How far have you gone....
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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
Forum Description: Want help? Need support? Want tips? Men and women share advice and tips in this supportive community
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=32009
Printed Date: 29 August 2025 at 10:25am
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Topic: How far have you gone....
Posted By: xLUCKYx
Subject: How far have you gone....
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 1:30pm
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to baby proof your house?
I always liked the idea of leaving a few things out so I can teach my kids 'no' hopwever I am finding that as they are both toddlers now I just cannot keep up with the mischief and now pretty much everything they could possibly get into is hidden away. I so miss having my things out but it is a matter of it not being worth it. Cupboards are fair game as I know they cannot harm themselves in there so they still have some place to cause the mayhem that they love.... Not really sure what I am getting at here... but just wondering how far everyone else goes with their baby-proofing? How do you teach your kids what they aren't allowed and do they listen? |
Replies:
Posted By: mamanee
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 1:37pm
| I have to put everything out of sight in this house. It is far too tempting for Sam and he is one of those kids that just has to touch everything, break everything etc. My DP thinks that he needs to learn not to touch things and is forever saying "don't touch that, don't play with that, that isn't for touching' which annoys me because if he would just put it away, then he wouldn't touch it. In Sam's case, I know that he knows full bloody well not to touch things, he learnt it ages ago. He just wants to touch things and will do it anyway, so easier just to put things away here. I miss having my things out too, but definitely not worth it here! |
Posted By: LouD
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 1:37pm
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You need to do what makes life easier for you. I do like the idea of being able to teach them NO but they will always find something to be told NO too. Ive got a big TV cabinet which is great cos everything can go up and theres not a huge deal to get into, altho my friends daughter who is 15months finds things. My house is open plan so there is only so much i am going to be able to do.
Consitency.........keep repeating NO, and start as you mean to carry on. I teach baby sign language and a baby understands you at age 3months.......and can sign back at 6months......so they should be taught everything, including NO right from the get go.......I find it very frustrating watching parents who say nothing when a child is doing something IE: hitting biting (even with no teeth) cos if you dont tell them NO then how else will they learn.........but keep being consitent about it so they learn by repetition!! Goodluck and you are only making life easier for yourself if you start teaching them this stuff right away |
Posted By: RinTinTin
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 2:38pm
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Um...Mac is only 11 weeks old but we've done nothing at all. I suspect that will change as he starts to get mobile. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: palomino
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 3:33pm
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We have put all our power cords in box things
Cupboard locks on kitchen sink cupboards Baby gate on front door Other than that not much apart from the odd thing i forget to put away and he investigates. At the moment hes happy to look and not destroy fingers crossed that stays! But we just say no and he knows what that means and seems to try twice and then give up. Unless its a remote or cellphone and then theres tantys |
Posted By: JoJames
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 4:05pm
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Our house is at the point where I can leave him alone and know there is not really anything that can do any damage, except maybe the stairs but he's pretty good, I definately tell him no when he's doing things that he shouldn't, and he definately understands no, but I was just spending so much of our time together in the negative that it just got depressing, and he likes to push the limits so much that he touches things he's not suppose to just for attention.
So most cupboards are latched, all plugs are covered and he can't get in to the kitchen (gate) , also there are no breakables anywhere and we close doors if I don't want him in certain rooms, especially toilets. I just find I'm less stressed if I can go to the toilet and not come back to find he's done something naughty. ------------- http://www.alterna-tickers.com"> 
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Posted By: xLUCKYx
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 5:04pm
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Mamanee my 2 yr old is the same - she certainly knows her boundaries but she takes great pleasure in crossing them and seeing what I do - especially now that my 1 yr old is into everything - it is like it is happening all over again. They totally encourage eachother.
I think I might just do some more childproofing - I am over it and life would be much happier for us all without me having to constantly be a police-woman. Gabrielle can now open all of the doors in the house now too 
Wow just as I typed that Gabrielle went into my room and pulled stuff out of my drawres and now has been into the cuttlery drawer to pull things out and Tane has followed
Mum2mac - it is only a matter of time... Jojames - I am jealous! My kids think being told off is great attention and even when I send Gabrielle to her room she isn't bothered. I am thinking I need to work on my disciplinary skills but my gawd I just don't really know what to do with them. |
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 5:10pm
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I'm thinking I need more latches on my kitchen cupboards as they keep getting emptied! Only have a latch on the one where the chemicals are & I have to turn off the dishwasher at the wall (in same cupboard) There seems to be only certain things that they aim for every time! One particular shelf & also the money boxes in front of the tv. They are happy when the money boxes are on the floor & then they ignore them. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: Flutterby
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 5:12pm
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We haven't really done to much. Have latches on the kitchen cupboards, had one on the tv cabinet but was budget and he managed go get it off, so now we just have his toy basket blocking that off. Have fenced in the deck and put a gate up so that he can go out there. Also we keep the bathroom and toilet doors closed and the cat bowl up on the dryer.
I need to get some plug covers as he has just discovered those and soon we will have to start putting things up higher. And also need to find someway of blocking off the kitchen and getting the cds and stereo up higher. And now he has gone back into the kitchen and is at the cups and glasses again. Better go and rescue them before something gets broken. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Manda08
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 5:55pm
We havent moved anything. We are teaching him no that he cant touch certain things, its working well so far. DVD player seems to be the most tempting, but he is learning.  ------------- 
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Posted By: M2K
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 5:59pm
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Oooooh I am going to have to child proof almost everything, my girl is nosey and will no doubt be like her father and have selective hearing too haha, so teaching her 'no' probably won't work (will try though). She is almost crawling, aaargh! We are lucky we have doors to every room and the door knobs are up fairly high so even when she is walking she wont be able to get out easily. ------------- 
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 6:02pm
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I haven't read the replies but in our house we have done nothing really. There is nothing dangerous like knives within reach. All our dvds and books are all within reach as are other breakables.
Our kitchen has no locks on it anymore. We did have one for the oven and fridge until he learnt about "burnies" etc.We had a piece of elastic tied through all the handles so he couldn't pull everything out, we have taught him thats not allowed except for pot lids which are kept in one small place so no need for that anymore. I think its just teaching them. Daniel hates mummy and daddys "growly" voice. We very rarely have to use it but he knows when we do it means listen and don't repeat what hes just done. |
Posted By: LG
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 8:20pm
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Kaelin loves investigating and getting into everything she possibly can so we're doing more baby proofing the older she gets. We started with power point plugs and have added door/drawer locks etc as we find more things she can get into.
I hate following her around saying "no, don't touch" all day so have moved stuff higher or well out of sight that we really dont want her to touch and break. -------------  Angel Baby Aug '12, Feb '13 |
Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 8:52pm
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EVERYTHING seems to be up high in this house and as Tom has gotten taller it gets higher or pushed further to the back middle etc.
We havent bothered with gates so much this time as Tom is already there, James may as well be too (Tom can open the bloody things would you believe!) |
Posted By: Nikki
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 9:03pm
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I think it depends on the child. With Jake we had a stair gate and I put things on the plugs, but no real baby proofing, we still don't have locks on cupboards! We did move the coffee table so he wouldn't hurt himself on it when he started walking, and I did always keep the toilet door shut though. Now he roams free and apart from making a mess with toys he never does anything too bad. Oh he ate toothpaste once, thats as bad as it got. We told him "no touching" a couple of times when he went for the stereo, and he didn't do it again.
Morgan is going to be a nightmare. She has already eaten a screw, a power bill, tried to eat a stone and a button she got off her dress, and ripped up soem carpet to eat, and pulled so many things over onto herself / fallen over walking away when holding on to the couch .... she is into everything (only been crawling a couple of weeks), so we will be baby-proofing! ------------- DS (5yrs) and DD (3yrs) |
Posted By: emz
Date Posted: 02 March 2010 at 9:40pm
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We refuse to over-proof our house, so we have some switch covers, a fire guard, a few locks on cupboard doors (mainly because I can't be bothered restacking, not because I'm worried about him breaking anything) and pills etc out of reach.
We have breakables, DVD's, books etc etc in the same places as we always have - we're definitely in the 'they have to learn' camp though. I get very frustrated when kids come to our house who don't have boundaries at home (ie they just run free in a completely baby-proofed environment) then don't know what NO means when they're in my house (climbing on the coffee table, opening every drawer etc). |