Keeping a toddler out of older sibling's room

[sleepyhead]

Ds1 is 8 and the proud owner of about a gajillion pieces of Lego which he builds into complex and precarious models.

Ds2 is 2 and now able to reach the handle of ds1's room, let himself in and trash the place in 5 seconds flat. He also causes much angst by coming in and trying to "help" when ds1 is playing with his Lego.

I bought this but our doors are too wide, otherwise it would have been ideal .

Has anyone tried anything that worked for them? I don't really like the idea of ds1 having a lock on his door (it would have to lock from the outside and the inside to be any use), but maybe there's something easy I haven't thought of.

Friends of ours had exactly the same problem and resorted to fitting a stair gate to the older child's door. Older child could easily open it to get in and out, but younger one couldn't get in.

Child gate across the doorway.

I hadn't really thought about stair gates (we live in a flat, so no stairs). Hmm. It would definitely solve the problem.

Yep, stairgate. Wooden would be safer in case of fire.

Shut the door and a small hook and eye fitted too high for the toddler to reach . If it's a light weight one no one can get trapped in the room for a start no one will be young enough to put the hook on as a joke and even an 8yr old would shoulder barge the door open easily.

Theas, you're right, an 8 year old can barge the door open easily.

We know this because we fitted a hook and eye when ds2 started walking. Unfortunately ds1 kept forgetting it was there and wrecked it within days. His default entrance to any room appears to be barge

Ive got this problem with 3 girls, middle one goes in teens room and uses her make-up but ends up making a mess and smashing her powder, youngest one goes in middle dd's room and uses all her nail varnish and body sprays, middle one goes in youngest's room and nicks her pens and paper. I can't do anything about it, i'm sick of telling them, they are older so gates and locks wont work for me

Turn the door handle upside down

Grays, that is genius

Wouldn't work for us, as a secondary problem is that the latch for ds1's door won't catch properly so it can be pushed open quite easily (hence hook and eye as soon as ds2 could walk), but otherwise I could see that working really well for at least another couple of centimeters.

I might see if I can fix the latch before I shell out for a stair gate.

It works really well for dogs who learn how to open doors too..

Ah I get you. Hope you sort It!

Mum and dad put a hook and eye lock on the outside of my sisters door. She was 12 years older so could reach the top of the door and obviously I coukdnt!

I appreciate the resistance to locks on the outside of the door, but it was the kind of lock that would have been ripped out of the door if any force had been applied.

The stair gate is doing the business. Ds2 is livid .