Babyproofing

[YummyorSlummy]

My ds is 8 months old now and I'm getting a bit overwhelmed with all the things u can buy to babyproof your house. I'm staying at my parents until the beginning of October and I've kind of given up on babyproofing their house as theres too much stuff and would be near impossible to make it safe without refurbishing! So instead Iv bought a playpen and a safety gate for the kitchen and whenever I need to do something I sit him in it with some toys (I do let him crawl around as much as poss tho!) I'm thinking more about my own house: Which babyproofing paraphernalia do you ladies think is essential so that I can let him roam free??!

flipping heck its a minefield.

I have to say I didnt get loads for our house.
#1 was getting some rubber 'corners' for the sharp corners on our computer desk.
#2 was some locks for the cupboards I really didnt want him to get into. e.g nasty cleaning stuff and fragile computer stuff
#3 were stairgates to pen him into the right areas!
#4 I got some plug guards to stop his little fingers getting in there although to be honest he's never ever shown an interest in plug sockets.
Oh I also got one of those covers for the video player cos he always had his fingers in it (although its redundant now as we dont use videos) but you may want to protect the DVD player!

People need different stuff though - I think it depends on the child. DS has never shown an interest in the fridge so didnt bother getting a lock for that. Or the loo so ditto. He cant reach the oven or the hobs. (And if I use the hobs when he's about I only use the back ones)

I do actually use the saftey straps on furniture which I never bothered with before (eg bookcases, shelving etc) if it seems even the slightest bit unstable.

Yeh the bookcase in ds's bedroom is one of the things i'm most worried about. I don't suppose these can also be used on flatscreen tvs to stop little ones pulling them over???

we had socket covers, some cupboard locks for most of the kitchen cupboards (but not drawers), corner guards for the coffee table and stairgates to stop them from getting to the stairs (we had to use them across the hall and kitchen door as our stairs were funny shaped at the bottom). We also had perspex screen things to stop fiddly fingers from getting got the sky box card and dvd player.

We didnt have safety straps or window guards or oven guards or fridge locks or toilet locks, etc

Stairgates at the top and bottom of the stairs, and one over the kitchen door. All our sockets are hidden behind things.

A pair of thick tights tied round the door handle on the inside of the door and then round the outside handle. Acts as a buffer to stop the door slamming on little fingers.

DS has now worked out that he can get in my drawers though and keeps wandering about with my pants on his head. Not good when the vicar comes to tea

Our DS was obsessed with opening and shutting all the cupboard doors in our kitchen. We ended up giving him his very 'own' cupboard (well, it's the one where we keep all the tupperware, so no danger of breakages) and he loved that.

The plugguards are definitely worth getting, ditto the stairgate. I'm afraid the rubber 'corners' ended up being picked off at the earliest opportunity and shoved straight in the mouth, so that was the end of that!

I used socket covers, only because they were given to me , stairgates.
And I did have a playpen.
Invaluable for answering the phone, popping to the toilet, vacuuming, without taking baby with or them following.

Yummyorslummy, before buying socket covers, please see this old thread suggesting that socket covers can actually be more dangerous:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/parenting/729182-Electrical-socket-safety

Check water/radiator temperature doesn't get too hot, if it does get it turned down.

Fireguard.

Fireguard for DSs (had central heating by the time we had DD)

Cupboard locks for the kitchen

Had a video lock for DS1 after he posted loads of stuff into it, but got a TV cabinet with doors we could tie shut (OK not attractive I know) for the other two.

All our sockets were behind things.

I can't think of anything else we specifically bought - I know all our decorative 'bits' gradually got higher, but that happened as time went on.

Actually, just remembered, we got a radiator cover for the radiator in the hall so DD wouldn't pull herself up on it (others were behind things).

Don't bother with the corner bumper things - I spent 15 minutes putting them on, DS1 spent 2 minutes taking them off and the next X months whacking his head (he's fine).

Don't bother with a video cover - DS1 and 2 could remove this.

Don't bother with the plug guards, they are unnecessary and possibly more dangerous than an open socket - a socket has safety covers in place already. See Supercherry's link.

Never bothered with cupboard locks and they never bothered with the cupboards.

Stairgate at the foot of the stairs is the only essential thing IMO. Oh, and making sure tall furniture is fixed to the wall, that's wise (although most of mine isn't!)

I have got a playpen and stairgates (and the stairgate at the bottom fell off the wall so now we just block the stairs with crap so make sure a competent person installs them and not an impatient man who "doesn't need" the instructions)

That is it! Plug sockets have safety things built in, and most are out of reach anyway.

DS hasn't gone into the cupboards and drawers yet and doesn't go into the kitchen unsupervised because of the cat food being out (he thinks he is a cat and eats it!) but will probably get cupboard locks for the ones with dangerous stuff in. We could also do with something to stop him trapping his fingers in doors (he hasn't yet, a couple of near misses) but I tend to block them open with chairs etc if he is allowed through and close them if not.

Btw what was the post on the safety issues with plug socket guards? The link to the article is no longer valid. Am guessing from the posts it's something like the guards disarm the in-built safety features?

we had/have:
stairgates
fireguard
socket covers

we really must fit window catches - have some oddly low windows which fully open without stopping, so currently in these rooms we have to keep them shut.