HUGE THANK YOU to Friday Baby for sponsoring this post! This post includes affiliate links to a few products I own, use and LOVE! If you happen to buy one of them I promise to put my small commission towards something totally practical like the Baby Mop (yes, that’s a real thing you can buy).
What do I Know About Child Safety?
Child safety has been on my mind a lot lately for two adorable reasons . . .
First, I have an almost three-year old who is suddenly trustworthy enough to leave alone for short periods of time. If he’s unsupervised for too long I’ll find him feeding our dog an extra meal, hiding the TV remote in the bathtub or stacking all our clean Tupperware like blocks on the kitchen floor. But he’ll be in one piece while he’s doing it and he’ll have an enormous grin on his face when I catch him.
Second, I have a seven month old who is on the cusp of crawling. Also, he has shockingly long, sneaky little arms that whip everything right into his mouth like a frog’s tongue. Not to mention – if he wants something badly enough – he can army-crawl, butt-scoot and log roll with Olympic-level finesse.
My Safety Worldview
The first thing you should know about me is that I’m not an expert on child safety. I am a responsible(ish) parent who will do anything to keep my two little guys safe. Let me rephrase that – I will do anything except actually baby-proof my house.
On a scale of free-range parent to helicopter parent I aim for some middle ground. Obviously, we keep our power tools and pharmaceuticals on an out-of-reach shelf. But I believe you only have to walk face first into the corner of a coffee table once to learn to avoid it 100% of the time after that. I think it can be as dangerous to over baby-proof your home as it is to under baby-proof.
A frequent mantra in our house is “good thing you’re tough“. We say it over and over again every time one of my kids bumps their head or scratches their knee. Seeing my kids get hurt is torture, but it’s amazing how quickly they can be cured by an ice pack and a kiss.
My Child Safety Picks
Below are my top eight tips and safety products we actually use. I hope this list helps you to strike a balance between maintaining a safe home and prepping your family for a world you can’t baby-proof.
1) Baby Headphones
Babies have SUPER sensitive ears. If you’re lugging an infant anywhere that might have prolonged loud noises like a sporting event or concert, it’s nice to have teeny tiny headphones just in case. We use these Friday Baby headphones and they work great for our infant. (Use exclusive code MOMGOTIT for 10% off).
2) Doorknob Covers
I’ll be honest, this one is as much about my sanity as it is about their safety. A couple of strategically placed doorknob covers give us some control over our toddler’s comings and goings. We use them for everything from making sure he doesn’t wander the house at night to keeping him out of the basement.
3) Hair Ties
A hair tie on both cabinet doorknobs under our kitchen sink was enough to keep our son from prying the doors open when he first started walking. It was a cheap, easy alternative to something more permanent like cabinet locks.
4) A Lock Pick
If you have doors that lock, you should be prepared for little hands to accidentally lock them. When my son was almost two, I had to take the handle off of our bathroom door so I could reach in and pop it open while my son was stuck inside. If your doors have keys, I recommend making sure you know where they are. Otherwise, make sure you know how to pick the locks. That way you won’t have to figure out a solution while you’re in full-blown panic-mode.
5) A Car Magnet
I’ll be honest, I haven’t purchased one of these yet but I think it’s a great idea! Getting two little kids out of car seats is a Catch 22. Grab the older one first and you have to worry about him ripping around the parking lot while you fiddle with the little one’s car seat. Other way around and you don’t have a free arm to help/carry the toddler out. This helps you keep the toddler contained while you take the infant in and out of the car seat.
6) An Oven Lock
I LOVE this thing! I am a huge fan of baby-friendly muffins and basically anything baked. From an early age, my toddler learned to crack eggs, carefully add ingredients and stir. Since he’s so interested in the process of cooking, I live in fear that he’s going to take it upon himself to check the oven like he’s seen me do 100 times. This lock gives me a little peace of mind if I step out of the kitchen.
7) Pool Noodles
My 3 year old sleeps in a regular full sized bed that’s up against the wall on two sides. For the other two sides, we’ve taped pool noodles under the mattress pad to keep him from rolling out of bed. Initially I just did one side and left the foot of the bed open. It didn’t take my Little Houdini long to fall out of the foot of the bed so we added a second pool noodle.
Bonus #8) Teach Your Kids to Participate in Their Safety
Last but not least, make sure your kid learns about safety from a young age. One of my son’s early words was “hot, hot, hot” because we gave him food that was slightly too hot so he learned to wait for it to cool. Now we’re working on making sure he knows his first and last name. Next up I want to teach him his address.
What did I Miss?
Jump in! What are your best tips and tricks that help keep your family safe?
