how do you teach not to slam fingers in drawers and cabinets?

[etwahl]

lauren is just figuring out drawers and cabinet doors (or should i say just getting interested in them). she almost slammed her fingers in a drawer and would have if i hadn't pulled them away. they're fast moving drawers in our bathroom and kitchen. we'll baby proof some of them, but were hoping to keep some for her to "play in". same with cabinet doors.

any suggestions as to how to keep her little fingers safe?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[egoldber]

I think this is something they just have to learn. I try and remind DD when she is shutting a drawer to do so gently, but she's gotten her fingers 2-3 times. "Kiss and make it better" seems to take care fo it. :)

[Lynnie]

my son used to slam his in our dresser drawers, so i would always try to keep an article of clothing hanging out sort-of, to stop the drawer from closing completely if i wasn't able to scoot him away in time. they probably make something you can put over the edge to prevent the doors or drawers from shutting all the way. it won't look nice (of course neither did my dresser!) but it could help prevent bruised fingers.

otherwise, he did survive that phase will all 10 fingers intact, so they do eventually get it. i will probably try to find some kind of slamming guard for my second though, if there is such a thing.

[mcades]

We also had this problem with my son, particularly in the kitchen. Tried all sorts of homemade solutions (none worked) & I think I even posted on this topic at the time (18 months ago!). Finally, we concluded that the 'natural consequence' would be the best deterrent to smushed fingers, & indeed it was! After a few incidents, he finally figured it out & stopped shutting the drawers with his hands curled over the top.

Now, #2 is entering this phase. He seems to prefer to open the lid on the trashcan, curl his fingers over the rim, & then close the lid on his fingers with his other hand. Here we go again...

~Michelle

[proggoddess]

I remember getting my fingers caught in the car door when I was a kid. Now I'm an adult with a career and a baby on the way. About a year ago, I was driving somewhere with my parents. We got in the car and my mom said "Hands off!" before she shut the door. I guess old habits die hard! :)

[sparkeze]

What if you show her how to close the drawers with a fist? Maybe that combined with getting a couple owie's will help.

[himom]

I vote for the "learn from experience" method too, since this seemed to be the only thing that worked on Josh. He kept closing the drawer with one hand while smashing the fingers of his other hand. He pushed harder to try to escape, and you can imagine how well that worked out.

I rushed over everytime to try to keep his fingers safe but he caught himself so many times I guess he's learned his lesson. He hasn't caught his fingers in several months now.

The trash can, on the other hand...

Jodi
Mommy to Joshua, born February 2003