Recently we started child proofing around the house. Olivia is wandering everywhere now that she’s walking and her curiosity could one day lead her into danger, so it was definitely time to do it!
Our two main concerns are the stairs and the bathroom. She’s caught her little fingers in the toilet seat a few times (nothing serious) and she’s obsessed with opening and closing the lid so I bought a – Multi Purpose Latch by Clippasafe, it can be used for cupboards , drawers, & fridges too. The instructions for fitting it are on the back of the pack, they recommend applying it at night so the adhesive can set properly. I have to say pulling the strap off to lift the lid is VERY difficult. I don’t know if we’ll continue using this one because if we’re in need of the toilet quickly, well, were in trouble!
My b.f reckons it’s adult proofed too, I think he’s right!
We fitted a stair gate a few weeks ago by Tomy – (Pressure Fit Wood & Metal) I liked the style of it and it was wide enough for our stairs as it has extensions on both sides. We chose to put it at the top of the stairs as it gives us more freedom when we’re up there so we don’t have to be worrying about O.
At the bottom of our stairs we literally have a 3ft wide area that leads to the sitting room so we just close that door to prevent Olivia from climbing the stairs. We may yet get one for the bottom too, we haven’t decided yet…
Another thing she might be curious of in the future are sockets, so I used Plug socket covers also by Clippasafe in her nursery and on our landing as they’re the ones that are exposed to her.
We have very little storage units in our kitchen so I’ve tied what doors we have with with raffia string (available from florists) for now. It does the job perfectly!
During my pregnancy we had new blinds fitted in some of our rooms. It was great to find out that all blinds that are supplied and fitted by a company have to be (by law) child proofed before the fitter leaves the house, so we’ve had these done for a while now and it just gives me a sense of relief as we all know blind cords are so dangerous when you have a child.
Now, for the time being I think we have everything covered in our home and it’s safe to say, there is plenty of choice out there to keep our homes safe for our little ones!