[alexsam]

OK- DS is now into EVERYTHING and is highly mobile so it's time to "batten down the hatches".

So, what types of "kidtastrophe" preventers do you recommend or do you have any tips? I need something for the cabinets and drawers so DS can't open them and I need soemthing to prevent him from opening doors (this hasn't happened yet, but I am terrified of him getting into the garage from the house- so I actually need door things for internal (like the bathroom) and external doors). We are going to gate off the kitchen entirely for now, but we will also need things for those cabinets in the near future. Also, are there things on the market to stablilize book cases and things? There might be other common hazards I haven't thought of yet that we need to address as well, so if I'm missing something, let me know (we don't have stairs)! I'm not a paranoid mama, but he's like a little monkey :LOL I have a big gated play area now, but we are moving soon and it would be better to just "kid proof" the new living room than try to keep him "caged up".

So- favorite products? tips? How do you keep your toddler away from the dangerous things in every house?

 

[KyleAnn]

Colin is a little monkey as well....I always tell dh if he were in an empty room with bare walls, he'd still find a way to climb.

We were never able to keep him out of everywhere, and beleive me...we tried! But some of the things that did/did not work for us...
As far as cabinets go, they have the kind that screw into the inside of the door and catch on the inner cupboard-those worked fine for a while, but imo you're better off with the kind that latch around the two handles and lock shut. http://www.safety1st.com/product.asp?productID=202
After a few months of the first kind, he realized all he had to do was yank them really hard and they would open, eventually breaking.
We have all of our inside door knobs covered with the spinning knob covers, which again have worked really well-the adults who come over to our house find them a little pesky to open

, but they do the job. http://www.safety1st.com/product.asp?productID=181
Just recently he discovered if he pulls on those hard enough he can yank those off as well, but he did that for a few days, then stopped. Mind you, he is 26 months...
One time ds did have his little dresser fall over because he had all the drawers pulled out and pulled on them, since then we have a strap like device the connects to the back of the dresser with a screw? and then the other end of the strap screws into the wall. http://www.safety1st.com/product.asp?productID=185
It's good that you're thinking of that-we didn't and Colin almost got smooshed (okay, he didn't really, but it was scary for a minute, as he could have been hurt!).
Also, now that he's older and tall, he is very interested in our oven-we have a gas range with the knobs on the front, and would find his little fingers wandering to them, onestepahead has little covers that go over them and lock that we got-LOVE those, wonderful peace of mind. Safety 1st makes them as well though... http://www.safety1st.com/product.asp?productID=204
One more thing that I love that is so simple, is this foam little c shaped piece that hugs the door-Colin was famous for going into his room and closing the door, this keeps them from being able to close the door all the way and smashing their fingers, or from closing the door and locking it after, which was a concern of mine because his old room had a little lock on the inside door knob. http://www.safety1st.com/product.asp?productID=180
Anyway, hth a little.

 

[Ceili]

Our kitchen is gated off, but we locked most of our cabinets with these. We don't have handles on our cabinets and these were the only ones that ds can't open. We keep the magnet key on the top of the refridgerator.

We removed all of our mini-blinds. In the rooms where we had to have something we put in cordless shades.

We use the safe plate covers for our outlets. I like them because you don't have to remember to put the outlet cover back on everytime after you unplug something and you don't break your fingernails trying to pry the little plastic thing out.

We put deadbolt locks on all of our outside doors and I keep them locked when we're home. They're definately harder to open than any baby-proofing thing.