[VBMama]

Hi mamas,<br><br>
We are slowly childproofing the house so that ds can roam & play at will. We installed the cheapie plastic latches on the cupboards & drawers in the kitchen, but I'm worried ds can still pinch or slam his fingers inside.<br><br>
I love the idea of those magnetic tot locks, but ay ay ay, it would cost about $60-$80 to outfit the kitchen!! Is it a worthwhile investment? Anyone have them? This is our first (but not last) baby, and I don't know how long we should anticipate needing to keep the kitchen "childproofed."<br><br>
tia for your advice!

 

[AllyRae]

YES!! My son can get through any childproofing thing, except the magnetic locks. We only have them on the dangerous cabinet (our trash, dish detergent, compost pot, and fire extinguisher are in that cabinet). He can't open the door without the magnet key. I wouldn't recommend them for all cabinets, simply because it's expensive (anything that isn't dangerous, isn't locked for us...if he wants to dump the pans on the floor, he can...but he knows he will not have access to the locked cabinet). Oh yeah, and we're putting them on a medicine cabinet once we get the medicine cabinet back up.<br><br>
Anyhow, yeah, they are expensive, but neither dh nor I can pull them open unless the key is used, so I'm really comfortable with the level of safety with these locks.

 

[PumpkinSeeds]

Yes they are worth it. And you don't need to do every cabinet. I just did the one under the sink and the one in the bathroom.<br><br>
In the other low cabinets I kept stuff like tupper ware, pots and pans, you know the kid toys..

 

[HelloKitty]

Like the others said - use it for the cabinets that you really need to keep DC out of and then it's not too expensive. Our DS has no issues getting right throught the cheapo ones - and after awhile they are worthless they just seem to open right up, plus they break so easy if you have older kids that "forget" they are there <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/eyesroll.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="roll"> . The tot lock ones totally keep him out. My only issue is that they are a PITA to get into the cabinets LOL, a lot more work then just flicking the latch, but still totally worth it <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">

 

[Jane]

I helped my husband install them for my mom. It was kind of scary messing with my mom's really nice cabinets. They rock, though, when they are in. You never have to un-install them because they are so easy to disable. Your house can go from un-childproof to childproof in 10 seconds if you need that later (babysitting your friend's little ones or the next baby comes). After a while, the continued rubbing of the key did make a rough spot on the finish, but it wasn't too noticable. They also hold the door SHUT so kids can't do that open-shut-open-shut thing where the door opens an inch and then slams back, so it is quiet and doesn't encourage them to try to break the lock. I think they'd be great for the medicine cabinet, liquer cabinet, and gun cabinet as well. I think they should be marketed more broadly. I need locks for those for ADULTS!

 

[nonnymoose]

I know we can't get into our cabinets unless we have the "key"...my DH left it on the windowsill instead of the stove vent yesterday and I was going to have a stroke if I couldn't get into the cabinet to clean out the diaper pail. Good thing I found it <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/orngbiggrin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="orange big grin"><br>
Keep in mind, if you have older cabinets, the template that comes with the Tot-lok set is mostly useless. I was a little leery of drilling a big hole in my cabinet, but it worked out okay. It helps if you work with tools a lot - DH will put the rest of the locks on.

 

[CajunMama]

These locks are awesome! We bought a pack of 4- the pantry, the broo, closet, under the sink, and they work great. I love that I can disable them when cooking and DS is napping. They are really strong but a PITA to install. DH finally stopped looking at the directions( which were really confusing) and installed them on our older cabinets.<br><br>
We have regular locks on some of the other cabinets, and no locks on "his" cabinets, filled with tupperware, his pot, sippy cups etc.

 

[Ravin]

We moved the hazardous stuff high up, and that's it. We're in an apartment and can't install any kind of childproofing gadgets in the cupboards. So some cupboards and drawers are DD's, with things in them it's okay for her to pull out, and some are not, and we don't let her in them. Most notably, under the sink, with non-toxic but not to get into items such as trash bags and DH's (very heavy and zipped up) knife bag (chef's), the vinegar and baking soda, etc. And the one w/ the glass baking pans, she's not allowed in that.<br><br>
Overall, we just supervise and tell her it's not hers and relocate her to acceptable activity/area. We also have computer desks in the "dining" area and she's not allowed to mess w/ the computers, much as she might want to.<br><br>
In short, we use supervision and relocation/redirection to keep DD out of stuff. And let her get into stuff--the tupperware cupboard, the drawer w/ the (nonsharp) tools in it, the drawer w/ the napkins and potholders, the big cupboard w/ the unopened cereal boxes and such. All hers to play w/ as she will. When I'm cooking I put her in the high chair so she can see what's going on, provided she's in the mood for it.<br><br>
The only technological concessions we've made to childproofing thus far are a cover over the outlet right above her toy basket in the living room. The lamp that provides the primary light for the room is plugged in there, with nowhere else to plug it in if we want the lamp itself safely out of reach...so I put a cover over it so DD can't unplug it!

 

[PumpkinSeeds]

We've installed childproofing gadgets that involved drilling and holes in several apartments in which we lived. I usually ask (not always though) and have had no problems.<br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>Ravin</strong></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">We're in an apartment and can't install any kind of childproofing gadgets in the cupboards.</div>
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[HokieMum]

The magnetic locks are the ONLY ones that work for us, the parents of Baby Houdini! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/thumb.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="thumbs up"><br><br>
At just 1 year old, Paige can get all of the other ones unlatched! We have consolidated the dangerous stuff (cleaning products, plastic bags, and grooming products) into 2 cabinets and 2 drawers in the kitchen and 1 cabinet in each bathroom. This cut down on the # of locks that we had to buy (at $30 per pack! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/eyesroll.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="roll"> ) Also, Paige can play in the other cabinets (pots & pans, kitchen towels, etc) so she doesn't feel the need to try and get into the other cabinets like she did when everything was locked...or <i>supposed</i> to be locked with those flimsy things!

 

[rubelin]

Yup, the day I watched Ben pull open a drawer in my sewing table, flick the latch and open it up, I went out and got a bunch of tot locs. They are pricey and a bit of a pain to install (could they make the screws any teenier?!?!) but they are the only thing I use on drawers I do not want him getting into. Unfortunately, we just moved and the kitchen cabinets are laminated with no handles (and the landlords don't want holes in them!!) so I will probably have to use stick-on latches and pray that Kieran isn't as inquisitive as his brother.

 

[Wendy_M]

Yes they are worth it. And you don't need to do every cabinet. I just did the one under the sink and the one in the bathroom.

In the other low cabinets I kept stuff like tupper ware, pots and pans, you know the kid toys..

I completely agree. Where you can, just move everything that is harmful out of reach (higher cabinet or drawer). But if your main concern is finger's getting slammed, that is an issue best addressed by adding anti-slam tracks to drawers and cabinets. I think that magnetic locks are great, but just don't go crazy. The worst thing that you can do is make your security impractical. If it is too hard for the grown ups, or even other kids in the house to use, then people are going to try and get around it. For example leaving cabinets and drawers open for long periods of time because you need access to them again in about a minute. That is why it is best to move items into the lower cabinets which you do not need to use that often. I think it is a great idea to keep kids stuff in those lower places, and that way nothing is inconveniencing you too much.

The best advice I can give you for magnetic locks is to learn what is out there. I love these keyed magnetic locks that I found on Amazon. We have since removed them, but they worked by putting a magnet on the door to the cabinet, and then you could use the magnet to open the door. It was perfect because the kids would pull on the handles with the other childproof locks. I don't know if it was bad for them, but they would just grab on the handle and shake it, and throw a tantrum. (This would happen a lot with a nephew that has autism and would be frustrated that he could not open the cabinet). No handles no frustration, so that might help anyone out there that has an autistic child. It really worked for my sister, once she noticed the change when he was at my house (calmer).

Also with those magnetic keys you can just keep them up high, and they are universal, so no matter which set you have, they will work. I guess that you could also keep them on your key ring, but we never did that because I did not want to have to carry my keys around in the house.

Hope that helps, but there are other magnetic locks out there, so try and find the one that works best for you!

 

[CrazyPatty]

Hi mamas,

We are slowly childproofing the house so that ds can roam & play at will. We installed the cheapie plastic latches on the cupboards & drawers in the kitchen, but I'm worried ds can still pinch or slam his fingers inside.

I love the idea of those magnetic tot locks, but ay ay ay, it would cost about $60-$80 to outfit the kitchen!! Is it a worthwhile investment? Anyone have them? This is our first (but not last) baby, and I don't know how long we should anticipate needing to keep the kitchen "childproofed."

tia for your advice!

Totally worth it. My son was getting into all the drawers in my kitchen and dragging out everything. I caught him one day with a chef's knife in his hand (he was only a year old), and that's when my husband and I baby-proofed the whole house. We did the bathroom drawers too. He's 3.5 years old now and stays out of things, and unfortunately, there are still baby locks on everything We really need to take them all off soon.