Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
M-OT-Kid Locks
Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey
I'm soon (60 days) to have a couple of energetic 1-yr olds charging around my non-child-proof house. I'm going to have to render most of the kitchen and some of the other cabinets kid-proof and I would like to hear from those here who know of, especially have recently used/installed, door and drawer locks to keep little finger and mouths out of where they don't belong or can get hurt.
Sources? Brands? Models?
TIA
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Re: M-OT-Kid Locks
JL
We had a very "handy" cat. Who liked opening cabinets and drawers.
Safety 1st child locks worked well.
My niece has a toddler who is about 19 months and charging around her house. She also uses Safety 1st.
Don't forget to do the drawers.
Re: M-OT-Kid Locks
Tom Norton
Wish I could remember the brand but I will describe the item. It is a small locking unit that mounts to the inside face of the door. It is activated with a magnetic foob that you place on the face of the door to release the latch. Works great.
Re: M-OT-Kid Locks
John McGaw
A quick Google search for "magnetic child safety cabinet locks" (without the quotes of course) will turn up loads of useful results.
Thanks - Inside Only
Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey
Given the price of the cabinetry, nothing can get used on the outside of the doors and drawers.
When my kids were little we used the nylon tab stuff that mounted to the inside of the doors, etc. and was depressed to release.
Wondering if anything better's been invented in the last 40 years.
Thanks, Guys
These work
Lee Schierer in McKean, PA
Mark our two children were kept out of cabinets and drawers with latches similar to these. You have to open the drawer of door slightly and press the latch down with your finger and then pull the door the rest of the way open. By the time they get old enough to figure it out they are old enough to be told to stay out and not to touch.
That's
Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey
essentially what we used 45 years ago.
Worked well, but I like the mag-latches as well.
Perhaps partition the house?
ian neuhaus
Thinking back to when the kid was 1, the key issues were keeping the child off the stairs, and removing anything that was within reaching distance from the floor -- i.e. lower than about 30"
We didn't bother with kid locks in the kitchen or other cabinets as it was easier to place a kid proof gate across those areas that were "entry only with an escort"
if it looks like a ladder, a kid will attempt to climb it.
if it can be used as a hand hold a kid will pull it down or pull themselves up on it.
look for sharp edges at around adult knee to mid-thigh height