Before i baby proof my house.....

[DetentionGrrrl]

I need to 'baby proof' my house for DS who 21 wks and a mobile little bugger. (Trying to stand as i type!)

Will be getting a security gate, socket covers and a lock for the cupboard under the kitchen sink.

Is there anything else i need? Can anyone recommend or advise against any particular brands?

I've found that it really depends on the child. ds1 had no interest in sockets whatsoever, but ds2 did. I put a stair gate at the top fo the stairs but didn't need to at the bottom for my children, but other children were used to them at the bottom so ended up with one there as well (for visitors). I never bothered with cupboard locks - I just moved bleach etc up high, but mine weren't climbers. I wouldn't do a totoal "proofing" at this stage - just wait and see what you need to do.

i'll have to get a cupboard lock as i don't have anywhere else to put things like bleach etc. I have a terrible feeling DS will be into EVERYTHING once he's walking, too nosy for his own good!

Our DS loves the DVD player and video recorder plus any cords hanging out the back so try to keep all of those out of reach or do what we haven't got round to doing yet and buy a stand with cover for them.

Good tip is to keep a cupboard accessible to your lo filled with safe things like saucepans, wooden spoon, rolling pin etc so that their curiosity and natural exploration is channelled. It will also delay them reaching a more dangerous place.

Definately DVD/Video covers. I bought new video as old one broke, turns out it had a spoon in it! DS likes emptying the fridge so got lock 4 fridge. Also kept throwing things in toilet but couldnt find a toilet lock that would stick on so just had to be vigilent. Also use tea towels to stop doors slamming (atach around door from handle to handle. Also cupboard where fuse box is as kept switching electricity off! DS was into everything so I tried to child proof things that were dangerous and just accept that all other draws and cupboards would be regularly emptied and rearranged. J

DH's tip is to crawl round the house - if anything is at eye level then its fair game to your toddler. also watch out for sharp cornered stuff while they're learning to walk. Pipe cladding is your friend.

thanks guys- good idea to have a crawl round to see what he'll see. and we do need pipe cladding too.

Deff video cover. Dd used to like posting dvds into the video slot. Also watch your sky card! Dd also loved removing this. We used to put a strip of tape over ours.

Now we are in Australia, our Foxtel (equiv of sky) box has a covered slot, which isn't accesable by little hands, why haven't the UK cottoned onto this yet? Australia is usually behind the UK, not vice versa!

my one tip would be giving a cupboard over in kitchen to plastic stuff, toys etc therefore when my DS1 went into the kitchen he was allowed to open that particular cupboard and play. It means they are less likely to open the others.

Also I have a bathroom lock that you can open from the outside with a coin so you can lock them out of it!!!

Just shut doors to rooms and then you only have to deal with them in those rooms when they are big enough to actually open doors.

Don't be fooled by them being able to get somewhere only when they are crawling, my 6 month old DS2 can get anywhere he wants by wriggling along the floor like a little worm. Bless him.

Did plug sockets, child gate, door slammers to stop fingers being trapped, the marble hearth had protective corners on but DS1 took them off and chewed them. For some reason babies are obesessed with wires!!

Just see what he's interested in and adapt things as you go along. Babies/toddlers change really quickly and things that are safe now won't be safe in a month's time as he gets taller and more inquisitive. My 33 month old can now potentially reach anything in the house by climbing on a chair! She's also no longer interested in some of the things she explored as a baby and the stair gates are no longer needed. If you give them interesting, safe things to play with it will distract them from the dangerous things. Later on you have to train them not to touch certain things even if they can reach them, as no house can be 100% childproof. Children have to learn to be aware of danger. But at 21 weeks your baby is too young for that, I would say, at the moment just concentrate on making it safe and interesting.

Just see what he's interested in and adapt things as you go along. Babies/toddlers change really quickly and things that are safe now won't be safe in a month's time as he gets taller and more inquisitive. My 33 month old can now potentially reach anything in the house by climbing on a chair! She's also no longer interested in some of the things she explored as a baby and the stair gates are no longer needed. If you give them interesting, safe things to play with it will distract them from the dangerous things. Later on you have to train them not to touch certain things even if they can reach them, as no house can be 100% childproof. Children have to learn to be aware of danger. But at 21 weeks your baby is too young for that, I would say, at the moment just concentrate on making it safe and interesting.

also if you are worried about baby getting to cleaners, don´t use them use natural cleaners. you will save loads too. cleaners

We put a stair gate at the kitchen door - so that kitchen was safe without individual cupboard locks. 1 at top and bottom of stairs. Fire guard (which gave a dumping ground for dangerous objects) an socket covers. We did it gradually though as DTDs found new hazards. You just have to be aware though that letting them find the hazards first could potentially be hazardous.

All babies are different - we bought 2 of those baby-proof-your-house kits and have used less than half the contents of one.

We used all the corner pads for furniture as all babies will fall over and bump heads.

I put cupboard locks on the under-sink cupboard and the dresser so she couldn't get to the platess and bowls. That was it.

I "gave" her a drawer at her most inquisitive which she was always allowed to go in and pull everything out of, it was mostly plastic utensils and tea towels anyway, but she liked having her very own one and accepted she could have it but no others.

We mostly managed with a permanent stair gate at the top of the stairs and a travel one which we just moved around the various doorways in our house depending on where we were.

HTH

what my cousin did was this .. the only 2 places her DTS's were ever left alone were their bedroom and the living room. there was nothing in their bedroom that could harm them except for sockets so they had covers and there was a stair gate on their bedroom door. there was also one on the living room door. it meant she only had to baby proof those two rooms as anywhere else in the house if they were there she would be too.

what my cousin did was this .. the only 2 places her DTS's were ever left alone were their bedroom and the living room. there was nothing in their bedroom that could harm them except for sockets so they had covers and there was a stair gate on their bedroom door. there was also one on the living room door. it meant she only had to baby proof those two rooms as anywhere else in the house if they were there she would be too.

just remembered - we put hook and eye catches on the top of doors we didn't want DS going into unaccompanied(ie my office and the bathroom). Very cheap and unobtrusive.

See everyone has different ideas. I put locks on 2 of the kitchen cupboards and 1 in the utility room. I got plug covers. I also had some of those corners to stick over sharp corners but they are feeble and even a baby can pull them off. With DS I only ever had a top stair gate because he never once offered to climb the stairs until I forced the issue. I had to get another one though when DD was on the move. I had a fireguard with DS but decided just to not have the fire on when DD was around. My fridge is at the top with freezer underneath so never had a lock for that. If I had put a gate on the kitchen I would never have got anything cooked or done. DS would have been upset and DD would have been beside herself. Even now at 2 1/2 she nearly always comes and stands on a chair next to me when I am cooking.

Mostly same as above, except I was too mean to buy a second gate for the bottom of the stairs, so either used a huge beanbag or those plastic storage crates. Both DSs only aim in life at a certain stage was to crawl up the stairs, and those homemade barriers worked perfectly. Rx

the gate in the kitchen wasn't on the door. in their kitchen they have the bit where all the cupboards, fridge, cooker, sink etc is and then they have a breakfast bar which separates it too where the kitcen table is. the gate was put between the breakfast bar and the door so her DTS's could still go in and play and watch her do stuff but not get in the way.

also have a friend that has one on the kitchen door just so if she pops upstairs for 10 minutes DD can't get into the kitchen. if she is in the kitchen though DD is allowed in with her.

I ended up with about 3 safety gates, for top, bottom of stairs & utility room doorway to stop DS getting to the cat food bowl.

Pressure fitted are good if you think you might need to move them around.

A playpen is invaluable even if they hate it for urgent things like dropping a milk bottle on the floor which your DC will immediately make for.

Have cupbaord locks on ALL my bottom cupboards, because my floor is tiled, and knives kept in canisters on teh work tops as DS soon got tall enought to reach into drawers.

If you have bookcases or chests of drawers then either get some furniture straps or bolt them to the wall. Some children are climbers and will also use the the bottom to drawer to stand in to reach up.

Also, all saucepans on the back rings when cooking.

ds is nearly 3 and his new hobby is to drag chairs across the kitchen to reach things. I don't like this stage tbh.