Welcome to the Childproof My Home family Mommy of 2.  We are looking forward to reading all about your family, your tips & tricks, and most of all, your unique experiences as new mom!

I’ve been wanting to get some locks for my kitchen cabinets.  I keep my household cleaners under the kitchen sink, and I’m worried about my son getting into them…he’s just starting to walk now, and that is one place I don’t want him exploring!  Help!!

Hi Alison,

Kitchen cabinet locks are definitely a good idea, and there quite a few products out there that will fit the bill.  Our favorite is the Tot-Lock Cabinet Door Lock System.  Here’s why we think it’s the best: 

1.  It actually keeps the cabinet door completely shut (no partially opened doors to pinch fingers).

2.  The locks can only be operated (and the door opened) with the “key.”  No key, no open. Tot-Lock can’t be outsmarted.

3.  The key doubles as a refrigerator magnet! (Ok so that’s not really that much of a plus, but it does give you a convenient place for it so it doesn’t get misplaced)

It’s an awesome performer, but the TotLock does a few pitfalls as well:

1. It requires a few tools to install: screwdriver, drill, drill-bits, etc….(but if you don’t have them, we bet your neighbor does)

2. That wonderful “key” that will reside on your refrigerator could be your enemy.  If you happen to lose it, misplace it, your dog eats it……your cabinets will not only off-limits to your child, but they’ll be off-limits to you, too. (see #2 above and think about ordering an extra key when you buy)

The Tot-Lock works as a catch on the inner frame of whatever cabinet you are installing it on. When you shut the cabinet door, the Tot-Lock latches it tightly (very little to NO movement). Most other cabinet door locks allow the door to open just enough for you (the adult) to defeat the lock and get into the cabinet. 

If you can open the door a tiny bit to defeat a lock, your child can open the door a tiny bit;  just enough to get those little fingers pinched.  This is where the Tot-Lock soars past the competition, the almost 0% chance of getting fingers pinched.

The installation of the Tot-Lock is pretty simple if you follow the steps.  If you don’t know your way around tools very well, expect installation to take around 15-20 minutes per door.  If you’re a real handywoman, you can knock it out in under 10 minutes. You can see the Tot-Lock system here

I hope this helps in making your decision about cabinet doors locks.  In the meantime, find a new place for those cleaners!

The Kidswitch Light Switch Helper belongs in the category of bright ideas.  This super-simple little item is a snap to install, easy to use, and it just plain works.

So, you’ve got your little one wanting to be a big boy or girl.  No more cribs and diapers–it’s all about the Big Boy Bed and Dora the Explorer Underwear.  They’re searching for some independence, and Bingo!  You’ve just found one way to help them out.  With this device, they can  turn on and off  the lights by themselves…without calling for you all the time…and they can do it without having to climb things or reach for the stars.   Now they can just reach for the moon! (the clever shape of the Kidswitch)

The Kidswitch mounts with just two screws (included) in less than 5 minutes; and perhaps the coolest thing about it is…it glows in the dark!  Now your little one can not only reach the light switch, they can see it as well. 

According to government reports, accidental falls cause more than 3 million injures each year…Yikes!  If an inexpensive product like Kidswitch can prevent some of those accidents, there’s no debate. 

We give the Kidswitch two BIG thumbs up.  You can view the Kidswitch here.

1: Hard mount: Uses screws, nuts & bolts, and other hardware to permanently mount the baby gate to wall studs or a door casing.

 2:Pressure mount: Uses Rubber or foam feet that fit between an area like a doorway or hall. They are “soft mounted,” and can be moved or re-located without the use of tools.

3: Stand alone: Think of these baby gates like play pens.  They normally connect in some form of a shape, like a square, and are free standing.

The most important rule to remember when purchasing a childproofing baby gate: Use ONLY a “hard mount” style gate around the top or bottom of steps.  Some “childproofing experts” say you only need to put this style gate at the top.  That is bogus information. 

Let’s look at it from this angle….

You’re in the kitchen, chopping up some fresh veggies for dinner.  Little Timmy is doing his thing on the floor with his toys.  His ever-wandering attention is turned to the steps that go UP.  Your attention is focused on not chopping your finger off (understandably so).  Timmy decides he want to go upstairs.  So,  he crawls over to the steps and leans against the baby gate (that’s only held in place by pressure) against the wall.  It doesn’t take much and the gate falls over. 

 ”Wait a a second… I’d hear the gate fall!”  you say.  Really? With Dr. Phil on TV in the background?  Hamburger browning on the stove?  Concentrating on not having to make a trip to the ER with a missing pinkie?  Oh, and don’t forget that nice cozy carpet on your steps that muffles the sound when the baby gate falls.  With all that, are you still positive you’ll hear that gate fall? 

As Timmy looks up at the mountain of steps before him, he begins his climb.  Being the nimble baby he is, it only takes a minute and he’s 8 steps up.  “Now this looks like a great place to try to stand up for the first time…”

I’ll let your imagination finish the story.

The moral to the story is ONLY “Hard Mount” around steps, TOP & BOTTOM.

As you can imagine, a “hard mount baby safety gate” beats a “pressure mount baby safety gate” any day of the week.  There are, however, a few pitfalls to downsides to ”hard mount” gates.  “Hard mount baby gates” are more expensive, and a tad more difficult to install.  These facts sometimes make people think that other gates are “good enough.”  If there is one thing that I can’t stand it’s……”good enough.”  When it comes to the safety of our children, those words should never exit our mouths.  Besides….what’s an ER visit cost these days?

You’ve got your mounting style.  You’re 33.3% done.

Size comes next.  What is the size of the area that you are trying to cover?   This can be measured in a few ways.  A tape measure would be the simplest way to get it done, but where IS that darned thing??

“I’ve got a RULER,” you say.  Great…get a piece of string, yarn, rope, or a few pieces of paper and lay it out on the floor. Then measure the distance with your ruler.  Double check the size of your chosen baby gate and make sure your space falls between the “Min & Max” of the baby gate mounting size.  Quality childproofing baby gates are made from wood & metal, and they won’t stretch.  This is great for safety, but not for making them fit if you’ve measured wrong.  If the size of the gate doesn’t fit your measurements, you’ll need a extension kit. Extensions are made for many baby gates, and they are NOT universal, so triple check that you are getting the right one for your gate.

 You are now 66.6% complete!  Well done!

***Note: When measuring for your new baby gate, keep your trim work in mind. If you take a single measurement at waist height, and have baseboard on the walls, that measurement WILL be different at  your feet.  Depending on how many “layers” of moulding you have, this could be as much as a 6 inch difference from your waist height measurement!  This could change the baby gate you will use.

Style is your final choice.  This is the category we really can’t help you with, but we will give you this tip.  ***Never purchase a baby gate that uses any kind of webbing; this creates finger and foot holes for your baby to climb. ***

You can see each kind of childproofing baby gate, baby gate extension, and baby gate mounting kit in our store:

1) Hard Mount Baby Safety Gates

2)Pressure Mount Baby Safety Gates

3)Baby Safety Gate Extension Kits

4)Baby Safety Gate Installation Kits