Random questions

[Rachels]

Ugh, I know nothing at all about the current baby-proofing gear, and Abigail is going to crawl soon. We have to get busy getting our house in order, although I think it would be easier to just move. But questions keep springing to mind.

- Are gates all bolted to the wall these days, or are there still pressure-mounted gates that actually work?

- What catalogs have baby-proofing stuff in them?

- What websites are good for baby-proofing?

- What are the most essential baby-proofing items you have, and what did you forget to do until your baby wound up in a precarious position?

Thanks!

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[egoldber]

You can use pressure mounted gates to block off rooms and doorways, but you can't use them at the top of stairs.

The One Step Ahead catalog has lots of babyproofing stuff in it. I think that all the "big" baby websites (babycatalog, babysupermall) have safety stuff. But we got almost all of our stuff from BRU or BuyBuyBaby.

Babyproofing is a process. You do one round of babyproofing when your baby starts to crawl. You do it again when they start to pull up and climb. You do it again when they walk and get taller...

I think that the most essential babyproofing I did (besides gates on the steps) was moving things that I didn't want her to touch or break out or that would hurt her put of the way. Different people have different philosophies on this, but I prefered moving stuff to running around after her saying "no don't touch!" all the time. The larger "babysafe" space you have for your child, the easier YOUR life will be. I basically made my whole first floor "baby safe" so I can let her wander all over the house and know that she is safe. This gives both me and Sarah a great deal of freedom.

Also, Sarah loves playing in the kitchen cabinets. So I consolidated all the things that are breakable or that could hurt her into a couple of cabinets, lock those, and then let her play to her heart's content in all the rest.

HTH,

[shopaholic mom]

One Step Ahead, Right Start catalogs have a lot of stuff, as does BuyBuyBaby, if there's one near you.

The best babyproofing product we have is the Toddler Shield - bumper pad that wraps around a coffee table. When DD started crawling and went from crawling to sitting, she always managed to bang herself and this pad really worked - she just banged her head into the soft pad (it is very well padded) and moved on - no tears or bruises.
Just make sure you measure your table and get the size that fits - they come in S, M, L and you definitely want it to be snug.

One other item - socket covers - not just outlet plugs that fit in, but something to cover the entire outlet, b/c babies can actually pull plugs out of outlets that are in use. I've seen friends babies do this before at playgroup.

I agree w/Beth that to babyproof a room or area is great and if you can, you should. I couldn't do as much babyproofing as I would have liked b/c I live in a rented apartment that came fully furnished so there is only so much I can do with what I have since I don't own it. Rather than babysafe an entire room - I got a playpen -- I bought the BabyDen by Babydan and love it - it is big enough that DD has room to crawl around in it and it has a gate to open and close so its not necessary to lift a 20lb+ baby in and out. And with her favorite toys in it, she often crawls into it on her own. DH and I joke that its jail - b/c of the bars on the outside but DD LOVES it and really enjoys herself in there. THe other thing I like abt it is that it can convert into gates - the different sides come apart and can be reconfigured back together for awkward doorways or stairways.

Another thing I've seen at friends houses is the living room/den is divided by the fisher price or little tikes plastic picket fence and that area is the "safe zone" - it looks cute too.

One other option, which I wish I could have done but didn't b/c its not available to me where I live, is just hire a babyproofer - they come in and as an objective outside person assess what could be a potential danger to a baby and get all the equipment and install it for you. It isn't too costly - usually between $100-$150 for a consultation/one time fee and then the cost of the products - most build their labor into it so it is more expensive than DIY. But, it will save you and DH time, etc if you're not into putting things together.

Good luck.

[Andrea S]

If you have a Right Start near you that is closing I got outlet covers and tot locks 50% off last week.

Andrea
Andrew 8/14/02

[atlbaby]

Like others have mentioned, One Step Ahead, Baby Catalog, and Buy Buy Baby (as well as BRU) all have baby proofing supplies. I got ours from all of these stores/sites. Another site that is good to look at just for a basic overview of what is important to be aware of w/ regards to baby proofing is drbabyproofer.com (then go to 'shop online' to see all the catagories). I didn't actually order from there, but I got an idea of what's out there.

The gate we have is the First Years Hands Free gate. You just step on a pedel and can open it swinging in or out. It's really great bc you can be holding Abigail in one arm and other stuff in the other arm! We also got the Evenflo pressure mounted gate bc we have a wide opening bw the kitchen and living room/playroom but don't really use it much anymore (we are in a small apartment and so it limited Arielle's space too much).

I think one of the best products I got were these big bumper type things (edge and corner cushions, each sold seperately) I mounted on the sides and edges of furniture (TV table, bookcases, coffee table) so she wouldn't crash into them when crawling and then pulling up. They are removable, so I could just reapply them to different areas as the need changed. They are by Kid Kushion.

HTH!

-Rachel
Mom to Arielle Jill, 10/30/01

[memedee]

http://www.safetymatters.com/bigimage.cfm?sku=454
another source

[webma]

I agree that baby proofing is a process since kids grow and learn new skills that make things that weren't a problem before suddenly become one. Two things for the longer term come to mind.

I bought an elastic table cloth that fits snuggly around the table. It was too messy without a table cloth and the dangling edges even when tucked in were just a disaster in waiting. I got one from home solutions catalog (they have a website too) after I couldn't find such a thing in stores.

I installed furniture straps on tall bookcases and cabinets. They are tough on the furnture but can literly be life saver. You do need to think about where you want your furnture since it's going to be there for a while. They are detachable for cleaning.

[cara1]

What's the site for that tablecloth? Way too many things have gone flying off our table...

[gour0]

You can get a discount at safebeginnings.com.


Safe Beginnings--quality products for a child-safe home
Create a safe home environment for infants and toddlers with the many special products available through Safe Beginnings. Products include childproofing items, home and family safety, travel and playtime items.

HealthPartners members receive a 20 percent discount by visiting the Safe Beginnings Web site at www.safebeginnings.com and entering code HPW in the Group Sales area of the Web site before selecting products.

They also have a self help library that discusses different saety issues.

http://www.safebeginnings.com/Webcomponents/Library/frmLibraryMain.asp

[webma]

http://www.improvementscatalog.com/

You can find it faster by typing in table pad in the search box.

[memedee]

What is health partners members please?

[cara1]

Thanks, I never would've found it! And I've been looking...
Is it a tablecloth or a table pad? Which pattern did you get, they have so many choices?

[webma]

It's a vinyl tablecloth. My only guess why they call it a table pad is that it isn't cloth. I ordered the English Ivy pattern which is nice. My husband even commented that he likes it and wants to order another so that's a pretty good recommendation. It's easy to wipe clean
but doesn't scream vinyl from across the room.