Child-Proofing: Knobs & Locks

[woodwardiocom]

We have some doors we want to child-proof, given the impending Roo. We're thinking of two alternatives:

• Doorknob covers.
• Simple bolts, mounted high.

Which do people recommend?

Comments

[wombattery.livejournal.com]

The covers worked well for us. They're effective, trivial to install, and don't involve drilling holes into anything. You may eventually want to put in a bolt or two in particularly sensitive areas as your child gets older and more clever, but you'll be able to reevaluate your strategy as you go.

[desiringsubject.livejournal.com]

I had to interact with those sorts of covers in a house I frequented, and the covers made me crazy. It's like perpetually trying to open doors when your hands are covered in oil. I'm not familiar with the alternatives, but I think I'd prefer bolts.

[pale-chartreuse.livejournal.com]

I used both. Covers for interior doors, bolts for exterior doors. You will also need ot take Roo's personality into consideration when you meet her. Childproofing for a sprinter is different from childproofing for a climber.

[pale-chartreuse.livejournal.com]

To follow up: J was a wild man, and I eventually babyproofed the house to point where I refered to it as "the third parent". Inviting friends in, from the front door all the way to using the facilities, involved undoing four different types of locks, and was know as "the intelligence test".

[archangelbeth]

We only used cabinet latches -- for whatever reason, the kid never headed for a door without us being around. You might just want to get some kind of hanging door alarm (e.g., http://preparedness.com/peandhoendoa.html -- I don't know the brand, but it's an example) till you know if Roo likes opening doors.

Do totally secure sliding glass doors, though. That's how my little brother got out -- twice. The second time, he found a neighbor's unfenced swimming pool, and he couldn't swim. O:(

[mizarchivist]

Seems like a thing that will be an issue in a year. If your kid can open doors this year, you have bigger problems, dude.

[trowa-barton.livejournal.com]

That's what I think.
However, I am curious about the results

[mizarchivist]

I hate the knob thingies, fwiw. PITA.

[bedfull-o-books.livejournal.com]

I, too, hate the knob thingies. I also hate the toilet lock. I am always tempted to pee in the bathtub when I encounter one of those things.

[jbsegal.livejournal.com]

And, y'know, _I_ never went playing in the toilet so I don't understand the point of them.

[tamidon.livejournal.com]

more about the joy of flushing random stuff and watching it disappear

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

The doorknob covers worked for us and were available through our local Babies r Us.

[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

The other owners in our building put the covers in place on their doors.... and are constantly getting themselves accidentally locked out in the process..... the kids evidently have to try them ever so often and accidentally lock them in the process when the parents are on the wrong side of the door....

And of course that means I'm the one that has to come down with the keys, being the default building manager that has everyone's keys...

[ceo]

We use both in various places. Bolts will be effective for longer; Benjamin could open the doorknob covers earlier than we wanted him to.

We really need cabinet latches and I haven't found any that work well; none of the ones I've tried to install are long enough to comfortably get a finger between the door and the drawer above it to unlatch.

Be aware that the really important part of childproofing is securing tippy furniture: bookcases especially, also TVs if they're on a low table.

[mrw42.livejournal.com]

I find the knob covers annoying, but they have one huge advantage over bolts: you don't have to remember to latch them. For doors you normally keep closed, that you don't use that often, and where the potential danger of a child open the door is high (like a door to the cellar stairs), the knob covers are great.

[tamidon.livejournal.com]

we used the knob covers. They didnt bug me too much, but i have really strong hands. Cabinet latches were a joke to Alyssa

[be-well-lowell.livejournal.com]

To echo (or re-word) my wife's comment: you don't know the threat profile until you know the kid.

If your'e still taking answers

[drwex]

I hated the knob covers. We used a few for really dangerous areas (like the door to the garage full of paint and garden tools) but mostly avoided them. By the time the kid was old enough to open a regular knob he was old enough to realize he ought not to go in there.

Latches were much more convenient for us.