Share the things you never thought you’d need to childproof for - £200 voucher to be won

[GraceEMumsnet]

Created for Duracell

What unexpected things have you child-proofed in your home? Whatever measures you’ve employed (however surprising!) we’d like to hear about them.

• Post your stories in the thread below to be entered into a prize draw
• One lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice

Here’s what Duracell has to say:
“Every year, hundreds of children accidentally ingest lithium coin cell batteries, which can have devastating and even fatal consequences if they do not receive medical attention immediately. Duracell is calling on parents across the country to #Take10 minutes to search their house for the 10 most common devices that take coin cell batteries and check those batteries are secure and not able to be accessed by children.”

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

My kids have eaten slugs and snails. I remember trying to wrestle a tiny snail out my toddlers mouth and he just gulped it down. The chewed in half slug was particularly bad

Oh, I nearly forgot the indelible marker pens. They were in a magnetic wire basket right at the top of our tall fridge, so safe enough, we thought...

Only she used a plastic skittle to drag the basket low enough down to grab a black & a red marker pen & as she just out of my sight at the side of the fridge, but I'd assumed safely playing as she was singing to herself & banging the skittles around & nothing there she could get into trouble with anyway. Only she'd grabbed the pens & drawn all over her face & some of her arms in thick black & red indelible ink. When I popped my head around the corner to check on her she was all pleased with her self & showed me her arms & said "look toos like Tim" (a heavily tattooed friend) 😳

She was left looking like a victim of child abuse for about a week & that was even with my knowing how to get it off with hairspray 🥴

The rabbits hutch 😂

DD would climb inside and make herself a nest

Thought I had childproofed until my son began taking things apart. The back of the alarm clock, the battery cover from remote controls, everything he could reach. We had to put strong tape onto things to stop him getting them open. Wish I had been warned we had quite a few scares!

My make up

The houseplants. Earth everywhere!

I have twins. One memorable day I nipped to the loo and when I came back they had emptied a bag of flour onto the sofa - I couldn't see across the room - and were rubbing yogurt into it. Little darlings.

The Christmas tree. At 11 months, DS nibbled his way through 4 chocolate decorations, including the foil wrappers. The subsequent nappies were interesting.

The kitchen cupboard handles. They look super stylish but really sharp corners are not baby friendly!

Coins when DS was 5 years old, he was apparently cleaning them in his mouth to make them shiny.

DD tried to chew the top of the radiators...

The hoover, nu 4 child liked to hoover everything and anyone. Including cat litter so was great when we couldn't find certain things.

Glitter.

Sprinkled on every surface in my bedroom by toddler DD "to make it pretty for you"!

The cat flap. Ds aged 9 months decided to follow the cat out. He got his head and one shoulder/arm through and got stuck.

Olive oil didn't work so it took a screw driver & hack saw to get him out. The health visitor was due that morning, a sarcastic woman I didn't much like so I was working against the clock

The bin.... nothing special I'm sure many of you think. Only my children are late teens early 20s . Bin has been childproof due to our dog.

The cat food. We call it cat biscuits maybe that's the problem. That and the baby loves the cat too much!

The toilet. Everything goes in it lightning quick. His tooth brush, a toy even his bedtime bunny nearly got a dunk the other day.

I don't as a rule baby proof as im with him constantly. If they understand hot -hurt - no - etc from young then it's better for all round. But then I try and have a no messing and fiddling household. ”If it's not yours dont touch.”

@OnlyYellowRoses I nearly spat out my laughing so hard at your story.

The cat flap! And the nappy bin

We never thought that we would have to child-proof the "ice lolly cupboard!!" Also, known as the freezer 🤣

My living room curtains - they love to wrap themselves in them and twirl around so it forms a cocoon - and a great hiding place at bedtime

Sudocrem-DS2 got it all over the nursing chair

The Christmas tree spent 2 years in the playpen, (then another year when we got a puppy).

Also a section of gravel in the garden which we were initially ok with DD touching till we saw a mouse run across it.

@Marelle

Honestly I haven’t childproofed anything. I just discipline my child and supervise him adequately. If he does something he’s not supposed to, I see him doing it and stop him.

Hahahahahahahaha

(Goes to pour more wine)

The kitchen table

The high chair, which she can and does climb into but gets tangled in the straps

The bathroom drawers

The tv remote, as she figured out how to use it.

I can't really child proof the back of the sofa but falling off it may have proved educational.

She is 20 months old and actually less trouble (though a better climber) than DS was.

Everything
They are absolute terrors
No access to food (six half eaten apples, a box of crackers and lots of biscuits)
Cat food, dog treats
No access to any kind of writing/drawing implement
Cupboards
Front doors

Everything and anything! My daughter finds her way into everything!

The door stoppers. Such a great invention until you have a crawling toddler who loves to ping them and pull the small rubber bit of the end. Absolute nightmare choking hazard