Outlet Covers

We just have the regular old fashioned outlet plugs. They are really hard to get out. In fact, I usually have to use another one or the prongs from an appliance cord to get the darned things out. I've cut my fingers on them before. So, based on how hard it is for me to get them out, it would be pretty hard for a toddler to get them out. Plus, they are super cheap.

We've used these for the whole six years we've had kids and absolutely love them.
http://www.mypreciouskid.com/outlet-cover.html
You can find them at Lowes or Home Depot as well.
You simply have to slide the cover over to plug something in, but it's stiff enough and deep enough that little fingers can't do it or get in there even if they can. Also they just look like regular outlets without the attention drawing plastic plugs in there.

I just have the cheap little plastic plastic ones. They are extremely hard even for ME to get out, so my kids can't get them out for sure.

Also, to the moms who are saying they aren't neccessary... YES THEY ARE. My sister stuck a key in an outlet when she was two, and was holding my hand. I was one. We both got electricuted... My mom just stepped out of the room for a sec to grab a towel and when she walked back in the room, thankfully she was able to get us away from the outlet without it damaging us too bad. We had some static hair and were shook up a bit, and cried of course, but we were fine. Yes you can lay down rules but a one and two year old will test rules even if you leave the room for 2 seconds! Outlets are a huge safety hazard and shouldn't be blown off like nothing. Plug them up please!

We have regular plug ins (which my 2.5 y/o can get out) and we have some (bear with me as I describe these) that have a kind of built in cover over the outlet that has 2 slots, but are slanted so nothing can get in there, until you turn it to align the slants up with the plug in. Does that make sense? LOL they are made by Safety 1st, and you can find them at wal-mart, target, babies r us etc... Here's a link to the product http://www.safety1st.com/product/detail.asp?ID=905 Good Luck!

i don't have the problem of my two year old taking them out (we just have the flat cheapo kind, i think he's probably tried and couldn't get them out so there's no reason for him to mess with them), but i wanted to share a word of advice- our problem is cords that are plugged in. he saw me unplug a lamp ONE time and now he feels like he has to unplug - and plug in- any cord he can get his hands on. it freaks me out! so just watch out for that.

I love the ones that are a new outlet plate. You take the old plate off, put the new "childproof" plate on and then to plug anything in you have to partially insert the plug then twist to meet the socket. When you unplug they fall back in place. They are about $1 a piece at Babies R Us and come in neutral and white shades.

I covered all my outlets with the safety 1st outlet covers so the whole plate is replaced and if you have something plugged in and that gets pulled out it covers that outlet so they can't reach it. He wouldn't be able to get to it with these. I installed ours when we had our 1st and never had any problems and we have 3 children now. I found ours at Lowes

L.

They sell outlet covers that you have to slide to plug something in and they don't stay open unless something is plugged into the outlet. Look at the Home Depot i'm sure they have several to choose from.

you know, honestly/truthfullly, safety begins with "just telling your child NO & ENFORCING IT".

It doesn't matter which type of plug you use, children are quite adept at figuring out all kinds of stuff.

Sooo, please use plug protectors, but .....please, please, please.....start enforcing boundaries!

Once they've figured it out, your best bet is to put furniture in front of the outlets. If you catch him interested, scare the heck out of him about how it will hurt him, etc. My son could get any covers off the outlets by 13 months, so buying different ones only made him more interested in what we were hiding. But we scared the heck out of him the first time we saw him trying to put something in there and he's not tried again. We save "scaring" (getting upset and emphatic) for very dangerous things, so he knows it's serious.
A.

I never used them. I go on the fact that unless you connect the circuit i.e. put something in both sides, you cannot be electrocuted. I just made sure none of my kids carried around or could get a hold of anything that could achieve this. Don't let junior carry forks, knives, screwdrivers, etc. I am sure you already do this. Also make sure to watch them around things that are plugged in. It is possible to get their little fingers behind the plastic bit of a plug with the circuit still connected. I find it funny that people worry about plugging unused outlets when the ones with plus in them are far more dangerous.

don't know if they have these type or not anymore seems they keep changing the child lock stuff. I used the ones that you put on over the outlet covers and had to push in and turn to use like a child safety medicine bottle would have, they were sometimes difficult for me to get open so seemed to work well. I know there is another kind that came out after those that you take off the original outlet cover and screw this one on and when you plug something into it you had to use the plug to turn the disk to match the plug socket. a little hard to explain but those work well too. my kids always took out the plastic type you just plug into the socket so had to use the type you screw on and would stay put.

They always figure them out no matter what kind you get. My son handed them to me and only one time he got curious about them and stuck a key in it and got a small shock and afterward left them alone as he knew they hurt. It didn't hurt him it just scared him sfter recieving a small shock.

Aren't kids amazing? We just have the old-fashioned kind, but we have a power strip that we rotate plugs out of and every once in awhile my DH forgets to put the cover on when he unplugs the laptop. We also have an outlet in our bathroom that's about 6" to the left of the light switch and because it's completely inaccessible to our daughter, we don't have a cover on it. Our daughter loves to turn the light switch on and off and occasionally when she's doing so, she'll reach toward the outlet. I grab her hand and say "DANGER - NO TOUCH" harshly enough to startle her so she understands how important it is (since I spend time saying no touch about a several things these days!). I think the combination of having most of them covered but a couple that are open to teach her about them works pretty well. I don't think you necessarily need to spend much on fancy ones - the standards are cheap and work fine. Good luck!

We have the kind that actually go over the entire outlet. I think you have to remove the existing outlet cover and put these in its place. The opening to plug things in turns sideways when it is not in use so that little fingers can not get to them. They have worked great for us, may not be the best for your decorating scheme but safety first. :)Good luck and I hope you find something that will work! E.

We never used covers. We had them, but didn't use them. We taught our girls not to touch them at all. You said he seems disinterested now. Just because he pulled out the other ones doesn't mean he'll start to put things in them. If he figured these out, he'll most likely figure any other ones out too. My oldest touched an outlet one day and got a shock and never touched them again, my youngest never messed with them at all. Guess she learned from her sis. Good luck and God Bless.