Baby-proofing recommendations please!

[LooseyC]

DS is just coming to an age when he is getting a bit mobile and we will have to baby-proof our house (or at least some rooms) for the first time.

There seem to be hundreds of products out there - what are the essentials?

We do have sharp-edged furniture which I think will need some sort of corner cushions, and also french windows and a glass fronted cabinet which I was considering getting some of that safety film for - does anyone have any recommendations? I knew I should have stuck to bean bags and futuristic curved coffee tables!

dd never seemed to harm herself on the corners of the table, and learnt to duck after she bashed her head a couple of times, but socket guards (those blank plastic things to put in when no plugs are in) are still essential, otherwise she goes fishing in them with her fingers or any other 'tool' she can lay her little hands on .

Keeping her out of the bathroom altogether unless supervised was easier than trying to baby proof the bathroom, and magnetic catches for the kitchen cupboard where we keep the cleaning stuff have been a godsend (she learnt to operate the ones where you open the door and press the catch fairly quickly, and kept shutting her hands in doors trying to work them).

Also, this may sound obvious, but don't do anything in front of your ds that you don't want him to copy - I made the mistake of standing on a chair to reach something in front of dd; she thought that was a great game, and realised that was how she could get at things herself.

Thanks Roskva - our table corners seem really sharp so I think I would be nervous about leaving them uncovered. Where did you get your magnetic catches?

Good point about copying actually - DS is already doing this a bit so we need to be careful!

I got the magnetic catches from mothercare, but if you're ordering on line, I think Bump2three also do them. It took a while to get used to them, but it is worth it to know that dd can't get an arm into the cupboard and pull the bleach out!

Thanks very much! Anyone else got any top tips for good stuff? I can see myself spending a fortune here if I'm not careful in a paranoid spree...