Childproofing Elements in My Home That Just Make Sense
Here is some information and a roundup of links and important safety tips that are a followup to my Instagram Reel/Tiktok!
Helpful Links
You can shop all of my Amazon childproofing supplies here: https://a.co/cljb0uq
Gates
Never use pressure-mounted gates at or around stairs, ESPECIALLY not at the top. It is recommended by professionals that you place a top-of-stairs gate at or around a landing area for the top of stairs. NEVER use pressure-mounted!
Retract-A-Gate (great for bottom of stairs or anywhere really- except as above)
Swing-out Gate - (similar) this is a well known and quality brand, however do NOT pay attention to their images, videos or marketing tactics. Wherever possible, do not install a gate at the immediate top of stairs without a landing. If you must, the gate must not swing over the stairs, and it CANNOT be pressure-mounted.
Anti-Tip
Cabinet / Drawer / Door Locks
Drawer Locks - do not use with flush drawers, we could not install any drawer locks on our drawers except the top ones, because of the "step ladder" effect that can occur with drawer locks, creating a ladder the child climbs on. if your drawers "stack flush" on top of one another, this is a risk.
Cabinet Locks (do NOT use magnet cabinet locks!)
Slide-lock door locks (do NOT use knob covers, see my note below!) (do NOT buy ones that are metal, advertised as being "higher quality" than the plastic kind, this is NOT fire evacuation safe!)
Exterior Doors
Anti-Intrusion Lock (see my note below about these!)
Water Safety
Toilet Lid Lock (infants / toddlers can drown in toilets, an inch of water, etc!)
Drowning and preventable injury is the #1 cause of death in children & teens. While I certainly don’t believe in fear-mongering to get you to “buy things”, here are some basic tips from the national safety council, and what I’ve learned by having my home childproofed by a professional company. Links to helpful products (affiliate links) are above.
HIGH-RISK ZONES
Water: in the bathroom, kitchen, swimming pools or hot tubs. Most drowning or near-drowning incidents happen when a child falls into a pool or is left alone in the bathtub. Heat or flame: in the kitchen, in the fireplace or at a barbeque grill
Toxic substances: under the kitchen sink, in the medicine cabinet, in the garage or garden shed, in a purse etc
Potential for a fall: on stairs, slippery floors, from high windows or from tipping furniture
BASIC SAFETY TIPS
Keep guns out of reach and unloaded, keep bullets separate
Learn basic CPR techniques including the age-appropriate Heimlich maneuver (I have a video on how to do this on my YouTube channel!)
Keep coin lithium batteries, or "button batteries,", out of reach of children; they can be fatal if swallowed!
Keep choking hazards, toxic substances, hot and sharp items out of reach
NEVER leave young kids unattended in a bath
Put infants “back to sleep” (face up/boca arriba) and NO loveys, pillows, or blankets except a wearable blanket. No Crib bumpers either. Use a fresh new baby mattress for each child at birth.
CHILDPROOFING
Safety latches and locks for cabinets and drawers
Outlet covers (if you have TR tamper-resistant outlets you likely don’t need these)
Anchors to prevent furniture, TVs and ranges from tipping over and crushing children
Corner and edge bumpers to help prevent injuries from falls against sharp edges on walls, furniture and fireplaces
Knob covers, which snap over door knobs to prevent young children from turning them
Cordless window coverings to prevent strangulation
More than 3,000 children are injured seriously enough in falls out of windows to require medical attention every year. One child dies every month from window cord strangulation.
A word about knob covers: I was using them, until the baby proofing professional informed me that they are a fire evacuation risk. Instead, use the slide locks like mine, which are made of plastic with a “break point” so the door can be easily forced/broken open with minimal force by an adult.
A word about anti-intrusion devices: these are great for preventing kids who are tall enough to reach the door handle and know how to turn a door lock. Just a word of caution: don’t use them on *every* door as you’ll need ways for emergency crew to enter easily in an emergency.
A word about magnetic "invisible" cabinet locks: the magnet "key" is a choking hazard. We got rid of them and replaced them with the push-down "positive" cabinet locks as recommended by the professional.
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Sources:
Child Safety - National Safety Council https://www.nsc.org/community-safety/safety-topics/child-safety/child-safety-home
