As a fairly new parent, I worry incessantly about my 2-year-old getting hurt, sick, bullied, abducted, or drowning. Sometimes I forget about how dangerous my own house can be. Chemicals, hot stoves, pools, ponds, electrical outlets, and heavy furniture are just a few of the looming dangers lurking in plain sight. As my son gets older and becomes more curious, I fear less about bumps and bruises, and more about ingesting chemicals or wandering to the pond behind our home. This is why I baby proof everything!
Baby proofing your home is not a new invention. Safety gates and outlet covers have been around for years and are probably still some of the most common household childproofing items. But if you have a toddler like mine (curious and stubborn), then you know these aren’t enough.
Not only do I have an inquisitive young child but he’s also very independent. He wants to do things on his own, like make his own food and let the dog out to go pee. It’s a trait I know will serve him well in due time but not when he’s 2 years old! He doesn’t yet grasp that the hot stove will burn his fingers if he touches it or that if he wanders outside by himself he could get hurt or lost.
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For these reasons, my house is like Fort Knox (sort of). I have magnetic door locks on kitchen cabinets—annoying but necessary, finger pinch guards for doors, self-closing outlet covers, glow in the dark door knob covers, sliding door and window locks, slide locks on chests, a refrigerator lock, latches on cabinets and drawers, soft covered tub spouts, anti-slip rugs, anti-slip bathtub mats, bedroom cameras, every piece of heavy furniture is anchored to the wall, and before potty training (a post for another time), every toilet seat was strapped down!
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Check out some of this safety gear I use for Child Proofing my home:
Glow in the dark door knob covers
Magnetic door locks
Sliding door and window locks
Furniture anchors
Bedroom camera
Sliding Cabinet Locks
Bathtub spout cover
Anti-slip tub mat
Finger pinch guards for doors
Power strip covers
Stove knob covers
Self-closing outlet covers
Anti-Tip TV Straps
Refrigerator locks
All the protective measures I take to keep my son safe in our home, and yet I can’t get him to wear a helmet on his bike! Ironic, I know.
It may sound obsessive, the measures I take to Child Proof my home but I believe that as our society has evolved we have become more aware of the things that can cause harm to our children and there are so many new and inventive ways to keep them safe. I’ll admit, I sometimes sigh with frustration when trying to open locked cabinets (especially when the key has been misplaced) but I know that Child Proofing is well worth it!
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Do you believe in Child Proofing Your Home? What measures do you take to keep your kids safe in their own home? Share in the comments below.
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Hi! I’m Meagan and I’m a 41 year old mom of a high energy almost 9 year old, happily navigating my way through the little boy years. I’ve been married for 14 years. I met my husband over 20 years ago in high school; we got married 10 years later after graduating from the University of South Florida. I currently help run a family business with my parents while blogging about my life and love of DIY projects!
When I’m not at a kids sports game, I enjoy spending time with my family on a beach anywhere. I also love decorating and organizing, fun DIY projects, bargain shopping, and eating out or in! I also love Barbecue anything and a good show or movie on Netflix.
I am sure my friends who are new mothers would appreciate this post. Will share with them.
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Hi Meagan, Your steps to make sure your child is safe should be very useful to other mothers with young children. Congratulations!
i’m not a mom, so i’m not reaching the point where i have to think about how to give my home extra care for childproof, but i could really understand you as my nephew who’s 2 years old occasionally comes for a visit, and this child proofing home sounds like a good option to go if you have one. i mean, as a parent, i’m sure no matter how much you care about our children, there may be times that we don’t really pay attention. this one is to prevent bad things that may happen. (knock in the wood)
These are useful tips. I think it is ok to have childproof home but not to the point when some get to obsess with it. When I was little we didn’t have some much choice that we have today and we turned up pretty good. When you have a child when is small you always must be careful.
I remember I helped some friends move, and their baby had just started walking. After we finished moving everything in, the first thing we did was find all the child safety stuff, because he was so curious about the new space. We took about a five minute break and we realized that if we didn’t put up gates we didn’t gate off a room with some toys we’d be chasing him around, keeping him out of everything for the rest of the night.
Leaks are more or less common, but they are difficult to spot unless they are in an obvious location. However, if you closely watch your water bill from month to month and you notice an unusually high number, that might be an indicator that you have a leak somewhere in your home.