Childproofing - Dearborn,MI

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.

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*

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!

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

Hi A., two things people sometimes over look.
1) window blind cords. My son was 3 and wrapped one around his neck. Luckily, I caught it in time.
2) make sure to anchor any furniture that could be climbed on. My husband's neighbor, when he was young, had twins that were killed when they were climbing on furniture that toppled and crushed them.
Everyone here seems pretty lax about child proofing but I would never take the chance. Good luck!

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.

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.

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.

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!

Two things that pop into my head were...Outlet covers like they use outside. They are perfect for things that you need to have plugged in all the time like lamps. They are the ones that you have to open a cover to acsess the outlet inside. My brother bought one for us and we zip tied the thing closed. My son could not get into it but we could use it when we needed. Another thing is door knob covers. They make really nice ones now that snap together. My baby three now has gotten his fingers alomost cut off twice in the hinge side of the door, from my daughter closing it when he was nearby. The first time he was barley crawling and went to pull himself up on the bathroom door as she was going in and she closed it :( It took 8 stitches in that little finger, you'd think that she would learn to watch behind after the first time. Another thing that is usuful is a appliance lock. Like a strap that snaps together we used it on the fridge and the stove. Saved me from dozens of eggs being slung across the kitchen when I was doing laundry:) Good luck.

I brought some bubble wrap from Target for really cheap the kind that you wrap up things before you ship them to wrap a pole in my basement to make it a softer surface in the event that my daughter was to walk into it and it worked so well that I started using it to baby proof other things like corners on the coffee table and etc. All you need is some packaging tape and it works like magic just double the bubble wrap up and apply. I hope this helps. Make sure you get an oven lock I did not think of that and now my DD is trying to open the oven..LOL

The only things we actually bought were the plug protectors and safety gates to put in the kitchen door and stairways. Just be sure to put all items away that could be breakable, get rid of your coffee table, and anything that could possibly fall on the baby. No little nic naks that could go in the mouth, etc. Other than that, you should be fine! Good luck!! I do not envy this time period as I would not look forward to going through it again with my son. lol (He was a handful!!)

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.

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!!

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.

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!

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.

Hi A.,

We have a ranch style house, so the only stairs we have are to the basement, and there is door. So, no help on the baby gate.

But, we bought plug covers. I would get the normal roundish covers. There are some that are more oval shaped and have this little button that you push so you can get them out easier. Don't get them. Depending on the type of outlet cover you have, they may or may not fit well. Stick with the old regular type.

Also, as far as cupboards...I moved ALL cleaning supplies and soap refills and such to one cupboard in our laundry room. My daughter only ever goes in that room when she is with me. So, I don't have to worry about her getting into cupboards because there is nothing under the sinks and such that will harm her. I found this to be a better way then buying a lock for every door. First, it forced me to clean out my cleaning supplies. I had so many 'almost gone' bottles it was ridiculous. Second, it was much more cost effective then buying all those locks.

So..do yourself a favor and just do a little reorganization. It will save you money in the long run. It also helps you to know what supplies you REALLY use... and then you don't go buying stuff you don't really need.

I also changed to Vinegar and Water mix and Baking Soda for much of my cleaning. It works great and if my daughter does happen to get into it... no worries. PLUS...super cheap.

Quite honestly, we didn't do a lot of 'baby-proofing'. I moved some books that were on the bottom shelves of the bookcase, bought the outlet plug cover things, moved the toxic supplies...and that was pretty much it. We keep the bathroom doors closed during the day when our daughter is up and around. We basically keep any door closed to a room we don't want her wandering into without us.

We have a fireplace, but we have taught her that it is HOT and will hurt her. (she is 15 months) So far no issues. When it is lit (we have a wood burning insert so it isn't open flame, but still gets VERY hot) she is never in that room alone. I used other situations to teach hot and hurt. Like when she falls and bumps her head and cries... I say 'that HURTS?' I've very consistent with that... so she knows hurt means pain of some sort and it is not something she likes.

Get down on their level and look at what might seem really interesting to someone where EVERYTHING is new. It helps a lot.

Good luck!

We use the basic outlet plugs and the cabinet locks that hook. We didn't have a lot of money to childproof either. We use the wooden gates to keep our toddler out of certain areas and close the bathroom door at all times. We did buy a heavier gate that attaches to the wall for the area going down to the basement but it was only $20 at Toy's R US, it was made by safety gate. The only thing I haven't gotten yet is covers for the stove knobs which I am probably going to need soon. Check Craigs list for gently used safety stuff...it's not like the plastic outlet covers go bad.

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.

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!

If you're really careful you might not need to do alot of child proofing. I really think alot of people overdo this. Get down on your hands and knees and crawl around your house. I would definately make sure you have a way to lock the bathroom door and door to a basement or stairway. Do not put chemicals or hazerdous materials in lower cabinets. I think it's fine for a child to get into cabinets full of pots and pans so they can explore. If EVERYTHING is shut off to them it must be frustrating. Make sure you have those caps to cover electrical outlets. Good luck and enjoy your little one.

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.

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

Keep cribs away from windows and check window coverings for any hanging cords. Check thoroughly, some like roman shades often have cords in the rear. Look for safer manual cordless or motorized <a href="http://www.horizonyc.com/products/child-safety-feature&qu...; instead.