Question Baby-proofing advice

[DaGaffer]

Right, the little 'un is going to be me mobile soon (she's too busy getting everyone to do everything for her at the moment, but she's showing signs she could be destroying a wider circle of furniture in the not too distant), and I need some advice about baby-proofing the place. My main problems are the telly (flat screen on a glass stand - death and destruction written all over it tbh) and a nice hard marble fire place. Anyone know of any "solutions" for these kinds of things? (Sarky replies will be greeted with a hard stare). I've bought a load of cupboard locks and corner protectors from IKEA but I don't have a full checklist. I managed to get myself into the hospital three times before I was three with various spectacular acts of curiosity (including having a shave with a cutthroat razor balanced on two stacked laundry baskets), and she's worryingly like me, so I need to get protectin'.

 

[nath]

I think the whole baby proofing thing is woefully inefficient. There's one baby to protect and yet you have to make adjustments to absolutely everything in the house. Get one of those novelty sumo wrestler outfits (but baby size) and make her wear it while wandering about. Problem solved.


Yes, I have nothing better to do than post rubbish to threads I have nothing to contribute to.

 

[Kryten]

It's tempting to get carried away and go at your house as if you might as well bubble wrap everything - don't. Cupboard locks are ideal - also extend those to fridges/freezers.

As for the TV, fortunately ours is a HD telly (Heavy Duty) so this isn't much of a worry. Perhaps wall mounting it might be a good idea? If not, I've seen people chain the top corners of their telly to the wall behind to stop it falling onto your childs head and so it doesnt damage said telly! Further to that, just don't let the kid anywhere near it armed with pens, pencils or anything else pointy :|
If you feel creative, a decent sheet of perspex over the front might help

Marble fireplace - don't worry about it. If the littlun is going to fall over and smack his/her head, they'll do it whether its your fireplace, the kitchen floor or the manhole cover outside.



Ooooh and yes - lots of those plug protectors

 

[old.user4556]

Baby-proofing advice?

Condoms.

 

[old.Osy]

Baby-proofing advice?

Condoms.

Not fair, I had that one lined up, but was afraid of said glare.

 

[caLLous]

Nothing to worry about, what's the worst that could happen...

Spoiler

 

[JBP|]

My baby proofing advice?
Get a shotgun

 

[old.Tohtori]

I think the whole baby proofing thing is woefully inefficient. There's one baby to protect and yet you have to make adjustments to absolutely everything in the house. Get one of those novelty sumo wrestler outfits (but baby size) and make her wear it while wandering about. Problem solved.


Yes, I have nothing better to do than post rubbish to threads I have nothing to contribute to.

Damn, there goes my reply

Though i was going more in the line of "what's with all the pampering, we didn't have sh*t like this and we were fine".

 

[Deebs]

It's tempting to get carried away and go at your house as if you might as well bubble wrap everything - don't. Cupboard locks are ideal - also extend those to fridges/freezers.

As for the TV, fortunately ours is a HD telly (Heavy Duty) so this isn't much of a worry. Perhaps wall mounting it might be a good idea? If not, I've seen people chain the top corners of their telly to the wall behind to stop it falling onto your childs head and so it doesnt damage said telly! Further to that, just don't let the kid anywhere near it armed with pens, pencils or anything else pointy :|
If you feel creative, a decent sheet of perspex over the front might help

Marble fireplace - don't worry about it. If the littlun is going to fall over and smack his/her head, they'll do it whether its your fireplace, the kitchen floor or the manhole cover outside.



Ooooh and yes - lots of those plug protectors

Couple of points, my sister has managed to find some foam stuff to put around the hearth stones on her fireplace so if my nephew falls and hits his head on the edge he will just bounce....

Plug protectors? Are they really necessary? The UK plug system is designed so that babies/toddlers cannot put anything into the live/neutral points without first opening the earth point to release the plastic protection over the "dangerous stuff".... The only valid reason I can see for plug protectors is to protect (to a degree) against liquids ??

 

[Scouse]

Consider this: Don't bother.

If you nerf the world for your kid she'll end up one of the twentysomethings who do something stupid and kill themselves because they've not learned during their childhood to look after themselves and watch what they're doing.

Pain = learning.


Edit: Oh, and cram as much soil down her throat as you can. It's good for her immune system

 

[Calaen]

Honestly Gaffer, me and my wife did shite all. We made sure hazardous liquid were out of the way initially. But we used no child locks, or stuff like that and she'sonly had minor knocks if any.

I suppose it each to there own, but I wanted her to bang her head a bit to understand the importance of listening to us. It's worked so far and she's 4 in August. I can imagine it's very easy to get carried away and make your house some kind of bubblewrapped play park, but that's not gonna help the little one out in the long run. The best advice I can give you is always be on your toes it keeps you fit and keeps your heart rate up

Regardless of what you do, they will hurt themselves. Better it starts small in your own house than out on the street where they think they can't get hurt because they think everything is soft.

TV wise, I had to replace my old TV as it we'd had it a few years. I bought the cheapest nastiest flat screen with HD I could find. Having her poke the fuck out of it while answering questions for Dora and Mickey mouse. It made sense to not get attached to a piece of kit

 

[Yaka]

i whent thru this when my first one spawned in 2008, year later he doing all sorts from breaking a binding post on my AG speakers to pulling wires.

i sold the AG speakers for a decent price and got okish boxed speakers 2nd hand SVS branded which are fixed into place with wall mounts.

got some trunking from b&q hid all me wires, all plug sockets had the holes covered.

i use cable ties round the handle of cases for my drill/jigsaw/nailgun etc even tho i got a huge lockable chest to put them all in.

TV is the easy on once they are hooked on some thing like waybaluoos or the totaly wierd and freaky in the night garden. when ever they begin twating the screens switch the screen off and tell em strenly no yo-jo-jo or pinkie ponk or what ever there fave char is from that show. it just works as the TV its self is somat they will become addictted to

 

[DaGaffer]

I think the whole baby proofing thing is woefully inefficient. There's one baby to protect and yet you have to make adjustments to absolutely everything in the house. Get one of those novelty sumo wrestler outfits (but baby size) and make her wear it while wandering about. Problem solved.


Yes, I have nothing better to do than post rubbish to threads I have nothing to contribute to.

My baby proofing advice?
Get a shotgun

Damn, there goes my reply

Though i was going more in the line of "what's with all the pampering, we didn't have sh*t like this and we were fine".

What did I say?

Spoiler

 

[DaGaffer]

I don't intend to go nuts and bubblewrap the house (she'd only eat it anyway), just trying to sort some solutions for the stuff that might actively kill or maim her (all the cables behind the telly for instance).

 

[Dark Orb Choir]

for the fireplace you can get a cage

Google Image Result for http://p.mdcd.net/product_images/full/19403ced1bbb6af0e946e2e86b8b0edddcbf3717.jpg

for the tv dont even bother, just keep an eye on her, maybe try and fasten it down to the stand more than it is.

Things like doors if they are wooden you can round the edges off easily enough.

 

[russell]

I agree -having had 3, there is only so much you can do. They soon learn and you can guarantee it will be the one thing that you didn't even think about that causes the pain!

I only cupboard locked poisionous stuff and I used a large fireguard (open fire, and fire fascinates them). I also blue tac'd precious ornaments, rather than move everything.

I did use the plug socket protectors, and still do now out of habit, purely because my eldest daughter was fixated with them.

Even with stairgates -all of mine have fallen down the stairs once. Only other major accident was my 2 year old pulling a heavy cabinet over on top of her.

They soon learn 'no' and are incredibly resilient

But you know your child best -so if you think there will be issues, be more prudent x

 

[Zenith.UK]

Calaen has got the right answer.
Take basic safety precautions like removing hazardous liquids (bleach, shampoo, fabric conditioner, disinfectant etc.) to a higher shelf or locked cupboard but otherwise don't take it to extremes.

Eldest one (11) has a number of scars, middle one (~5) has just about learnt that cats come with built-in knives and then there's our youngest one (2.5). He's got no sense of danger and has been bumped, scratched (by the cats), bitten (by the cats), fallen down the stairs, cut his head open, drank lumpy bad milk, goes in and out of the fridge and freezer, moves chairs to reach higher places, falls off said chairs, cries, gets up, and tries again.

Our house *IS* childproofed. Kids will find a way to hurt themselves despite what you try to do, so the best you can do is try to minimise the damage they can do *WHEN* they hurt themselves.

One thing you can do for the whole house is to make sure you have residual circuit breakers (RCBs) for each of your main circuits. That way if they somehow managed to zap themselves, the flow will be stopped almost instantly, preventing fatal electrocution. I've tested one and you feel the shock to just past your elbow before it cuts off.

 

[djpringle]

Apart from the obligatory stair gates, now used for the dog mainly, all we did was lock the cleaning cupboard and the choccy biscuit one . Ours has never been that interested with plug points.

 

[Lazarus]

for the fireplace you can get a cage

Google Image Result for http://p.mdcd.net/product_images/full/19403ced1bbb6af0e946e2e86b8b0edddcbf3717.jpg

for the tv dont even bother, just keep an eye on her, maybe try and fasten it down to the stand more than it is.

Things like doors if they are wooden you can round the edges off easily enough.

or stick a large picture of Will over the fireplace - that'll keep the kids away

 

[Wij]

Stair gates, fireguard (firmly attached into wall) and constant supervision works for me. There's a stair-gate on the lounge door so I can keep Matthew in that room when required.

Matthew just pulled corner protectors off. Useless. Plug protectors are a pain so given up on them. The main kitchen cupboard is unprotected and has bleach in it but they've got safety caps on and I don't let him wander around the kitchen.

I fear for the front room telly more than him tbh.

/edit: I also drink my coffee luke-warm so he's not gonna burn himself with anything I leave on the coffe table

 

[Madmaxx]

Our house *IS* childproofed. Kids will find a way to hurt themselves despite what you try to do, so the best you can do is try to minimise the damage they can do *WHEN* they hurt themselves.

this is true, when I was a kid my brother blindfolded me on my b-day, and said if I can chase and catch him he'll give me a present. So I just ran straight forward and accidently into the wall cutting my head open

 

[Wij]

Things like doors if they are wooden you can round the edges off easily enough.

No you can't. Apple invented rounded edges !!!

Apple sues Samsung over Galaxy look-and-feel ? The Register

 

[Kryten]

The only valid reason I can see for plug protectors is to protect (to a degree) against liquids ??

Exactly. I've seen what my son is capable of armed with a cup of liquid. Enough said

I do agree with the "learning from mistakes" thing as a whole, hence not going overboard. If it can hurt (which is anything) then don't worry too much. If it can kill then lock it up.