Well, it happened. We failed as parents. At least in part. Two nights ago, while we were cleaning the kitchen and cooking dinner, Lily was in her walker tooling around the family room. She found her way to the lamp by the couch, and, before Josh could get to her to stop her, she pulled it over. It shattered on the floor leaving her standing in a pile of broken glass. Yikes! Luckily there were no injuries, but it certainly was an eye opener.It seems that our little girl is growing up. She is becoming strong and mobile quickly. A few weeks ago, she couldn't get around at all. Now, by rolling or scooting, she can get wherever she wants to go. She seems to know what she wants (usually things she shouldn't have: electrical cords, DVD's, fish food, etc) and goes after it! It's time for us to get started baby proofing.
At first Josh said he thought we didn't need locks and such, but could just teach what to do and not to do. I think there is a bit of truth in that. My nanny and I had a conversation today about telling her no and replacing the off limits item with something good for her to play with. Still, I think there are some things we need to do!
Last night we bought a new TV stand that has doors that keep all of our electronics away from her little hands. Our old one was pretty unsafe because it had a glass top that didn't attach which she could easily pull off when she starts pulling up, which she is already starting to do. We've put plug covers in all of the outlets she can reach. Tomorrow my nanny is bringing some cabinet locks and things that she has left over, but we'll still need a few more and gates for the stairs.
Anyone have any baby proofing advice? Does anyone have a cabinet lock or gate style that they like?
No advice, just a comment. Locks and gates were one of those things I said I'd never do...until I had a baby! It's impossible to have an eye on them ALL the time, so we have found it's better to have some precautions in place. I agree with the concept of teaching them what's off limits, but there are still plenty of those things!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Emily. You might find yourself spending all your time telling her no, or much of your time relaxing knowing the dangers are out of reach. Every child is different, and maybe she'll react well to learning what is OK and what is not. Or she could be like Evan and go straight for the "off limits" items, just because! I was told, and learned to believe this: your child will teach you what you need to do to keep her safe. Just like the light, now you know a few things need to change. Other such minor events will happen and you'll learn from those, too!
ReplyDeletemagnetic cabinet locks are the bomb.
ReplyDeleteWe found it easier to gate her INTO areas that we knew were safe and where we could keep an eye on her (i.e. in the living room where we could sit on the couch and still see her) rather than babyproof everything, knowing that if we were in a place that wasn't babyproofed we had to be more careful. Thankfully, we also taught her "No" pretty early, and she was pretty good about staying away from things she wasn't supposed to get into, but I think that might be a figment of her personality, too.
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