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  1. #11
    spu Guest

    Default RE: realistic babyproofing

    When should we start baby proofing? I have twins, 12 wks old, and a dog. ; ) There seems to be so much to think about. I'm a SAHM right now. That's a great point about going to the bathroom, or anything that takes away direct supervision even for a moment.

    What should we do first? We don't have a huge house, but there seems to be lots of 'stuff' everywhere - book cases, end tables, etc. Most of the outlets are covered. I never would have thought about the door stops. All ours have the white caps. Thanks for the tip!!

    In terms of a small area free of anything for the kids to play in, how small would be suitable? Could I block off the hallway? or do they need more room?

    For gates, are the pressure-style ok? or do we need the kind that screw into the walls? I'm thinking the screw kind would be best for the top and bottom of the stairs, and perhaps the pressure type to move around to block off the room that I'm in with the babies.

    Is there anything else I should be thinking about? Is it common for book cases to tip over? Wow. It's alot to think about! esp. with 2 crawling babies! I'm glad I have a little while to prepare!

    thanks !!

    susan

    twin girls 7.20.02
    charlotte & else

  2. #12
    egoldber's Avatar
    egoldber is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    Default RE: realistic babyproofing

    You don't really need to babyproof until a child is mobile. And babyproofing isn't something you do once and then it's over. It happens in stages. When they start to roll and crawl, you babyproof with gates, lock your cabinets and everything up to about knee level. When they start pulling up, you babyproof to about hip level. :) When they start climbing you babyproof everything in sight!

    I would make as large an area as possible "baby safe". This is for YOUR sanity. I have made almost my entire first floor baby safe. I can just put Sarah down and let her roam and I don't have to watch her every second. This is a trememdous relief to me. I can actually cook, wash dishes and not panic when I don't hear her.

    HTH,
    Beth, mom to older DD (8/01) and younger DD (10/06) and always missing Leah (4/22 - 5/1/05)

  3. #13
    brubeck Guest

    Default RE: realistic babyproofing

    It's not common for bookcases to tip over spontaneously (unless you live in earthqualke country like I do :-) ) but it is common for climbing babies to treat them like ladders and pull on them to stand up, and this could cause them to tip.

    Until your babies are capable of rolling across the room you don't need to confine them, they're okay on a blanket on the floor as long as there is nothing in obvious reach. How big a space should you have? Well in the beginning it doesn't necessarily have to be too large, but one thing you will discover is that the more mobile the baby, the faster they get bored with an area. Start with a small area, but plan on expanding it in the future. We took my daughter's bedroom (at the end of the hall) and the playroom next to it and blocked it off. Two rooms seems to be satisfying her now (she's 23 months) but she much prefers to run around the entire bottom floor of the house. I let her run around unattended for an amount of time proportional to how babyproofed an area is.

    If you are totally desperate and HAVE to put your babies down unattended you can always put them in the crib, strap them into a stroller or a high chair or use a play pen. But this is a TEMPORARY solution, not a permanent one. You will definitely need more space sooner rather than later as your babies stretch their wings.

    Pressure style gates are not considered to be safe as babies have been known to push them out. Unless you will be moving the gate constantly, get screw in gates.


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