Well it was not really a surprise when Ernie started crawling a bit early, right around 7 months. He’d been sitting for a few months already and rocking back and forth for a bit, so we knew it was coming. That foray into autonomous movement was back around Thanksgiving, so we’ve been figuring out our baby proofing since then. So far I’ve been very much in the train of thought that he should have access to as much of our house as possible, so we’ve tried to move things up off bottom shelves that he shouldn’t be touching, retire some baby-unfriendly items, and anything else to keep our home as much a space for him as it is for us. That being said, there have been some accommodations for sure that we’ve had to make. There is no way I was going to let him have access to the cabinet in our kitchen where we store all of our glass tupperware, or the one where the dog’s medications, cleaning supplies, etc. are kept. So we had to invest in a bit of baby proofing hardware. Here’s what we’ve done so far.

Coffee Table / Fireplace Hearth Corner and Edge Protectors

We have a distressed-looking coffee table that my husband has had for over a decade and I love the look of. It’s also very heavy, so stays exactly where you put it without risk of falling over, and does not necessitate the use of coasters (the bane of my existence). Its one flaw? Very. Sharp. Corners. We knew we’d have to do something about them once Ernie started roaming the area, and felt quite lucky to find this set of corner protectors. It also inspired us to protect the edges and corners of the hearth in front of our fireplace, which is about four inches off the ground, and one of Ernie’s favorite places to crawl up on. We purchased black for the table (looks great!) and off-white for the hearth (looks… fine. It’s temporary, it’s ok that it started looking dirty immediately).

Magnetic Locks for Kitchen and Bathroom Cabinets

We learned about these kinds of cabinet protectors from our pediatrician who uses them in all their offices and patient rooms. I think they’re very cool because there isn’t anything visible from the outside, and it has become a pretty easy and regular thing to grab for the “key” (really just a magnet that we keep nearby) to unlock any cabinet. It also means the doors can’t open at all, whereas some cabinet-proofing allows for enough space to catch a tiny baby finger and pinch it on the way shut.

Outlet Covers and Plug Protectors

We got a pack of these plug protectors before Ernie was born and used them liberally throughout our house when he started to show signs of moving. I like that they’re clear and unobtrusive, but still decently hard to figure out how to get off. We were getting by with just those until last week when we put a humidifier in Ernie’s room. All he wanted to do was play with the plug and wall socket, so we grabbed one of these outlet covers and it assuaged my electrocution fears… though now all Ernie wants to play with is the humidifier’s water tank. 😂

Command Strips

I learned about this trick from one of the many blog posts on baby proofing that I read in preparation for Ernie exploring our house. Lots of people have used command strips to keep their kitchen and bathroom cabinets closed with much success. We wanted a more solid solution for those doors, but we do have a few other cabinets and drawers throughout the house that keep games, extra supplies, and other things tucked away. For those we’ve been using command strips at the tops and/or bottoms of the opening and so far, so good, he hasn’t gotten into any of them!

Anyone have any baby proofing suggestions? Things you swore by with your kids? Alternatively, what did you let them get into (i.e. the tupperware cabinet, a toy drawer in the bathroom, etc.)? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. – this post is part of our list of ‘30 Blog Posts We Want to Write in 2020,’ be sure to check the rest of the list out!