So you’ve gone through your entire house and you think you’re done childproofing. You’ve plugged every outlet, cushioned every table corner, latched every cabinet and drawer, but don’t stop now. Children are unpredictable and as they grow there will be new, different things they are interested in, you must be prepared and diligent for any unforeseen.
Childproofing is a mindset.
Even with outlets covered and cabinets latched there are so many things kids can get into. You cannot keep everything locked away at all times. You do have to actually live in your home. While you’re living in your home, however, you need to change what and how you do things.
For instance, my husband has a bad habit of leaving our pantry door open. We have a pantry that is a normal hinged door. We put a child lock door knob on it. They cannot open the door, but when it’s left open there’s the trash, food, knives, appliances, for them to get into and shelves to climb.
Your home should be you and your child’s safe haven.
You can relax and let them have fun with less concern. This is one big reason we childproof, but when you’re out and about the senses rise, the anxiety bubbles, and us moms are on the ball watching our kids and every little safety hazard that may arise. I can be very anxious when I have my kids at other peoples home. I have to worry about them grabbing things, breaking things, hurting themselves, it can be tiring. Also, other adults who do not live with children full time do not understand the little habits that have to change around them.
A couple months ago I had to work a night and my husband was just getting off work for the day. I took my kids over to him at my in-law’s house. Before I had to leave I went to the restroom and this was before my husband had finally pulled himself away from his computer, he works with his dad. I open the bathroom door, enter the kitchen and find an open dishwasher and my 1.5 year old son grabbing at a knife in the utensil tray. Nobody else in the kitchen. You really cannot take your eye off them for a second, especially when you’re not thinking ahead.
What Do Other Moms Have to Say About Childproofing?
“My inlaws thought giving my then 2 year old a metal saucepan to play with was a great idea. They have a glass coffee table. Guess where I found him banging away to their delight? Child proofing takes a certain amount of common sense”
Jasmine from Love, Life, Laugh, Motherhood.
“Proper ‘childproofing’ of your home is like a never ending job. We’ve had to put ourselves in the mindset of our kids, and crawl around the house challenging anything and everything that might be curious or entertaining. My son has seen me stand on a chair to take out stuff from high shelves. He now does the same by trying to take the Ice cream out of the freezer!! What a handy tool he’s discovered. Now he can reach for all the vases and cutlery I’ve been putting out of his reach. It’s a loosing battle!!”
Anjana Malakar from Mommy Republic.
“Know your child’s next move before they do ;)”
Kayla Cuddihey from Mommying Ain’t Easy
“By the time you figure out everything you need to fix, they’ve already moved on to the next thing they can kill themselves with.”
Rachelle Willgren from Mama Writes Reviews
“It’s thinking about things like not walking into the bathroom or kitchen and leaving your coffee cup or any cup within reach, they will spill it in the 1 minute you are away and a hot drink could be dangerous, not just messy”
Shari Dawson Shearer
“Our three have been the biggest babyproofing challenge imaginable. They use each other to climb up higher, they learned to distract us by 2 so that their brother or sister could try to get things. We regularly go down to their height and look through our home for dangers. Then again at our own height because of the climbing. And each kid is different in what they’ll likely attempt. One daughter has no furniture left in her room except the mattresses because she’s strong enough to rearrange her entire room. We make sure we have places where its ok to climb, run, jump, and throw with supervision and they are less tempted in the house.”
Aja Harris from The Wandering Chaos
“Child proofing goes beyond making your home safe for your family. We did a family vacation with my in-laws and my mother in law had my son (then 1 year old) in her bedroom playing. He came over to me in the next room and I noticed his mouth clenched shut. He had a hearing aid battery in his mouth. A moment I will never forget and still to this day have anxiety over.”
Kelsey Kosztowny
“I’m always scanning and attempting to think ahead with my little miss grabby hands toddler. I know my cup of coffee next to my computer would be a target and make attempts to avoid such temptations. My husband however doesn’t have the amount of diligence I have. We got VERY lucky we didn’t need a new laptop!”
Kameron McKenzie
Sarah
Similar Posts:
