My son has become a running, climbing maniac in the last month. I kid you not (pun intended.) I baby-proof one thing, and he finds something else I need to remove from the room.
So, here are my most recent baby-proofing tips:
Corner-protectors. I thought I could live without them, until my son nearly gouged out an eyeball falling. So, the Caring Corners gel guards are now on all corners in my living room. They are incredibly easy to use, and remove. You can get them for $13-16 for an 8 pack on Amazon. The nice thing about these for us: our TV stand isn’t flat on all sides, but they still affixed to the gel protector and stayed on very well.
Baby-Keeps Latches. I actually ended up buying two packs of these, because I loved them so much. Easy to use, and remove. And best of all? You can open them with one hand (which is more practical since we often have a baby/child in the other arm.) These run $20 for 6, and each box comes with a free gift (which is a little snail stick on that keeps doors from closing on your child’s fingers. Great bonus.) You can also snag these on Amazon.
Baby gates. I have several. One of which closes automatically. Sometimes, this is practical, but other times I just want it to stay the EFF open. So, my husband Polish-rigged it with a command strip and hook. Genius, and cheap.
Outlet covers. Obvious. Sometimes you don’t have them though, so use a band-aid as a quick fix until you can pick some up.
Munchkin Latch: I use these on my appliances, particularly my oven, which CAN fall over if the door isn’t properly secured.
Easy DIY Crib Rail Guards: Not only do I not want my little teething baby to destroy the rails of his convertible crib, I also would prefer that he not eat paint and wood chips. Perhaps that’s just me. Either way, you can find the DIY instructions here.
Wiremold: We had wires running along the walls in our living room. I thought it was all kosher, until my son started ripping them from the wall and trying to eat them. Yum. You can get cheap, easy to use wiremold, again, on Amazon.
TV Straps: If your TV is up high, no worries. Ours, however, is not. We quickly realized we needed to secure ours (we secured ours to the TV stand instead of to the wall.) TV Straps can be found here.
No Bulb Nightlight: For obvious reasons, you probably don’t want your LO crushing glass in their palms. This night light comes in a two pack, and there is no bulb that can be crushed by your tiny minion.
For those with cat trees: Secure those suckers to the wall. We have a three-story cat tree that my son recently tried to climb and pull to the floor. It’s heavy, and could really do some damage. We used furniture brackets, but you can use furniture straps just as easily.
An item to avoid? Foam molding. We used it, and it absolutely ruined the finish of our furniture. There are plenty of Pinterest solutions that will work better (like cutting pool noodles in half.)
Remember, all of these solutions are so temporary. You’ll likely have your home baby-proofed with gates and latches for about a year, sometimes a little more. Look for the affordable options! Here are some other great DIY baby-proofing solutions!
-Katie
Perfectly Imperfect Parenting 