer door or older? That might make a difference in the after products you can choose from? We just installed a new door last year and rather than doing the stick in the door for added security (our old door the lock didn't always work)...we were offered this handy foot lock thing when we got the new door and I love it! (it was about $35 I think and took my hubby a few minutes to install it)
I do home childcare, and the stick had to come out each morning (or it became a weapon by a child!) and back in at the end of the day..major PITA! But this foot locking thing is great. Your child may figure it out however? I don't know..but I have a houseful of children under age 5 and they simply are not allowed to touch things like door locks/knobs and light switches. I am militant about it..LOL..and its almost never an issue.
I found this site..just because it has a picture of what I am talking about that I have...the one on the upper right corner of this web page....
Good luck!
Put a plank of wood in the empty slider area. This is great for burglers as well.
We put a "hook and loop" latch at the top of the sliding door. It works well b/c only we can reach it and it can be removed later.
other than what everyone else has suggested (only read a few of them), if you go to a store like radio shack they have these door bells/alarms that will ding everytime you open the door. that way if your 2 yr old gets to it before you can prevent it, you'll hear it and know the door is open. i think its about $10.
I have a pin/chain lock drilled in VERY high up on my door. Also a tiny alarm (I think I got it at Walgreens) that every time the door opens it sets off a high pitched beep (in case the kids DO get out)/(or anyone coming in for that matter).
Good luck!
i got a pin lock. you can get it at walmart or lowes. you have to drill a hole in the sliding glass door on the frame of both of the doors and then you just slide the pin right in and even if she can unlock the bottom lock this (which is supposed to go up top) she can't reach.
I would install a lock at a level that she can't reach, like one ofthose pins that goes through the frame at the top or one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/ABC-Products-Prowler-Security-Windo...
http://www.amazon.com/Sliding-Door-Locks-2-Pack/dp/B00006...
It's also smart to have another lock on a sliding glass door because it's the easiest way for a thief to get into your house - it loterally can take 2 seconds to pull a sliding glass door off the track to gain entry into a house, even when it's locked.
We used to have a house that had 2 sliding glass doors and what we did was cut a piece of doll rod the length of the door that didn't slide and you wedge it at the bottom on top of the track or in the track between the frame and the sliding door. They also sell bars you hard mount to the wall that flip around and latch on the side of the sliding doorframe. Can that at any lowe's or homedepot. But the dollrod is cheaper!
Good luck
S.
We also use the hook and loop-type locks on some of our doors to keep our toddlers from escaping! :-) Another option, if it possible to find one that works on a sliding glass door, is to use the double sided key locks. They are the ones that require a key on either side in order to be unlocked. Good luck!
What about this???....
Babies r US and Target have locks for sliding glass doors.
I got these great gizms from ACE- stick to the door, and flip up to stop it from opening, flip down to open- you can put them pretty high on the door.
best, k
There are several products out there made especially for kid-proofing sliding glass doors:
http://www.babyproofingplus.com/item3500.htm
http://www.safetyed.org/slidingdoorlockbulk.aspx
http://www.galtbaby.com/kidco-sliding-door-lock.html
They also make gates especially for sliding glass doors. Try googling "babyproofing a sliding glass door" and you'll get a ton of products.
Good luck!
I have a sliding glass door and on it is a "Burglabar". It is a piece of plastic and has a pin that makes it bend. It stick to the door in the back and then you raise the piece that bends to stick out so the door that is in the front and moves will not go past the plastic piece. Quite simple, but it was here when we moved in so I don't know where you can get one. But it works GREAT!
