Monday musing - childproofing for visits

[Sauerkrautsandwich]

Happy Monday everyone!

Do you somehow childproof your homes when someone with kids comes to visit?

Was just chatting with mum and we both have now set ups where we have many, many, unsafe/breakable things in reach of very young kids. DH's side visits usually without kids but if they come with kids they obviously get interested in my low residing dust chatchers. Nothing valuable. Also cleaning products just out there in bathrooms and low kitchen cupboard rather than safe etc.
Mum will soon have to baby proof so swapping things around a bit on shelves and getting cupboard locks, and pointed out that my home must be a nightmare for parents with kids to visit (hence why they probably use me mostly for fun childfree evenings😂) and she would find it too stressful to let young me out of her lap in house like that.
I wouldn't think of childproofing unless it's a ling visit like family staying for week, which due to lack of children in my family never happened. Now I might have to prepare myself for it in few years😂

So yes, do you do things like moving fragile things, hiding toilet bleach and so on when someone with young kids is visiting for evening or a day? Or is your home baby safe naturally? So far the biggest childproofing I did was to put cover on a sofa once....

When my sister started having children I did do a bit of baby proofing e.g. cleaning products on higher shelves etc but not to the extent of cupboard locks, but then my sister never got those either

We did have a crackercat kitten at the time so I don't think there was anything breakable left 😂

I think tbf a lot of parents tend to not let their children roam around in other people's houses to the same extent as they do in their own when they are small so the chances of a small child getting in your cleaning products cupboard is fairly low anyway

Used to. These days we just say, sorry, our house isn’t child friendly, it wouldn’t really work for them to be here. Although we need to think of a new one, because some people have started pointing out that their eight year olds can be trusted now.

I’d need a complete overhaul of my home to make it childproof so don’t bother, barring moving one or two more fragile things.

I only have children to visit that I know can be trusted (or where I can trust their parents to intervene quickly). That does mean that there are times / ages when it’s just not practical for the kids to come round, but it’s not been a particular issue.

Mum will be babysitting a lot so she needs to think about it if the little one turns out like my sibling and I😂 @Moreempatheticmyarse We were absolute menaces.

I never really thought about things like that. It has it's benefits, we are more invited to some of the family than them wanting to visit us so yay. No cooking. Which is another thing we have not realised was different for many kids before bbq food fiasko😂 Or night with nachos which we gave them with stuff like cheese and salsa (after asking what they want on it) on top, not next to it.... So I don't mind going to them at all.

Same @LorraineInSpain I have many open (not attached to wall) shelves with plants and dust catchers in reach of year olds...

Lol @LoobyDop maybe someone here can help with the excuse!

I'm trying to think if my parents baby proofed either and I realise even my sister didn't really - we are all shockingly lax and I'm amazed my neice and nephew made is successfully through primary school🤦‍♀️

We have kids, and we never childproofed apart from one stair gate.

We also grew up not that childproofed by my sibling is very.... Specific... Even about their dog so.. 🙈
At least it will save the child from making themselves squash with fairy liquid stored in old squash bottle next to the sink...

I’ve never baby proofed. Except for a stairgate on DS’s room when we moved him from a cot into a bed to make sure he actually went to sleep. Not sure if that counts? We have open shelves and lots of plants. It’s a bit more of a time investment to teach them to not go for these things but ultimately it pays off as you can keep your house looking as you like it and you don’t have issues when you go to other people’s houses. The cleaning products mostly live above the fridge but they did pre kids too so never given it much thought.

Well yes and no. I have a 3 year old so he’s still young.
I moved medicines and knifes out of reach once he started crawling. But everything else is the same as before. I haven’t ever moved plants, and we have never had stair gates on stairs, I think they are lethal

I don't think there's any need to for visitors and I have a toddler. It is lovely when a house we go to is safe because it means I can enjoy chatting without constantly having to rescue item or toddler but I certainly don't expect it, that's part of being a parent. That said, I visited a relative with just my toddler whose place is full of ornaments and unsafe places, more than the average home, and I won't be going to back unless husband is free to join as it was unbelievably stressful. So when she asks for me to come round I tell the truth but she doesn't make any effort to move things or help when we're there, so I guess that shows me how bothered she really is about seeing us.

My house is not child friendly and I have never changed that! I've got 2 skittish cats and lots of things to break so I just meet my friends with kids elsewhere.

Also, this is the board for users without children.

Whilst it is, this is actually one of these topics that a parents input isn't at a contradiction with a childfree person's give the conversation is around childproofing?

Not really given that surely if you have children in your home, your home is already childproofed?

To me, OP is asking people without children what they do if a child visits their home.

Yup.

Just realised the bottle of veg sanitiser on the floor next to the fridge.... 🙈
Lowers fragile items are about 20cm off the ground. The safest place is bedroom😂

Same (minus the cats). I find the most effective childproofing is not having children visit my home. If there are children involved, I go to visit them or meet them elsewhere. Children bore the pants off me so last thing I want is them stuck in my home and I can't get away from them.

Actually, that's not entirely true. I'd forgotten that my friend's two sons are lovely and when they were little (4-5ish), they would come round to mine and they'd sit in my bed and watch TV. They weren't allowed much TV at home so they loved visiting and would literally come through my front door and go straight to my bed and climb in as watching TV in bed seemed amazing to them.

i used to long ago, even had toys and nappies in just incase. But now I just refuse any visitors with children. Plenty of other places to met they can trash - I have no problem going to their homes instead.

No I get that, I just thought a post from a parent saying they didn't expect babyproofing wasn't unhelpful - but I get your point.

TBH its been a long day and it wasn't even my thread so I probably shouldnt have butted in anyway🤦‍♀️

Not really given that surely if you have children in your home, your home is already childproofed?

I think that what I can take from the thread is that some of our families are very lax childproofers, like my sister who has swords lying around, and axes, and all sorts. And some like the OPs sibling sound somewhat... dedicated... to it

I was thinking when someone mentioned knives "who has knifes at child level anyway" and then I remembered my green woodworking knives, in a drawer, in the living room at perfect child level....

My parents were never very into childproofing... I have a few scars to prove it! 😂

The OP would have put her thread in Chat then, wouldn’t she?

To be fair to my sibling it will be the one and only child for 2 families so we are allowing for preciousness in this 😁

But the chat did make me think when she said she would find my home a bit of an nightmare with young child. I mean that's coming from woman who literally left me in a garden with dog to watch me since I was in a pram😂 so it's probably not too ott

That's dedication! I have a blanket and tv😂

I can confirm that a blanket and TV does the trick. 😛Or in my case it was a very expensive silk duvet and handpainted silk duvet cover and an antique Chinese bed but the magic of TV meant they tucked themselves in and didn't move until it was time to leave and had to be pretty much dragged home screaming. 😂

I quite fancy tucking myself up in your bed to watch TV too tbh, that sounds very nice and fancy!

I want all of that! Although my caravan does have a silk duvet in it (because somehow it has the fancy pants stuff not the house) so I'm now contemplating bringing it inside 🤣