Arrrgh.

[orichalcum]

Mac figured out over the weekend how to beat the chlld-proof door handle locks we have installed to safeguard various areas of the apartment. Since he can climb over the playzone wall, this means that the only remaining safely contained area for him is his crib - till he figures that out, at least.

It's going to be a very long day.

Anyone know if they make childproof devices for creative baby engineers?

Comments

[meepodeekin.livejournal.com]

Hey, your baby is a genius! He's going to be a great delight to you when he grows up. If he lasts that long. :) Hopefully the intelligence also translates to him quickly figuring out when things cause hurt and should not be done again?

[orichalcum.livejournal.com]

I wish. (Not on the genius part, I mean, I hope that, but I'm not being cynical about that.) I wish in the sense that no, he still repeatedly bumps himself in the same ways - standing up under the table is _always_ going to hurt...

[meepodeekin.livejournal.com]

Oh well. He'll learn eventually. I'm sorry for the however-long of stress you have ahead, though.

On another note, I love your d20 icon.

[retsuko.livejournal.com]

Combination locks?

Hang in there!

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

I second both of these sentiments-- it's easy to install lock hasps on door frames and then slap a padlock of some sort on them. I'd come help with the project if I wasn't so damn far away! (Have power drill, will travel?)

[orichalcum.livejournal.com]

We have a power drill, actually...but I think CPS doesn't really like it when they see children's bedrooms padlocked from the outside....//;lplp;[
}Mk -- that was Mac's commentary on the situation.

[ladybird97.livejournal.com]

//;lplp;[}Mk! I agree completely! :)

Alas, once again, Mac proves to be Too Smart For His Own Good. *hug*

Do they make taller playzones?

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

How are CPS gonna know? I mean, you had a childlock on it before, yeah?

[kid-cthulhu.livejournal.com]

Clearly Mac and Finney need to get picked up by some secret government agency that will turn them into lock-picking, crime fighting secret agents. They could be called the Toddler and the Toller. I can see the movie now.

[orichalcum.livejournal.com]

Wow, it's a fun-for-the-whole-family wacky hijinks comedy! It clearly involves a cross-country tour, probably in your VW Bug convertible, cuz that would be a great image.

[kid-cthulhu.livejournal.com]

Also, height can do a lot for you. If the handle devices no longer work, think about other security that you can fit on higher on the door. He can't figure it out if he can't reach it.

How does he feel about baby gates? You can install those one over the top of another.

[orichalcum.livejournal.com]

He climbs over baby gates or moves furniture so he can climb over them. Taller baby gates just mean a longer drop on the other side, I think....:( Still, we may try installing a lock higher up, at least for now.

[kid-cthulhu.livejournal.com]

Try Fosters & Smith catalog. They sell a lot of baby/pet gates and may have some taller models or some models that are more kid proof than the standard plastic. www.drsfostersmith.com

[cookie107.livejournal.com]

Which handle devices were you using? We had lots of luck with a kind that had to be squeezed on opposite sides ot the doorknob while you turned--neither boy ever figured those out. I also found that I could put the gates up about 6 inches from the floor--too low to crawl under, but once again, bought us a little height.

Are you trying to keep him in a room or out of a room? Eyehook latches at grownup height are infallible, but not useful if someone is going in and out of the door.

I'm having a similar problem, where there are rooms that my 5-year old needs to be able to get into but that I want to be able to lock to my 2 year old. We have not yet figured out how to engineer that.

seconding...

[(Anonymous)]

We also used eyehook latches for rooms where SMNH is supposed to stay out. (For the keep-in/keep-out problem, could they be installed at the 5-year-old's height? Though what to do once the 5-yo's in...)

I haven't tried the squeezable door things but have seen them and was going to suggest them as well.

What if you take one or two areas where he wasn't allowed before (was he allowed to wander into his room during the day?) and make them child-safe for him? That way you can play up the "look, exciting new area for you!" and let him go there at will, and he might be less inclined to try to beat whatever new thing (hooks, door squeezer) you put on the rooms you really don't want him to enter.

Re: seconding...

[stone-and-star.livejournal.com]

Sorry, that anonymous comment was mine, thought I was logged in.
-MJNH

Re: seconding...

[orichalcum.livejournal.com]

What we have is essentially a squeezable thing - push down a button while squeezing up on a handle. He's figured it out.

Re: seconding...

[kid-cthulhu.livejournal.com]

In that case, some of the wooden ones might be better, they're more fragile and complicated. Or you might be able to tweak the mechanism of the current ones to make the push button harder to depress. He doesn't have much strength or leverage at that angle, so just doing that might thwart him.

more gates

[kid-cthulhu.livejournal.com]

How about this remote control model, and you just put the remote out of his reach (velcro it to the wall)?
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3307+13845+14530&pcatid=14530

Or slightly taller gates? The latch on this one looks simple, but could also be locked down pretty easily too.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3307+13845+18111&pcatid=18111

[stolen-tea.livejournal.com]

Have you tried pit traps?