Baby Safety Locks
Baby Home Safety Essential Equipment
Author: Declan Tobin
When you bring your new born bundle of joy home for the first time it is hard to imagine a time when your baby will be crawling around on all four’s. Babies grow so fast that it is essential to have a list of baby safety gadgets on your list from monitors, sterilizing units, playpens, gates, kitchen safety locks, child finger protection, drawer locks, window locks, toilet locks, fire guards, black out blinds car window protectors, door stops and locks to air purifiers.
The moment your baby stars to crawl you will need a strategic plan of safety already set in place. Baby proofing is essential as thousands of babies across the U.S are hospitalised each year because of household accidents. Boiling kettles, cookers, dishwashers, tumble dryers house hold chemicals are all lethal to small children. Small hands can get into areas of danger that we as adults are unaware of .Household products for e.g. are often placed at easy reach for us adults under a cupboard or press, for inquisitive hand and minds these products are lethal.
A simple locking device or re positioning of these chemical will prevent a trip to the emergency room. All household gadgets can pose a lethal treat to small children for example a cord of a kettle or iron could kill burn or mame a small child. Even the smallest thing such as corner protectors for sharp edges on a table can pose a threat to a small baby’s eyes or head. It is important to try to see the environment around you through small toddler’s eyes in terms of safety. Look around the home and take all areas as hazardous potential dangers to your child and adjust them accordingly.
There is no need to go over board as things that cannot be reached or accessed by a small toddler won’t apply. From the very beginning it is important to have equipment such as a safe crib and mattress, baby bassinette, monitors for audio or visual protection a baby car seat and baby sterilizing unit. From conception we as parents are protecting our children. As babies start to crawl they will be inquisitive as to their surroundings and something as trivial as a two-step fall can permanently damage a toddler, so stair gates or safety gates in general are essential.
Electrical outlets are important and small fingers can easily be prodded and placed in sockets. All areas of the home on a low level and reachable level to a toddler are potentially dangerous or lethal. The smallest of things like placing a hot cup of tea or coffee or placing a hair dryer or staightener in the reach of a toddler can cause third degree burns. A little common sense and forethought is all that is needed to pre-empt any dangerous situation. The best way to cross check all of the safety procedures are to go on line and view all the potential hazards in the home.
Frequently Asked Questions
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QUESTION:
Do you ladies use the locks for baby safety?
Okay, I’m pregnant with my first baby, and I want to put locks on the cabinets that young children can open (for safety). I was wondering if you have used them, and what brands you like?Are they easily breakable or strudy?
Thanks to everyone who answers.-
ANSWER:
I used a brand called ~ Safety 1st ~I’d wait til bub is clawing around to put them on!! I also put on the corner covers too!! (for the coffee table) and used a broom upside down for the drawers!!
They worked well and would recommend them to any new mum!!
here a link to the safety 1st web to have a look!!http://www.safety1st.com/
Here is another site I’ve found help full too!!
http://www.readysetsafe.com.au/child-safety-tips-&-tricks.html
Best of luck <3 k x
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QUESTION:
What do i do when baby gates/locks stop working?
My 22 month old son has started climbing the baby gates and now he can get into stuff with the safety locks on them. He keeps going into the bathroom and getting into everything and theres cleaning stuff and chemicals so i have to find a way to keep him out of there but what else can i do when that stuff stops working? We have a babygate blocking the stairs to our basement (theres no way to put a door there) and if he tries climbing that hes gonna fall down 10 cement stairs…What do you do when that stuff stops working? I try and watch him but i babysit 2 other kids so i cant be everywhere he is all the time.
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ANSWER:
pop his little butt when he looks like hes about to climb that gate. but dont use the smack as the lesson.. use a pop on the butt to get his attention and then tell him NO it is not ok to climb the gate.i bet a smack would feel better than busting his head on those cement stairs.
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QUESTION:
how to get off adhesive baby locks?
i bought the safety 1t adjustable straps with adhesive when my son was little. now that he is older i want to take them off. the problem is that my cabinets have that fake paper wood stuff on them and when i took the first one off it ripped the fake wood paper off with it! any suggestions on how to get them off without destroying my cabinets?-
ANSWER:
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QUESTION:
Putting him into a bed tonight for the 1st time?
heymy son is 21 months and we got him a toddler bed, we are putting him in it for the 1st time tonight.
what age did your wee one go into a toddle bed?
what was the 1st week like?
will i need to take the toys/books he has out of his room?i have a baby gate up in his room and his wardrobe and drawers have safety baby locks on them.
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ANSWER:
hey hun
i dont remember exactly but summer was around 14 months and thomas went into his on his 1st birthday
1st week was fine then the realised they could get up just keep putting them back 1st and 2nd time say its bedtime night night then after that dont say anything when you take him back they soon get the picture that its not a game
leave the books and toys where they are
im guessing you have stairs near the bedrooms if not loose the stair gates they can be dangerous in kids bedrooms if theres a fire its harder to get to them
good luck he will be fine
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QUESTION:
putting him into a bed tonight for the 1st time?
heymy son is 21 months and we got him a toddler bed, we are putting him in it for the 1st time tonight.
what age did your wee one go into a toddle bed?
what was the 1st week like?
will i need to take the toys/books he has out of his room?i have a baby gate up in his room and his wardrobe and drawers have safety baby locks on them.
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ANSWER:
hey hun
i dont remember exactly but summer was around 14 months and thomas went into his on his 1st birthday
1st week was fine then the realised they could get up just keep putting them back 1st and 2nd time say its bedtime night night then after that dont say anything when you take him back they soon get the picture that its not a game
leave the books and toys where they are
im guessing you have stairs near the bedrooms if not loose the stair gates they can be dangerous in kids bedrooms if theres a fire its harder to get to them
good luck he will be fine
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QUESTION:
How to prepare toddlers for new baby…?
I just found out I am pregnant, due in October. I have two daughters, who will be 4 and 3 when the baby is born. My main concern is them hurting the baby. Not intentionally, but like trying to pick it up or tipping over the crib or something. I can’t watch them every second, and they are pretty quick(and sneaky!!). My oldest daughter knows how to get child safety door locks open. What can I do to help prepare THEM for the baby?-
ANSWER:
Buy them baby dolls of there own and show them how to hold the baby correctly in a way that will not hurt them. Explain to them the rules of being around the baby. That if they want to hold the baby they need to be sitting down on the couch and just tell them they need to only walk around the crib and look were they are walking so that they don’t trip.
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QUESTION:
Baby proofing?
Do people with young kids use toilet locks like this one? http://store.babycenter.com/product/safety+-+baby+care/bathing/bathroom+safety/toilet+lock.do?asc=false I have never seen this before.
So far, I have installed electrical outlet covers. What other baby proofing items would you consider essential?-
ANSWER:
I never used a toilet lock and luckily my little girl never showed any interest in it..I would wait and see what they go for and then buy the extras like that…of course I had elicrical outlet covers…I also had corner covers on the coffee tables to stop banged heads…my sister had a thing on her gas cooker so they didnt turn the gas on…I had stair gates and a fire guard…that was it I think.
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QUESTION:
Baby’s safety and our dog. Your opinions please?
It’s quite a long story, sorry!We have a 6 months old boy and a big 2 year old border collie cross breed.
The baby recently started ‘crawling’ around and is very interested in the dog. He tries to get to the dog (like all babies) and grab her. Up until now our dog (who is normally a very gentle and sweet girl, though disobedient when there’s something going on that’s more interesting that listening to us) would just get up and walk off when the baby got to close. Tonight, however, the baby was on his way to her (his dad was standing right next to him and I was a few feet away in the kitchen talking to him) he didn’t even touch her and she barked at him. It was a high pitched bark and after she walked off. My boyfriend told her off straight away, but I totally freaked out. She’s a big dog (almost 60 pounds) and the baby is so small and vulnerable when he’s on the ground. I can’t be sitting next to him all the time when he’s playing on the floor.
I know quite a bit about dogs and how they ‘think’, their hierarchy system etc. I know she should have not even felt it was her place to tell the baby off. She must think she is higher in rank than he is.
I am so scared that this could lead to her ending up biting him. I don’t want to take that change and think we should find her a new home.
We live in an apartment, so I can’t send the dog outside when the baby is crawling around. I also can’t lock her up in a room. The baby on the ground most of the time when he’s awake and what kind of life would our dog have being locked up in a small room all day?Am I over reacting or am I right to be afraid and not willing to take a change? The baby’s safety is the number 1 most important thing here. My boyfriend says he understand me, but doesn’t agree. He thinks she’ll never hurt the baby. I think dogs are unpredictable and you can never know.
Thanks!
The funny thing that when I was pregnant I was 100% sure the dog would be crazy about the baby, protect him etc and that the cat (who was like my baby, even sleeping in my arms at night) would be jealous. Turned out that the dog was jealous and started fighting with other dogs (so we lavished he with attention and she turned normal again) and the cat had no problem at all, even though she ruthlessly got ‘kicked’ out of the bed after the birth. I think she seem him as an extension of me and therefore he’s okay by her standards I love the idea of a baby gate. The apartment is perfect for it. Thanks so much to everyone who made that suggestion!
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ANSWER:
The ingredient that was the initiator of the bark was FOOD. I have cats and yes, that is different than a precious baby, but if I am eating anything and the cat is near the food, the dog will snap at the cat.
Ordinarily there is an uneasy peace.I would be very concerned about the dog and baby. That is a big dog and a little baby. When you are preparing food it might be prudent to keep the baby in a play yard and maybe keep the dog outside, if appropriate or on the other side of a toddler gate.
Personally, I wouldn’t want to take any chances. Baby is #1 and there can be some real jealousy issues with a dog, especially since dogs are very much a family member.
The following site has some great suggestions that you may not have thought of.
http://www.netpets.org/dogs/reference/info/baby.html
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