Baby Proof?

re: Baby Proof?

Autumn — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 00:12:26 GMT

We tested for lead especially on the bathtub, window sill and anyplace the baby could touch or chew. We plugged all outlets, installed baby gates that screwed into the wall, attached the tv's to the wall and all dressers. Good thing we did too. We had a climber. I also removed all of those little tips on the door stop thingies after i found one in my baby's mouth. Shorten all window blind cords too. I put locks on all cabinets, dsihwasher, stove and the fridge.

re: Baby Proof?

Rebecca — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 17:20:57 GMT

Hehe...

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re: Baby Proof?

Clementine — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:56:43 GMT

As the owner of a family child care program, babyproofing is my life. Some things are no-brainers: outlet covers, moving toxic chemicals out of reach, turning your water heater to 120 degrees or lower, gating the stairs, and locking the basement door. I also recommend bolting heavy furniture to the wall, which sounds drastic but really isn't when you consider that your child might be crushed if s/he attempts to climb a dresser or bookcase.

I don't go overboard, however: the dog's water is always out, the computer is always on, and I don't have any child-proof latches on cabinets, faucets, or doors. I think it's important to strike a balance between teaching kids to respect their environments and giving them a safe place to explore.

One last thing: Every child will be drawn to a different hazard. For one child, it's playing in the toilet. For another, it's climbing. For a third kid, it's electrical cords and lights. It's good to think about this stuff now, but you don't actually have to do anything until your baby is mobile. Even then, you might want to do the basics and then just observe your kiddo before running out to get all of the Safety First doodads.

Congratulations on completing your class!

re: Baby Proof?

AmyinMotown — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 14:57:46 GMT

We bought a ton of stuff, and have only used cabinet locks (we also left one cabinet, with bakeware in it, open so she could explore one thing) doorknob covers and outlet covers. The doorknob covers are cool because like your house, ours was built in the 1920s and so there are doors at the foot of the stairs and heading into the basement, both of which we keep shut and put the doorknob spinners on. So, no baby gates! Whoo! We need to get a gate for the top of the stairs soon because we're moving her into a big girl bed and don't want night wandering.

As far as lead--we have great big leaded-glass windows in the front of the house. She used to stand there and try to lick them, oh dear. So far she seems fine :-).

re: Baby Proof?

Dwtintx — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 10:30:25 GMT

I completely agree with Zellmer. We covered the outlets and latched the few cabinets with harmful stuff in them, and our 13 month old has survived so far. She's walking now, and yes, she's bonked her head a couple of times on the coffee table, but she's also learned not to crawl under it anymore and that the corners can hurt. My take is that with non-lethal items, they have to figure out how not to hurt themselves. They also have to be able to hear and understand "no."

We do watch and see what we might need as she gets more active- it's an evolving thing. You won't need to babyproof until at least 6 months when your baby becomes mobile. Try not to freak about it too much now. :)

re: Baby Proof?

Ewokmama — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 05:03:36 GMT

If you have a coffee table? Get rid of it. Seriously, that thing will drive you nuts otherwise. Those sharp corners will just call to your baby's forehead, and s/he will climb on top of and underneath it bonking his/her head constantly. Get rid of it!

Other than that, we haven't done a whole lot. We have a baby gate to block off the cat's territory - we staggered it high enough to let the cats get underneath (IKEA makes a great pressure-mounted gate with a door, and it's cheap). We did the outlet cover thing, put all of the cleaning products out of reach, latched the toilet seats closed (mostly to avoid slamming fingers under the lid), and got rid of our desktop computer (he kept turning it off anyway - laptops are much easier to keep out of reach).

Other than that, we just try to keep an eye on him. You can't babyproof completely - there will always be some new method of baby suicide.

re: Baby Proof?

nancyt — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:42:57 GMT

Our big problem is my 8-month-old, very mobile son wants to get into things that we almost can't get rid of or move. Lamps? We kind of need them. The bookcase? I swear, his favorite thing is to go after the books on the bottom shelves. We just tell him no repeatedly. Recently we put some of his books near them so that we can redirect him from the things he can't have to some things he can have.

And the dogs' water dish--we can't exactly move it or put it away. It just takes constant supervision.

We bought some gates and outlet plugs. We have one non-moving gate which opens and closes via grown-up hands only. We also got two removable gates which have a lever to allow you to take them down quickly. We usually move those once the little one is napping or down for the night. The outlet plugs (from Target, I think) aren't flat-you can squish them so they're easier to pull out if you need the outlet. We also got some covers for outlets in use that allow you to wind up and shorten the cords.

We seem to be unable to make things totally safe all the time. We've given up, and are just extra vigilant. It's exhausting, but I think hearing "No!" all the time is teaching him about boudaries. If he existed in a space where he could do anything any time, he'd be in sad shape once we needed to exert some limits.

re: Baby Proof?

Rebecca — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 20:41:47 GMT

We didn't start baby-proofing until my son was getting mobile at around 7 or 8 months, except that I started drinking hot beverages from a spill-proof travel mug around the time he was able to reach and grab. We eventually blocked off the kitchen completely and inspected the living area really closely for possible dangers. For us this involved putting rigid plastic sheeting around the stair banister so his little head wouldn't get caught, and blocking off the stairs with a gate. We put bumpers on sharp edges and removed the coffee table. We secured the tv to the wall, got button covers for the dvd player etc., and of course we covered the outlets. Perhaps we went overboard, but all of the precautions we took made it so that I rarely had to tell him "no" and I didn't have to frantically chase him around all day. His main living area was almost as safe as a big playpen, and really facilitated play and exploration.

By the way, I enjoy reading your blog very much. I'm due with my third (a girl) on Nov. 8th.

re: Baby Proof?

BabyCakies — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 20:07:47 GMT

I totally agree about waiting and taking it as it comes. I've hardly had to do anything so far because my nearly 11 month old isn't very mobile yet. That said, we've had an extra year of not having to deal with all of that crap.

The only thing I'm concerned enough about to mention is bolting tall book cases to the wall. I'm not certain they would budge if pulled on, but I don't want to take that chance.

re: Baby Proof?

zellmer — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 19:54:11 GMT

IMHO, you don't need most of that crap. Just get the plug covers and some cabinet latches for the few cabinets that have dangerous things in them, and you'll be fine. Supervision is the best safety measure. And it's free. Don't get all those padded bumpers for your tables until you see how active your baby is. My daughter is very cautious and never comes near our fireplace, which I thought would need a bumper, but doesn't need one at all.