DS is 1 and I worry about letting him get into things....

[Eve4Walle]

He's on his feet, although not yet walking. He has a playpen which I try not to put him in unless I have to (because he doen't much like it anymore and rocks back an forth in it like a bored,chained bear), like going to the loo and essential housework. I have a stairgate between the lounge and dining room/kitchen where I can see him if I am in either of those rooms.

My priblem is, when he's out and about, he just wants to wreck the whole room and having a 5 year old DS too, I worry constantly about him getting hold of some small toy and choking, or doing something he shouldn't, and I don't feel like I can get on with anything. The house has gone to pot and I am a wreck!

He has plenty of toys in the lounge but just seems intent on gettinginto the drawers, pulling the fireguard off etc. I have baby proofed as much as possible.

I guess I'd like some reassurance really - what does everyone else do?

He's growing up and experimenting!

'The house has gone to pot and I am a wreck!' I love this line- sums up my life post children!!!

I don't think you can baby-proof completely, just make things as safe as you can. Move important stuff higher and further away from his reach. But ultimately, if you have older ones, nothing is as baby proof as when you only have one.

I have an almost 5yr old ds and an 18mth old ds and have similar issues with ds2 being into EVERYTHING! My older ds keeps all the toys that could be potentially harmful to ds 2 in his own room and that way he can play with whatever he likes downstairs without me worrying and dashing back and forth to check ds2 hasn't eaten lego or some little sword or toy accessory etc! ds1 doesn't mind having his stuff in his room as it keeps it safe from ds2's rougher way of playing but he has plenty of his larger toys downstairs in the p,ayroom too so that can both play together with those.
Tough if he can pull fireguard off (we got one from argos that hooks onto loops on the wall so it's hard enough for an adult to get off - maybe switch to that?). I think playpens are enormously useful at that age and we only took ours down when ds2 was 17mths old as it was invaluable for putting him safely in while I packed up the car or got the pushchair out of the garage etc and wanted to ensure ds2 was safe and out of harm's way. Aside from that you can't do much more apart from make clear guidelines as to what he can and can't touch! Good luck!

I have a DS 2.11 and a DD 11m. I put all the "dangerous" toys in DS's bedroom and it has a gate across it.

Can you get a better fireguard? Mine is attached to the wall and couldn't be pulled off, I doubt I could even pull it off myself.

Can you reorganise the furniture in the rooms? Everything in my lounge (apart from the TV) is OK to be handled by a baby. The only real furniture in there is a sofa, the rest is a playhouse and toys etc. I don't have a dining room, it's a study instead and everything "dangerous" from downstairs lives in there and it has a gate across.