Outlet plugs are important. Start fastening furniture to the walls, including your dressers, tv, etc. He will try to climb them! Start one room at a time, get on your tummy and look at everything from his level. Relocate everything he could possibly get into or pull onto himself. In another year or so, you will have to start keeping pens, scissors and stuff like that off of your counters/tables too. Have fun with it, it really changes how you live in your home. LOL
We bought a whole little kit at Lowes. All the cabinets locked, everything waste down put away, and a big play yard gate around the TV. Plus outlet plugs, and any strings from the blinds put up
We bought a whole little kit at Lowes. All the cabinets locked, everything waste down put away, and a big play yard gate around the TV. Plus outlet plugs, and any strings from the blinds put up
That's great! Go Jackson! I really think it depends on the baby, and how, um, mischevious they are! :-) I would start with some gates (for stairs and rooms you may not want him in until you can figure out how to baby proof everything) and some cupboard locks. We didn't buy too many gadgets, we did buy the stove knob covers, but our son figured those out in like a week. Definitely outlet covers, and maybe the door knob covers to closets/rooms you may not want him in. Good luck... it's going to be fun!
Cupboard locks on anything with cleaning supplies or things you dont want him in (pots/pans/etc). Padding on any corner of tables that are low to the ground (coffee tables). Baby gates for stairs. :)
Kellie, I must know what kind of sippy cup that is! We have tried 3 different kinds with my son, and I noticed that one has a nipple on it! Please let me know because I'd like to try one! THANKS :)!
Best advice is get down on the floor and look around you. Crawl around. You might feel foolish but it really is the best way to see what he sees. Loose cords, uncovered outlets, heavy objects down low that he could pull on him or on a table that he might could push/pull on and cause the item to fall off and hit him. Glass objects that are down low and could be picked up and broken. Cabinets that he will crawl past that and open either lock them up or move things out of them that you do not want him to get into. I locked most of all of my cabinets but left two that my kids could get into and put things in them that were safe to play with.
There is an old joke that if you need your house baby proofed, I'll bring my kid over and he will let you know in less than 30 minutes what needs to be done! It will be evolving as you see the things that Jackson gets into. The obvious things would be latches on your kitchen and bathroom cabinets/drawers that he can reach. A baby gate if needed to keep him out of certain areas. Plug inserts so he can't insert anything into them himself.
At my house, I have a 4 yr old and an 18 month old. We have to keep bathroom and bedroom doors closed at all times so he can't get in. We always put toilet lids down as well in case he makes a brief entrance when someone leaves the door open. We don't lock our toilets though because my 4 yr old needs to be able to use it.
I have had to put a lock on the kitchen trash with this one since he likes to try to get into it, but I would wait and see if it is an issue. I also often have to lay my bar stools on their sides because he will be on the countertops before I know it if I don't. My daughter didn't do these things.
I would take care of the obvious things, and do more as you see potential problems. I promise, he will let you know what those are. ;)
I made sure all of my electrical outlets were covered, anything that could easily be pulled over on top of him (dressers, desk, etc), baby latches on all cabinets.
WELL... make sure to anchor heavy furniture to the wall... dresser's, stands that hold TV's, bookshelves, etc. If you've got sharp corners on tables, they sell these awesome, rubber round tips that can save stitches later! Get the plastic plugs for the wall outlets. Anything not edible and small enough to be eaten should be out of reach! Put some cabinet locks on anything holding housecleaning supplies underneath sinks.
Baby gates for rooms you want to keep him out of are a cost saving way to keep from having to babyproof extra! We always put them on our bedroom door to keep the baby from crawling to the master bath and toppling into the toilet!
I would say to start with outlet covers, cabinet locks & gates for stairways or rooms without doors that you don't want him in. From there crawl around on the floor in every room & see if there are any hazards that he might be able to get his hands on & move or find a way to make it baby proof.
If he has access to the kitchen and/or any drawers/cabinets I would highly suggest getting cabinet locks. We have 3 gates in our house, 1 to the laundry room (there are bifold doors and my DS can open them), 1 for the kitchen (there's only 1 way in and since we have the gate we don't have cabinet locks), and 1 to the hallway that leads I the bedrooms and in playroom (those rooms have doors but we leave the gate shut when we aren't back there so we can leave the doors open for better air circulation.) The best gates I've found are "step through" gates (Regalo makes them, you can order them on Amazon or Walmart.com). They are great bc you don't have to disassemble them or take them to get over them, you just "step through." Hope that helps!
I started with the things that my girls could get to first and just kept going from there. Some people don't baby proof as much as I do but I don't want to have to worry about them getting into anything and hurting themselves when I go the bathroom or when I'm making dinner in the other room. I did all my plugs first, the one's that had things plugged into them I bought covers appropriate for what what there, and the ones not being used I got small covers for. I also have gates that swing open easily for the kitchen doorway and for the top and bottom of our stairs. I don't leave anything small or decortive in their reach and all our electronics for the tv are behind glass doors that they can't open because we put magnetic locks on them. Once my oldest was walking and trying to open doors I got the door knob locks that she can't turn those are on every door she may try to open and I don't want her to. I also put drawer locks on every cabinet and drawer in our kitchen so if we are in there and they want to be to it's ok for them to be. They say to move all cleaning supplies to upper shelves they can't get to but we keep a few things under the sink in the kitchen we just have a lock on that as well. I find that all most all baby proofing things made regaurdless of price works if used the right way, so go with what you are comfortable with and what works for your house. We don't lock our toilets or oven or frig. The toilets because they aren't aloud in the bathroom without us ever and the other things because it's never been in issue yet. If it becomes one then we will get things for that. I hope this helps you out a little.
Outlets should be your first thing. Gates if you have stairs. We put a gate actually leading in to the kitchen. A stove lock (amazon)...a fridge lock (amazon). We got door locks too (they just cover the handles so they can't get in the room...such as a bathroom). Toilet seat locks. Corner covers on any end tables/coffee tables.
Besides the obvs baby proofing (electricity, chemicals) we didn't do much but really worked on teaching what's allowed and not. Think about it...when we were growing up they didn't baby proof!
We never baby proofed as much as we should have. I did it as I watched Hadley explore and saw the potential issues. The fews things I most defiantly recommend is: covers in outlets (obviously, lol) and something to keep cabinets closed that you do not want him in. Other than that we just let her explore (within reason) and now she is not too much attracted to things she shouldn't be into.
I don't know if you read this woman's story, but I think it's extremely powerful when it comes to baby proofing. Her daughter was killed when a dresser fell on top of her. After reading this, I secured EVERYTHING in our house to a wall. I also think y'all have a little in common. (let me just add...it's a sad story, so read at your own discretion)
Secure any heavy objects to the wall, put all toxic chemicals in a locked cabinet, make sure knives are out of reach, cover outlets, baby gates on the stair ways. Anything that is breakable or dangerous should be out of reach. I really don't do much baby proofing. If it could hurt my kids, it is secured. Otherwise, my kids just learn what they can/can't touch. It really isn't a big deal. And you will learn as you go along.
We just have the 1st steps brand locks on the kitchen and bathroom cabinets. but we have some drawers in the kitchen and bathroom that I need to get locks for. I didn't really want to put screws in the drawers to install them but that's the only ones I can find for drawers. So I just keep a close eye on her! There's nothing in the drawers to harm her, but I am afraid she will smash her fingers :(
Oh gosh! I went crazy baby-proofing. We have a few rooms in our house that we baby proofed everything and those are the 'safe' rooms. Outlet plugs everywhere. Cabinet locks in the kitchen and the bathrooms. (have cabinets that they can open with toys for them) Gate off rooms- we have gates so he can only be in the living room/kitchen with us. Secure bookshelves, dressers, etc. to wall- and televisions (we haven't done this yet but NEED TO!) Move stuff off bottom of bookshelves. Fireplace cover, or blanket over it. [Put blinds cords where he can't reach them. You will figure things out as you go- and as he finds them! good luck :)
I think it depends... With my first we didn't baby proof and she never got into anything dangerous or try to climb where she wasn't supposed to... She's so precautious, she's always been... My second, outlets... Cover them all right away! My third, loch drawers, outlets have been covered since #2, put garbage inside a kitchen cabinet, keeps bathrooms and laundry room doors closed and keep everywhere where she might climb out of reach! She's crazy!!!! LOL
I think it depends... With my first we didn't baby proof and she never got into anything dangerous or try to climb where she wasn't supposed to... She's so precautious, she's always been... My second, outlets... Cover them all right away! My third, loch drawers, outlets have been covered since #2, put garbage inside a kitchen cabinet, keeps bathrooms and laundry room doors closed and keep everywhere where she might climb out of reach! She's crazy!!!! LOL
I read a blog the other day that talked about anchoring all heavy furniture (dressers, bookshelves..etc) to the wall. The mother had lost her little girl because the small dresser in her room turned over on her. I believe you can buy kits at Lowe's or Home Depot.
In my personal opinion, the only thing you need ASAP would be a gate to block off any area's that you don't want him to go into. (We have one in our living room and his bedroom door to keep him from roaming around the house if we aren't right with him and away from stairs). As for the other products, we have not invested in any. We just made sure to pick up/put away anything we don't want him to get into, and just keep after him. You may want to get some things to keep cabinet doors/drawers closed so he can't get into those, but it depends on how exposed he is to those things. You may be able to wait a bit to do that - which will only make things easier for you. Good luck!
Baby gates if steps or stairs, outlet covers, locks for cabinets if you don't want everything in them played with or especially one's containing cleaning products, any objects on shelves or tables that can be pulled off and broken or to hurt the baby if he pulls them on him. He is a cutie and your a great mom so you will do fine with safety I'm sure :).
If you keep a close eye on him, which I know you will, you really only need the basics. We had a 2 story home and only used the following items. Along with a baby gate at the top of the stairs :-)
Depending on how high and heavy your t.v. is I would install an anti-tip device: http://www.younghouselove.com/2012/03/for-our-viewing-pleasure/
Cabinet locks for the kitchen/bath: http://www.amazon.com/Dreambaby-Safety-Latches-12-Pack/dp/B003NSAY7U/ref=sr_1_23?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1357961457&sr=1-23
Alarm for doors: http://www.homedepot.com/buy/swann-magnetic-window-door-alarm-and-chime-sw351-mda.html
We got the click locks for cabinets with breakable items in them, moved our coffee table bc he kept hitting his head on it, blocked our fireplace bc he wanted to crawl in it, and eventually got toilet locks. Oh an d th outlet covers! But that's it!
I have two boys- and they were big like your guy. I think big guys tend to be top heavy so they tumble alot. The soft corners for our end tables saved them often. Outlet covers definitely- the cheap ones worked fine but I loved having a couple of these fancier ones where you replace the whole outlet plate- then you have to insert the cord and turn to plug in. Just used them in those places you use the plug alot- like for your vacume, laptop. We only used the cabinet door locks for cabinets that held danger- they loved to explore and I was fine having them "help" (pull out all the tupperware). I tried several oven latches and broke them all when I forgot it was locked and pulled the oven open. If your oven is gas they have knob covers that help.
We baby proof-ed table, sharp corners, fireplace that they could hit their little noggins or faces on. Electrical outlets of course. We also put our coffee table downstairs and bought a cheap Fake leather storage ottoman/coffee table.... That way they can cruise around it and never bonk themselves! We will bring the nice coffee table back up in a year. (But We did put dangerous chemicals out of reach.) Gates for steps is a must. We didn't lock our cabinets up. We didn't do anything about our knobs on our stove. But we taught them to listen when we said DANGER! or HOT!
honestly, the first thing you want are the outlet covers. you'll want to research these as some are really hard to take out if you need the outlet. Then get down to his level. anything that might interest him that he shouldn't have needs to be put up. cabinet and drawer locks are something you should check into as well. you can look into the things that go over doorknobs, but honestly, those can wait until he can actually reach them. they come off easily enough when company is over. if you have stairs, you want gates. my youngest is 4 and i still cant stand to watch him on stairs (sometimes i cant stand to watch the older 3 boys either). I would just get whats needed as you need it. drake is 4 now and we don't have to use anything anymore. Enjoy this stage, they grow so fast.
We fastened the big objects to the wall so they wouldn't tip. Put our cleaning supplies on the top shelf in a closet. Put our sharp knives on top of the fridge. Plugged all the outlets. Moved things we didn't want broken but not all because they have to learn their limits some how. Our theory...if they are never allowed to touch it then they will lose interest. We redirected them with things they could have. We gave them a drawer in the kitchen for their pots and pans. It kept them out of the cabinets. We also allowed them to color on their bedroom door woth tadoodles supervised and when they tried to adventure elsewhere we again redirected them. We figured it would keep the the excitement of redecorating down. We put things like that high and they only had access to them when we got them out as well as pens, markers and polish. We looked at things and planned ahead. Asked ourselves....what could happen. Good luck!
We got corner protectors, cupboard & draw latches (toddlers are nosy). Make sure there are no dangling wires (like for blinds). I read a horrible story the other day about a toddler who passed away when she pulled a chest of draws on herself. So make sure furniture and tvs are secure. It really is a mind field. Good luck x
Outlet plugs, cabinet locks where chemicals may be kept, take rubber tips off door stops if you have them ( choking hazard) and knives perhaps in an upper cabinet instead of drawer. Keep your razors up high in bathroom. Make sure houseplants are not poisonous.
Most children are so busy with their toys and books they never bother breakables. But, if it is valuable or sentimental put it away just in case.
Put gates at the top and bottom of stairs. Put those little plastic plugs in all the lower outlets. Put baby latches on all the cupboards (except for one lower leverl Tupperware cabinet. You'll need him to get into that if you ever want to do anything in the kitchen again, lol!) Move your DVDs so they are out of reach or else they will be all over the floor. Everything breakable off the floor.
There are different stages of baby proofing. You can do a minimal job for a baby just learning to be mobile, but as they start to cruise, then walk, then become a rampant toddler, you have to change how you have baby proofed.
The best thing you can do is just get down on your child's level and look around and fix anything you notice that might not be safe. It will also be trial and error, all kids are different and so you might have to do different things in your house because your son is interested in one type of mischief that doesn't cross another baby's mind. But, he won't understand "no" for a few more months (and even then will not have the self control to "obey" you) so if it's something he can't do or get into, just remove it from his playing arena or you will be saying no and redirecting him all day long. Sorry thing is so long.....lol Let me know if I can help in any other way, but I'm sure plenty of people will reply and help you out too!
I stumbled upon your blog awhile back, but I have never commented...Anyway, I am a mom of three (ages 7, 3 1/5 and almost 9 months). There are a few obvious ones - outlets, cabinets, and stairs. Definitely remove anything from tables that are within reach of Jackson. Also pay attention to low lying curtains that could be tugged on and pulled, dressers that could be pulled over/climbed on (they may need to be mounted to the wall), sources of heat, and other cords. My kids have always though the cable box and DVD player were fun to touch. Although touching the buttons wasn't dangerous, it was annoying :). I would go into the safety aisle at babies r us or a similar store and see what they have. A lot of times, you must go with the flow and adjust as you see him explore. Have fun!
The plug stopper things, and the locks for under the kitchen sink, as well as bolting any heavy furniture to the wall. As far as the stuff around, you will baby proof that as you need to.
We did not baby proof that much for Emma. I was told not to and they learn what they can and can't do or touch. We did get plugs for the outlets and got two drawer locks for the two tables in our living room that she loved to go through. That was it! We did not lock our kitchen sick cabinet or our bathroom ones. We would just tell her no every time she would try to open then. And now she does not even mess with them. She just turned 2 last Sunday. If you have any questions, I do not mind trying to answer them. :)
I love that picture of your little man!!! My little princess is just about a month older than your son so I can kind of relate to the stage you're at :) I feel like no amount of baby proofing can protect your little man or your stuff. Either everything's off limits, corners/outlets/sharp edges covered or pick and choose what you're going to "protect" and the rest are "no no nos". We personally do the outlet covers in the living room and put up the really important or dangerous things then just keep a close eye on her. We haven't bothered with the cabinet locks or anything because we don't really let her out of the living room. I've also got two older boys (8 and 6) and when they started walking more, we did do the cupboard hooks on anything that had chemicals in it that could hurt them. To give her some freedom, we just close all the doors to the bedrooms and bathrooms while keeping an eye on her. Sorry for the rambling - I hope that makes sense and helps a little bit.
The things we have found most useful are cabinet/drawer locks, wall mounting brackets for heavy furniture and outlet covers. We also recently bought a cover that goes over an entire set of outlets, as it was one that he kept messing with and unplugging a lamp cord from. We've had to be sure that we don't leave things where he can reach, including on the counters now! Hope that helps. :)
ohhh, baby proofing. depends on how extreme you would like to go. Like, putting outlet covers int he outlets. Putting foam along fire places and tables. Putting the door stopper thing on the insides of doors so he cant open the cabinet doors. We didn't need to baby proof until my oldest was about 15 months old. Then she just started dumping things out of bottles, and what not. We haven't even baby proofed the new house yet. we need to though. And, when he's old enough, put the things on the door handles so he cant open doors. Good luck, and Happy baby proofing!
I say start simple; get outlet plugs, and plug up every exposed one. Then make sure all cords are wrapped and neatly tucked away as much as possible. Then just take it day by day! Cabinet latches, baby gates, door knob covers, etc will all come eventually but isn't necessary yet :). Enjoy that mobile cutie! He's such a ham!
I say start simple with what he needs now. Get outlet covers and plug every exposed outlet. Then make sure all cords are neatly gathered and tucked away as much as possible. Then take it one day at a time. As he gets more mobile, you'll have to get baby gates, cabinet latches, door knob covers etc. I do recommend that if you have stairs, to gate that off (if a door doesn't block the stairs) so he doesn't learn to climb them yet. Good luck and enjoy that mobile cutie pie! He is such a ham!!
We didn't go gaga on baby-proofing. Some of it I just find overkill. We made sure to have outlet protectors in all of sockets (we bought a pack of the cheap ones as I've heard they are harder to get off for kiddos, and so far we haven't had her pull off one and she's 2.5 years old). We also got baby gates to keep her from going up the stairs and in the bathroom and such. We put one of the safety knobs on the door going down to the basement. Lastly, we put the door locks on the kitchen cabinets (except for our food storage/tupperware cabinet which is one of her favorite hiding places).
My biggies were outlet covers, furniture tethers, toilet locks, cabinet/drawer locks, doorknob covers, turning the water heater to below 120, and baby gates. It's a lot, but peace of mind is worth it.
One more I remembered. Make sure blinds do not have loop style pulls. If they do, cut them!!! A dear friend's son hanged himself playing cowboy on the sitter's horizontal blinds. Thankfully, she found him in time to perform cpr and save his life. He is a healthy 10-year-old with no lasting effects! The sitter, however, will never forget.
Like others have said, outlet covers and gates. We used gates for the stairs and to keep the kids out of the kitchen. Didn't do much else in the kitchen since the rule was no kids in the kitchen. Made a room they could touch and pull stuff in. I loved the magnetic door locks for the bathroom cabinets. Be sure to bolt big furniture/tvs so they can't pull it down on themselves. We live in earthquake territory so we had a lot of that done already but added some more. We also put the coffee table against the wall rather than in the middle of the room so she had more space to roam and less corners to hit.
I second anchoring furniture to the wall. Before we did this with our daughter's dresser, she opened the drawers and climbed up, and sure enough the dresser fell over! Luckily it's positioned at the foot of her bed, so the bed broke the fall and luckily she rolled out of the way so it didn't land on her. Lesson learned!
You know what is best for your own situation. As he grows older you will get a feel for what you need.
Are there rooms J will be in by himself without you watching then of course you would want to do the most in those areas. We did do the electrical outlet plugs, secure blind cords and get the foam thing to line our fireplace which has a wicked edge (and it has saved us on more than one occasion) We bought the furniture anchors but never used them because we found we really don't leave our kids alone in their rooms when they are awake and we bought furniture that is not top heavy in rooms where they sleep. We let our kids get in all the cabinets because they like to play drums on the pans and this doesn't bother me at all. We use all natural cleaners and anything that isn't is put up where they can't reach it. A couple of things I never thought of were making sure to put loose change in a bank or somewhere every night so it can't accidentally fall out of someones pocket and get swallowed by a child and the same thing with batteries make sure to dispose of them right away. I read an article about a child swallowing one and getting burns in his throat because of it.
You will do great no matter if you baby proof to the extreme or take a more laid back approach. :)
It seems like you have enough advice; I just wanted to comment on how seriously adorable Jackson is.. I just wanna squeeze him!!! He reminds so much of my Harper :)
We just had a few outlet covers. Our philosophy was that we are watching our child anyway that it was more important to teach them no on things and to obey because you are eventually going to have to teach them no on things they can't get into anyway. But everyone has a different philosophy.
I think baby proof knowledge comes as your baby grows. What may need to be proofed for one child may not need to be proofed for another. We actually had to put items of furniture in the basement or move other said items once our child showed little to no restraint from playing with something that could possibly be dangerous. I think the most important thing is to lock cabinets with household cleaning items and putting up chairs and stools. At least that is what I have learned from my two boys.
My son pulled a dresser onto himself at almost 2. I was able to catch it before it crushed him and killed him. It would have killed him, he would have died. As it was he was pounded by the drawers as they slid out and hit him while I tried with all my might to lift it back up. The thing punched a hole in the wall even as it came down on him.
ANCHOR absolutely everything. It is so common furniture tipovers. Even nightstands can kill preschoolers!
I am not a "babyproofer" I do put breakables up but have just taught all my kids what can and cannot be touched. It has worked wonders! Kids are smart, smart, smart.
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Outlet plugs are important. Start fastening furniture to the walls, including your dressers, tv, etc. He will try to climb them! Start one room at a time, get on your tummy and look at everything from his level. Relocate everything he could possibly get into or pull onto himself. In another year or so, you will have to start keeping pens, scissors and stuff like that off of your counters/tables too. Have fun with it, it really changes how you live in your home. LOL
We bought a whole little kit at Lowes. All the cabinets locked, everything waste down put away, and a big play yard gate around the TV. Plus outlet plugs, and any strings from the blinds put up
We bought a whole little kit at Lowes. All the cabinets locked, everything waste down put away, and a big play yard gate around the TV. Plus outlet plugs, and any strings from the blinds put up
That's great! Go Jackson! I really think it depends on the baby, and how, um, mischevious they are! :-) I would start with some gates (for stairs and rooms you may not want him in until you can figure out how to baby proof everything) and some cupboard locks. We didn't buy too many gadgets, we did buy the stove knob covers, but our son figured those out in like a week. Definitely outlet covers, and maybe the door knob covers to closets/rooms you may not want him in. Good luck... it's going to be fun!
Cupboard locks on anything with cleaning supplies or things you dont want him in (pots/pans/etc). Padding on any corner of tables that are low to the ground (coffee tables). Baby gates for stairs. :)
Kellie, I must know what kind of sippy cup that is! We have tried 3 different kinds with my son, and I noticed that one has a nipple on it! Please let me know because I'd like to try one! THANKS :)!
Best advice is get down on the floor and look around you. Crawl around. You might feel foolish but it really is the best way to see what he sees. Loose cords, uncovered outlets, heavy objects down low that he could pull on him or on a table that he might could push/pull on and cause the item to fall off and hit him. Glass objects that are down low and could be picked up and broken. Cabinets that he will crawl past that and open either lock them up or move things out of them that you do not want him to get into. I locked most of all of my cabinets but left two that my kids could get into and put things in them that were safe to play with.
There is an old joke that if you need your house baby proofed, I'll bring my kid over and he will let you know in less than 30 minutes what needs to be done! It will be evolving as you see the things that Jackson gets into. The obvious things would be latches on your kitchen and bathroom cabinets/drawers that he can reach. A baby gate if needed to keep him out of certain areas. Plug inserts so he can't insert anything into them himself.
At my house, I have a 4 yr old and an 18 month old. We have to keep bathroom and bedroom doors closed at all times so he can't get in. We always put toilet lids down as well in case he makes a brief entrance when someone leaves the door open. We don't lock our toilets though because my 4 yr old needs to be able to use it.
I have had to put a lock on the kitchen trash with this one since he likes to try to get into it, but I would wait and see if it is an issue. I also often have to lay my bar stools on their sides because he will be on the countertops before I know it if I don't. My daughter didn't do these things.
I would take care of the obvious things, and do more as you see potential problems. I promise, he will let you know what those are. ;)
What kind of sippy cups are those?
Cutest little boy ever! I just want to squeeze those cheeks :-)
Babycenter.com is a good resource.
I made sure all of my electrical outlets were covered, anything that could easily be pulled over on top of him (dressers, desk, etc), baby latches on all cabinets.
WELL... make sure to anchor heavy furniture to the wall... dresser's, stands that hold TV's, bookshelves, etc. If you've got sharp corners on tables, they sell these awesome, rubber round tips that can save stitches later! Get the plastic plugs for the wall outlets. Anything not edible and small enough to be eaten should be out of reach! Put some cabinet locks on anything holding housecleaning supplies underneath sinks.
Baby gates for rooms you want to keep him out of are a cost saving way to keep from having to babyproof extra! We always put them on our bedroom door to keep the baby from crawling to the master bath and toppling into the toilet!
I would say to start with outlet covers, cabinet locks & gates for stairways or rooms without doors that you don't want him in.
From there crawl around on the floor in every room & see if there are any hazards that he might be able to get his hands on & move or find a way to make it baby proof.
If he has access to the kitchen and/or any drawers/cabinets I would highly suggest getting cabinet locks. We have 3 gates in our house, 1 to the laundry room (there are bifold doors and my DS can open them), 1 for the kitchen (there's only 1 way in and since we have the gate we don't have cabinet locks), and 1 to the hallway that leads I the bedrooms and in playroom (those rooms have doors but we leave the gate shut when we aren't back there so we can leave the doors open for better air circulation.) The best gates I've found are "step through" gates (Regalo makes them, you can order them on Amazon or Walmart.com). They are great bc you don't have to disassemble them or take them to get over them, you just "step through." Hope that helps!
I started with the things that my girls could get to first and just kept going from there. Some people don't baby proof as much as I do but I don't want to have to worry about them getting into anything and hurting themselves when I go the bathroom or when I'm making dinner in the other room. I did all my plugs first, the one's that had things plugged into them I bought covers appropriate for what what there, and the ones not being used I got small covers for. I also have gates that swing open easily for the kitchen doorway and for the top and bottom of our stairs. I don't leave anything small or decortive in their reach and all our electronics for the tv are behind glass doors that they can't open because we put magnetic locks on them. Once my oldest was walking and trying to open doors I got the door knob locks that she can't turn those are on every door she may try to open and I don't want her to. I also put drawer locks on every cabinet and drawer in our kitchen so if we are in there and they want to be to it's ok for them to be. They say to move all cleaning supplies to upper shelves they can't get to but we keep a few things under the sink in the kitchen we just have a lock on that as well. I find that all most all baby proofing things made regaurdless of price works if used the right way, so go with what you are comfortable with and what works for your house. We don't lock our toilets or oven or frig. The toilets because they aren't aloud in the bathroom without us ever and the other things because it's never been in issue yet. If it becomes one then we will get things for that. I hope this helps you out a little.
Love the pictures of Jackson he is a cutie pie.......
Love the pictures of Jackson he is a cutie pie.......
Outlets should be your first thing. Gates if you have stairs. We put a gate actually leading in to the kitchen. A stove lock (amazon)...a fridge lock (amazon). We got door locks too (they just cover the handles so they can't get in the room...such as a bathroom). Toilet seat locks. Corner covers on any end tables/coffee tables.
Just a few suggestions :)
Besides the obvs baby proofing (electricity, chemicals) we didn't do much but really worked on teaching what's allowed and not. Think about it...when we were growing up they didn't baby proof!
We never baby proofed as much as we should have. I did it as I watched Hadley explore and saw the potential issues. The fews things I most defiantly recommend is: covers in outlets (obviously, lol) and something to keep cabinets closed that you do not want him in. Other than that we just let her explore (within reason) and now she is not too much attracted to things she shouldn't be into.
-Heather
www.littlepreciousmomentsintime.blogspot.com
I don't know if you read this woman's story, but I think it's extremely powerful when it comes to baby proofing. Her daughter was killed when a dresser fell on top of her. After reading this, I secured EVERYTHING in our house to a wall. I also think y'all have a little in common. (let me just add...it's a sad story, so read at your own discretion)
http://lovelightlaughterandchocolate.blogspot.com/2012/12/be-with-me-just-for-today.html
Secure any heavy objects to the wall, put all toxic chemicals in a locked cabinet, make sure knives are out of reach, cover outlets, baby gates on the stair ways. Anything that is breakable or dangerous should be out of reach.
I really don't do much baby proofing. If it could hurt my kids, it is secured. Otherwise, my kids just learn what they can/can't touch. It really isn't a big deal. And you will learn as you go along.
We just have the 1st steps brand locks on the kitchen and bathroom cabinets. but we have some drawers in the kitchen and bathroom that I need to get locks for. I didn't really want to put screws in the drawers to install them but that's the only ones I can find for drawers. So I just keep a close eye on her! There's nothing in the drawers to harm her, but I am afraid she will smash her fingers :(
Oh gosh! I went crazy baby-proofing. We have a few rooms in our house that we baby proofed everything and those are the 'safe' rooms. Outlet plugs everywhere. Cabinet locks in the kitchen and the bathrooms. (have cabinets that they can open with toys for them) Gate off rooms- we have gates so he can only be in the living room/kitchen with us. Secure bookshelves, dressers, etc. to wall- and televisions (we haven't done this yet but NEED TO!) Move stuff off bottom of bookshelves. Fireplace cover, or blanket over it. [Put blinds cords where he can't reach them. You will figure things out as you go- and as he finds them! good luck :)
I think it depends... With my first we didn't baby proof and she never got into anything dangerous or try to climb where she wasn't supposed to... She's so precautious, she's always been...
My second, outlets... Cover them all right away!
My third, loch drawers, outlets have been covered since #2, put garbage inside a kitchen cabinet, keeps bathrooms and laundry room doors closed and keep everywhere where she might climb out of reach! She's crazy!!!! LOL
I think it depends... With my first we didn't baby proof and she never got into anything dangerous or try to climb where she wasn't supposed to... She's so precautious, she's always been...
My second, outlets... Cover them all right away!
My third, loch drawers, outlets have been covered since #2, put garbage inside a kitchen cabinet, keeps bathrooms and laundry room doors closed and keep everywhere where she might climb out of reach! She's crazy!!!! LOL
I read a blog the other day that talked about anchoring all heavy furniture (dressers, bookshelves..etc) to the wall. The mother had lost her little girl because the small dresser in her room turned over on her. I believe you can buy kits at Lowe's or Home Depot.
In my personal opinion, the only thing you need ASAP would be a gate to block off any area's that you don't want him to go into. (We have one in our living room and his bedroom door to keep him from roaming around the house if we aren't right with him and away from stairs). As for the other products, we have not invested in any. We just made sure to pick up/put away anything we don't want him to get into, and just keep after him. You may want to get some things to keep cabinet doors/drawers closed so he can't get into those, but it depends on how exposed he is to those things. You may be able to wait a bit to do that - which will only make things easier for you. Good luck!
We just did the cabinet locks and a baby gate. We said "no" a LOT, but I refused to move everything out of reach. Good luck!
Outlet covers, baby gates if steps or stairs, locks for cabinets that you don't want everything played with or that contain cleaning products etc.
Baby gates if steps or stairs, outlet covers, locks for cabinets if you don't want everything in them played with or especially one's containing cleaning products, any objects on shelves or tables that can be pulled off and broken or to hurt the baby if he pulls them on him. He is a cutie and your a great mom so you will do fine with safety I'm sure :).
If you keep a close eye on him, which I know you will, you really only need the basics. We had a 2 story home and only used the following items. Along with a baby gate at the top of the stairs :-)
Depending on how high and heavy your t.v. is I would install an anti-tip device: http://www.younghouselove.com/2012/03/for-our-viewing-pleasure/
Also, electrical outlet plugs: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2736577
Cabinet locks for the kitchen/bath:
http://www.amazon.com/Dreambaby-Safety-Latches-12-Pack/dp/B003NSAY7U/ref=sr_1_23?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1357961457&sr=1-23
Alarm for doors: http://www.homedepot.com/buy/swann-magnetic-window-door-alarm-and-chime-sw351-mda.html
Good Luck !
We got the click locks for cabinets with breakable items in them, moved our coffee table bc he kept hitting his head on it, blocked our fireplace bc he wanted to crawl in it, and eventually got toilet locks. Oh an d th outlet covers! But that's it!
I have two boys- and they were big like your guy. I think big guys tend to be top heavy so they tumble alot. The soft corners for our end tables saved them often. Outlet covers definitely- the cheap ones worked fine but I loved having a couple of these fancier ones where you replace the whole outlet plate- then you have to insert the cord and turn to plug in. Just used them in those places you use the plug alot- like for your vacume, laptop. We only used the cabinet door locks for cabinets that held danger- they loved to explore and I was fine having them "help" (pull out all the tupperware). I tried several oven latches and broke them all when I forgot it was locked and pulled the oven open. If your oven is gas they have knob covers that help.
Baby Center has some GREAT articles on this:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_childproofing-around-the-house_460.bc
http://www.babycenter.com/0_childproofing-checklist-before-your-baby-crawls_9446.bc
Baby Center was like my go-to source and got me through babyhood!
We baby proof-ed table, sharp corners, fireplace that they could hit their little noggins or faces on. Electrical outlets of course. We also put our coffee table downstairs and bought a cheap Fake leather storage ottoman/coffee table.... That way they can cruise around it and never bonk themselves! We will bring the nice coffee table back up in a year. (But We did put dangerous chemicals out of reach.) Gates for steps is a must. We didn't lock our cabinets up. We didn't do anything about our knobs on our stove. But we taught them to listen when we said DANGER! or HOT!
honestly, the first thing you want are the outlet covers. you'll want to research these as some are really hard to take out if you need the outlet. Then get down to his level. anything that might interest him that he shouldn't have needs to be put up. cabinet and drawer locks are something you should check into as well. you can look into the things that go over doorknobs, but honestly, those can wait until he can actually reach them. they come off easily enough when company is over. if you have stairs, you want gates. my youngest is 4 and i still cant stand to watch him on stairs (sometimes i cant stand to watch the older 3 boys either). I would just get whats needed as you need it. drake is 4 now and we don't have to use anything anymore. Enjoy this stage, they grow so fast.
We fastened the big objects to the wall so they wouldn't tip. Put our cleaning supplies on the top shelf in a closet. Put our sharp knives on top of the fridge. Plugged all the outlets. Moved things we didn't want broken but not all because they have to learn their limits some how. Our theory...if they are never allowed to touch it then they will lose interest. We redirected them with things they could have. We gave them a drawer in the kitchen for their pots and pans. It kept them out of the cabinets. We also allowed them to color on their bedroom door woth tadoodles supervised and when they tried to adventure elsewhere we again redirected them. We figured it would keep the the excitement of redecorating down. We put things like that high and they only had access to them when we got them out as well as pens, markers and polish. We looked at things and planned ahead. Asked ourselves....what could happen. Good luck!
We got corner protectors, cupboard & draw latches (toddlers are nosy). Make sure there are no dangling wires (like for blinds). I read a horrible story the other day about a toddler who passed away when she pulled a chest of draws on herself. So make sure furniture and tvs are secure. It really is a mind field. Good luck x
Outlet plugs, cabinet locks where chemicals may be kept, take rubber tips off door stops if you have them ( choking hazard) and knives perhaps in an upper cabinet instead of drawer. Keep your razors up high in bathroom. Make sure houseplants are not poisonous.
Most children are so busy with their toys and books they never bother breakables. But, if it is valuable or sentimental put it away just in case.
Put gates at the top and bottom of stairs. Put those little plastic plugs in all the lower outlets. Put baby latches on all the cupboards (except for one lower leverl Tupperware cabinet. You'll need him to get into that if you ever want to do anything in the kitchen again, lol!) Move your DVDs so they are out of reach or else they will be all over the floor. Everything breakable off the floor.
There are different stages of baby proofing. You can do a minimal job for a baby just learning to be mobile, but as they start to cruise, then walk, then become a rampant toddler, you have to change how you have baby proofed.
The best thing you can do is just get down on your child's level and look around and fix anything you notice that might not be safe. It will also be trial and error, all kids are different and so you might have to do different things in your house because your son is interested in one type of mischief that doesn't cross another baby's mind. But, he won't understand "no" for a few more months (and even then will not have the self control to "obey" you) so if it's something he can't do or get into, just remove it from his playing arena or you will be saying no and redirecting him all day long.
Sorry thing is so long.....lol Let me know if I can help in any other way, but I'm sure plenty of people will reply and help you out too!
I know this sounds HORRIBLE, but I never really fully baby proofed my house.
The only things I really used were electric plug covers and door handle covers.
Baby gates are great if Jackson will not knock them down (my daughter loved knocking ours down).
I stumbled upon your blog awhile back, but I have never commented...Anyway, I am a mom of three (ages 7, 3 1/5 and almost 9 months). There are a few obvious ones - outlets, cabinets, and stairs. Definitely remove anything from tables that are within reach of Jackson. Also pay attention to low lying curtains that could be tugged on and pulled, dressers that could be pulled over/climbed on (they may need to be mounted to the wall), sources of heat, and other cords. My kids have always though the cable box and DVD player were fun to touch. Although touching the buttons wasn't dangerous, it was annoying :). I would go into the safety aisle at babies r us or a similar store and see what they have. A lot of times, you must go with the flow and adjust as you see him explore. Have fun!
The plug stopper things, and the locks for under the kitchen sink, as well as bolting any heavy furniture to the wall. As far as the stuff around, you will baby proof that as you need to.
We did not baby proof that much for Emma. I was told not to and they learn what they can and can't do or touch. We did get plugs for the outlets and got two drawer locks for the two tables in our living room that she loved to go through. That was it! We did not lock our kitchen sick cabinet or our bathroom ones. We would just tell her no every time she would try to open then. And now she does not even mess with them. She just turned 2 last Sunday. If you have any questions, I do not mind trying to answer them. :)
the3childs.blogspot.com
I love that picture of your little man!!! My little princess is just about a month older than your son so I can kind of relate to the stage you're at :) I feel like no amount of baby proofing can protect your little man or your stuff. Either everything's off limits, corners/outlets/sharp edges covered or pick and choose what you're going to "protect" and the rest are "no no nos". We personally do the outlet covers in the living room and put up the really important or dangerous things then just keep a close eye on her. We haven't bothered with the cabinet locks or anything because we don't really let her out of the living room. I've also got two older boys (8 and 6) and when they started walking more, we did do the cupboard hooks on anything that had chemicals in it that could hurt them. To give her some freedom, we just close all the doors to the bedrooms and bathrooms while keeping an eye on her. Sorry for the rambling - I hope that makes sense and helps a little bit.
The things we have found most useful are cabinet/drawer locks, wall mounting brackets for heavy furniture and outlet covers. We also recently bought a cover that goes over an entire set of outlets, as it was one that he kept messing with and unplugging a lamp cord from. We've had to be sure that we don't leave things where he can reach, including on the counters now! Hope that helps. :)
ohhh, baby proofing. depends on how extreme you would like to go. Like, putting outlet covers int he outlets. Putting foam along fire places and tables. Putting the door stopper thing on the insides of doors so he cant open the cabinet doors. We didn't need to baby proof until my oldest was about 15 months old. Then she just started dumping things out of bottles, and what not. We haven't even baby proofed the new house yet. we need to though. And, when he's old enough, put the things on the door handles so he cant open doors. Good luck, and Happy baby proofing!
I say start simple; get outlet plugs, and plug up every exposed one. Then make sure all cords are wrapped and neatly tucked away as much as possible. Then just take it day by day! Cabinet latches, baby gates, door knob covers, etc will all come eventually but isn't necessary yet :). Enjoy that mobile cutie! He's such a ham!
I say start simple with what he needs now. Get outlet covers and plug every exposed outlet. Then make sure all cords are neatly gathered and tucked away as much as possible. Then take it one day at a time. As he gets more mobile, you'll have to get baby gates, cabinet latches, door knob covers etc. I do recommend that if you have stairs, to gate that off (if a door doesn't block the stairs) so he doesn't learn to climb them yet. Good luck and enjoy that mobile cutie pie! He is such a ham!!
We didn't go gaga on baby-proofing. Some of it I just find overkill. We made sure to have outlet protectors in all of sockets (we bought a pack of the cheap ones as I've heard they are harder to get off for kiddos, and so far we haven't had her pull off one and she's 2.5 years old). We also got baby gates to keep her from going up the stairs and in the bathroom and such. We put one of the safety knobs on the door going down to the basement. Lastly, we put the door locks on the kitchen cabinets (except for our food storage/tupperware cabinet which is one of her favorite hiding places).
My biggies were outlet covers, furniture tethers, toilet locks, cabinet/drawer locks, doorknob covers, turning the water heater to below 120, and baby gates.
It's a lot, but peace of mind is worth it.
One more I remembered. Make sure blinds do not have loop style pulls. If they do, cut them!!! A dear friend's son hanged himself playing cowboy on the sitter's horizontal blinds. Thankfully, she found him in time to perform cpr and save his life. He is a healthy 10-year-old with no lasting effects! The sitter, however, will never forget.
Like others have said, outlet covers and gates. We used gates for the stairs and to keep the kids out of the kitchen. Didn't do much else in the kitchen since the rule was no kids in the kitchen. Made a room they could touch and pull stuff in. I loved the magnetic door locks for the bathroom cabinets. Be sure to bolt big furniture/tvs so they can't pull it down on themselves. We live in earthquake territory so we had a lot of that done already but added some more. We also put the coffee table against the wall rather than in the middle of the room so she had more space to roam and less corners to hit.
I second anchoring furniture to the wall. Before we did this with our daughter's dresser, she opened the drawers and climbed up, and sure enough the dresser fell over! Luckily it's positioned at the foot of her bed, so the bed broke the fall and luckily she rolled out of the way so it didn't land on her. Lesson learned!
You know what is best for your own situation. As he grows older you will get a feel for what you need.
Are there rooms J will be in by himself without you watching then of course you would want to do the most in those areas. We did do the electrical outlet plugs, secure blind cords and get the foam thing to line our fireplace which has a wicked edge (and it has saved us on more than one occasion) We bought the furniture anchors but never used them because we found we really don't leave our kids alone in their rooms when they are awake and we bought furniture that is not top heavy in rooms where they sleep. We let our kids get in all the cabinets because they like to play drums on the pans and this doesn't bother me at all. We use all natural cleaners and anything that isn't is put up where they can't reach it. A couple of things I never thought of were making sure to put loose change in a bank or somewhere every night so it can't accidentally fall out of someones pocket and get swallowed by a child and the same thing with batteries make sure to dispose of them right away. I read an article about a child swallowing one and getting burns in his throat because of it.
You will do great no matter if you baby proof to the extreme or take a more laid back approach. :)
It seems like you have enough advice; I just wanted to comment on how seriously adorable Jackson is.. I just wanna squeeze him!!! He reminds so much of my Harper :)
KELLIE! He is such a doll! <3
I just adore your blog, your journey, and your family! XO
www.theduggans2011.blogspot.com
We just had a few outlet covers. Our philosophy was that we are watching our child anyway that it was more important to teach them no on things and to obey because you are eventually going to have to teach them no on things they can't get into anyway. But everyone has a different philosophy.
Hi - check out this website. They provide a good checklist.
http://www.charlieshouse.org/
This website is a great resource.
http://www.charlieshouse.org/
Kristen
I think baby proof knowledge comes as your baby grows. What may need to be proofed for one child may not need to be proofed for another. We actually had to put items of furniture in the basement or move other said items once our child showed little to no restraint from playing with something that could possibly be dangerous. I think the most important thing is to lock cabinets with household cleaning items and putting up chairs and stools. At least that is what I have learned from my two boys.
So I have no advice to offer on baby proofing, but have to say Jackson couldn't get any cuter! Do you just kiss those cheeks all day long?
My son pulled a dresser onto himself at almost 2. I was able to catch it before it crushed him and killed him. It would have killed him, he would have died. As it was he was pounded by the drawers as they slid out and hit him while I tried with all my might to lift it back up. The thing punched a hole in the wall even as it came down on him.
ANCHOR absolutely everything. It is so common furniture tipovers. Even nightstands can kill preschoolers!
http://www.meghanshope.org
Please anchor!
I am not a "babyproofer" I do put breakables up but have just taught all my kids what can and cannot be touched. It has worked wonders! Kids are smart, smart, smart.
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