Baby proofing 101

[surfmama106]

I know we spoke about this on TB but I just had a panic attack that I haven't really done any baby proofing. All I really need to do is outlet covers, cabinets, and electronic wires, right? I was thinking of getting that playyard gates and putting it around the entertainment center. Am I missing something? Have you baby proofed yet? We aren't crawling yet but I fear it's coming sooner then I'm ready for.

[Lola]

So far we have put the outlet covers in and made an area in the basement for him to play with the foam mats. We were at BRU yesterday and gates were buy one get one 50% off. Still trying to come up with a good solution for the bannister at the top of the stairs.

[lucanjo14]

Ahh I've been panicking about this too. LO is almost crawling, but even with just rolling and pivoting his body he can end up in a totally diff spot. Planning to babyproof this weekend. I'm focusing on baby gates, outlet covers, lock for under the sink and also like the idea of getting foam mats.

[mary1217]

We haven't done much yet. A few outlet covers in her play area. Its not really a room - only has 3 walls. We are planning on gating off the kitchen so no need to cabinets for now. We will need to move some lamps when she is more mobile.

I am concerned about our fireplace. Right now we aren't in the living room with her very often but its an odd shape and doesn't have straight edges to be able to attach anything to.

I am still trying to decide if I want to gate off her play area. One wall is longer than the other so a straight gate won't work.

[huahine]

With DS1 we never bothered to do kitchen cabinets or drawers. We just moved anything dangerous up to a high cabinet or out of reach.

My theory with babyproofing is to take care of the things that will kill them. So outlet covers, TV strap and a gate at the top of the stairs were my highest priorities. We never put bumpers on the corners of tables, figuring that after a few bumps, he would learn not to run into them eventually.

[bigrock74]

We haven't done anything yet. He's not really able to move around to get into anything yet but I suspect that is going to change soon.

[anotherdreamer]

Everyone goes to different lengths. We are still baby proofed from DS. I definitely would do outlet covers and anchoring large/heavy pieces of furniture. We also have gates and cabinets taken care of.

[bitchtits]

We need to clean our gun pile off the living room floor, and maybe lock up the bullets that are in the shoebox next to the pile. I'm not worried about wires or outlets; I'm just going to tell LO "no" and he'll listen because I'm a better parent than you

[GrrArgh]

It's easy if you just make one completely baby proof area. Then you can sit around while they examine the carpet without worrying about them getting into stuff. We did that and didn't do the rest of the house until she was a lot older.

[lucanjo14]

Any recommendations on a good baby gate for wider openings?

[GrrArgh]

Jan 24, 2015 21:48:01 GMT -5 lucanjo14 said:

Any recommendations on a good baby gate for wider openings?

We use dreambaby gates, they are pricy but they have extension pieces you can buy to make them different lengths. They are also auto-closing which you get used to real quick and miss when it's gone. They've also been pretty durable so I don't have any complaints.

[ursula]

Outlet covers and cabinet locks are all that we do. We have a gate for the stairs that we may use but won't put that out for a while.

[isolemnlyswear]

Jan 23, 2015 22:34:03 GMT -5 GrrArgh said:

It's easy if you just make one completely baby proof area. Then you can sit around while they examine the carpet without worrying about them getting into stuff. We did that and didn't do the rest of the house until she was a lot older.

I suggested this to DH and he looked at me like I was crazy.... I'm still hoping I can talk him into it.

[surfmama106]

Jan 25, 2015 22:08:07 GMT -5 isolemnlyswear said:

Jan 23, 2015 22:34:03 GMT -5 GrrArgh said:

It's easy if you just make one completely baby proof area. Then you can sit around while they examine the carpet without worrying about them getting into stuff. We did that and didn't do the rest of the house until she was a lot older.

I suggested this to DH and he looked at me like I was crazy.... I'm still hoping I can talk him into it.

I'm hoping to do this as well. We have a den/tv room where were mostly hang out that already has all DDs toys in it. It's got 2 little steps leading down to it and so there's that, the entertainment center w/ wires etc, and outlets. I'll prob ignore the kitchen cabinets for now and just gate the den in.

[argonne]

We are just doing cabinets, a gate at the top of the stairs (ranch style home), and strapping our entertainment center doors closed.  Thankfully, most of this was done already with DS.  We have a new house and the outlets are protected already.  They have an internal piece that slides to the side when you go to plug something in.  It is hard for us to get stuff plugged in and you need a proper plug to move the piece over, so it is nearly impossible for a child to get anything in those sockets.