A couple of weeks ago, Connor discovered that Mommy left a couple cabinets unlocked. Oh the discoveries! Tupperware, pots, and pans, oh my! He pulled them out and banged them on the floor, the shelves–each other. He giggled and growled, and smiled like none other. The little joys of babies/toddlers in the kitchen. He has so much fun–and it keeps him occupied when I’m busy–that I don’t even care about cleaning up several times a day.

This week, we’re in the kitchen with our health/safety inspection. There are several potential dangers, but nothing that smart parenting can’t handle.

KITCHEN

Okay, before I get into safety devices, let me first say that the kitchen is not a place for baby, or even toddlers, if you’re not in there—esp if you have something in the oven/on the stove/on the counter/etc. So, if possible, keep a gate up or some other way of keeping them out. Many of the tools sold in stores would be unnecessary if we keep the babies out.

For instance, stove locks, knob locks, and range top shields are completely unnecessary. Um…if I’m cooking, no one, not even my 5-year-old is allowed near the stove. (Well, my 5-year-old is sometimes when I’m cooking with her specifically…but I still don’t leave her there if I step away) If my son starts to insist on playing around the stove, then he goes in his Exersaucer or highchair.

I mentioned refrigerator locks in my last post…not necessary unless toddlers start insisting on breaking in. And of course, cabinet locks and wall plugs are definite assets.

Here might be a good place to mention baby knee pads. I didn’t even know they made these until today! I might go out and get them just to try them out. At first, I was like why would you need these for babies? Then it occurred to me that crawling can be quite hard on the knees. I don’t think it’s really an issue if you have carpet (except maybe to protect against possible rug burn?), but if you have wood floors like we do—this probably isn’t a bad idea. Not a necessity, but an added comfort for baby.

What a joy to be on top of protecting and loving our kids. Next week, we’ll discuss bedrooms and bathrooms. Until then, rest in the knowledge that no matter what, God loves you and your child. May He bless you greatly over the coming week!

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As I was preparing for the next installment of child proofing our homes, I decided to go to several different websites to see what was offered out there that I hadn’t heard of, and let me tell you, I think that the “professionals” are trying to make it so we don’t ever have to watch our kids. Seriously. I mean, in what world would you let your baby wonder around on a balcony without you RIGHT THERE? Yet, they make a mesh cover for balconies so there’s no chance of a baby squeezing through wide-spaced rails and falling.

I digress, I know that all this safety stuff is supposed to make us feel like our homes are more child friendly—which I’m all for. But when it gets to the point where it forces us into paranoia or in the opposite direction to belief that baby doesn’t need constant supervision—that’s where the problems come in.

So, to continue with the dos and don’ts of baby-proofing, I’m going to break it down by room. Today I’ll talk about the living room, and in future installments we’ll discuss the kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms. Then we’ll round out the series with cars/outdoors.

LIVING ROOM

The two biggest worries in the living room are corners and outlets. Of course, after last week’s post, we already have plugs in all outlets that are not in use. A note about the ones with cords: it’s a good idea to have as little of the cords in view of baby. Tuck them behind furniture, or buy those cord protector covers/organizers.

Many, many new parents are worried about their babies falling and hitting their head on the edge/corner of the coffee table/end table/fireplace. Now, while I wouldn’t completely dismiss this concern, I will say that all three of my kids have done this and none of them have suffered more than a mild headache…even when they were running and slammed into the corner of the table.

So, would I suggest investing in edge/corner guards? Let’s put it this way, I would completely understand getting covers for the corners of the tables as they tend to be hurt more because they are pointed and put all pressure on what spot when babies fall into them. The edge guards, though, I think are a little bit of overkill. Yes, baby will hit and cry for a minute—but he’ll do that anyway. Biggest difference is a bigger bruise without the guard.

One that you might find handy in just about any room is window blind cord wind-ups. These nifty little devices help to shorten those strings out of baby’s reach. Now, there is a slight safety issue here that is small. Personally, I like them because they keep baby from messing up the blinds.

Two more items that you may see throughout the house are for doors: Door Knob Covers and Finger Protectors. Obviously, you don’t need door knob covers for babies as they aren’t tall enough/strong enough to open doors—but once they hit toddlerhood . . . We used them with our toddlers and, I don’t know if it was the kind we got or what, but they didn’t work. It looked like they should, but my kids figured out they could hang on the door and twist the knob. We got rid of them after a couple of weeks and instead taught the girls to stay out of closets and other rooms.

The Finger Protectors device is one of those things I discovered while surfing the store websites today. I’m not sure how the one I saw works, exactly, but I think it’s probably one of those “unnecessary” devices. It’s supposed to keep a door from completely opening/shutting, thus preventing any fingers from getting squished.

The last one is the TV and DVD shields. These aren’t so much for baby’s safety as for our convenience. Last week, I would have said they were probably a nice extra, but not necessary. However, this week, my son has been all about playing with the DVD player because of the flashing lights. I think I’ll be going out to get one of these for us this week.

Next week, we’ll explore the kitchen! Remember, safety for our babies is important, but it is also common sense. Investing a couple hundred dollars in extra safety devices is not a substitute for good, old-fashioned baby-watching.

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