Toddler Proofing - Toms River,NJ

She should be getting old enough to learn not to touch certain things. I tell my girls which things are "sharp" and give "owies." Then I pretend to prick myself and make an owie face. I teach them the word "dangerous" and correct them when they are getting too interested in off limits things. My kids are very into things and even a bit willful but seem to understand about "sharps." If you want the knives out of the way get a magnetic strip that you can mount on the wall out of reach. The knives just hang there on it. I think they are quite inexpensive and are sold at Bed Bath and Beyond. But by the time she is taller she will be able to move a chair to whatever she wants. In all honesty she will be able to reach everything soon enough. You just have to teach her what to leave alone.

Yes, we liked these magnet locks, but even my handy husband said the drawers were tricky with these too.
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=232778&amp...
You can get them elsewhere. We just like to shop at this site.

We have some little "clasps" that screwed into the drawer. You have to push down on the tab with your thumb to be able to open the drawer. I think they are Safety First brand and I know they came from Wal-Mart.

When my adult children were babies there were no child proof locks. I was the child proof lock. I told them NO and if they didnt listen they got plopped into their high chair while I was in the kitchen. They were never allowed in the kitchen unless I was with them. Your toddler needs to understand rules and the word NO. My kids were allowed in the pot cabinet and none other. They listened. Time is running out if she doesnt understand limitations already.

I never used locks on the drawers in my kitchen. Maybe my son just wasn't as curious? I just kept an eye out and told him "no"

You can also use baby gates, to gate off the rooms you don't want her to enter. ie: the kitchen.
Many baby gates are pressure mounted. Thus, removable as well.

But at the same time, you need to teach her about it... but also, babies this age have no fully developed impulse control, at all, yet. So you have to supervise.
Or, if you can, just simply relocate harmful objects to other drawers/cabinets that are your height or higher.

I agree with the push in locks. They are long and get screwed in inside the drawer.

And have you tried tot locks? I believe they work on drawers, too.

So, the deeper issue is training your little one to listen to you. It doesn't matter what you choose - it could be a door she is not supposed to touch. Take the time to teach her what 'no' means.

"Amy, no touch the door. No." Looking her in the eye, using a calm quiet voice. (You are training her to listen to you when you are calm)

When she reaches out to touch it, take the hand that touched it, and swat it, saying in the same voice, "No." Repeat until she stops. Depending on her will, she may take quite a while. If you stop before she listens to you, then you will only have reinforced her behavior or doing whatever she wants regardless of what you say - so it would be better not to even start the training.

This will pay off big time - no more locking doors, or having to follow her everywhere until she goes to school in a few years. With kids, it's pay now or pay later - they are a full time job. Better to spend the time with them training them to be kind, obedient, thoughtful, responsible children and adults than feeling like a jailer. It's work either way.

This is only a temporary problem (like two more years at most?), so I would suggest you set aside one section of your upper cupboard (where glasses, dishes, etc. are) for the dangerous stuff. Yes, you CAN do without some of the dishes for awhile. Keep out only enough pieces for each family member, plus two extras, maybe.. Stack cups if necessary to make room. Store the excess dishes/glasses/mugs/bowls, etc. in a box and put it in the garage, or in a flat box under a bed--well-marked and easy to get to in case you have family or friends over for dinner. It will also be right there for bringing out permanently when your toddler is no longer interested in drawer contents. Remember, this is a temporary problem, and by leaving out only bare necessities on a high shelf, to make room for the sharp stuff, you will not have to worry about your little girl getting into the/ knives, etc.

Have you tried magenetic tot locks?

They worked great for us:

http://www.kidsafeinc.com/c=556dC2QO4ICYjG4vwWuGTRoGC/pro...

I put the less used things in a cabinet with a lock and only kept out the stuff I used often. My knives are in a block on top of my microwave far out of reach. My 4 year old can move a chair but knows which things are sharp. My almost 2 year old has 2 lower drawers of safe kitchen stuff to play with. Also One Step ahead has a catalog/website with some childproofing stuff that is not in Babies R Us.

Have you tried talking to her? My son knows which drawers are his (the tupperware lids, and his cups). He actually put the childproof locks on more than we did, so they just hang there now.

I would start using timeout, and telling her no.

I have knife covers that help some. The brand is Knife Safe (I believe). They are a plastic cover that closes around the blade. They won't just slide off like some of the cardboard covers. They will offer a little extra protection if she is getting into a drawer you don't want her in. I found them at Bed Bath & Beyond.

When my daughter started moving around. I rearranged my kitchen to move the heavy/dangerous stuff into a couple of cabinets that I locked. We never got around to locking our drawers, although we bought the stuff. I just took all the sharp kitchen stuff and put it into a single loaf pan on my butcher block. Can you move some stuff into containers in the area you DO lock to free up some space on your counters?

My daughter used to rummage in my spice drawer, but a few mild reprimands and she stopped. I understand that this approach may work for everything for some kids, but if she's the kind who gets into everything better to be overly cautious, and not rely on your ability to police her.

maybe it wouldn't hurt to start teaching her