# Home Baby Proofing Service-Excessive? Wise?



## Asiago (Jul 1, 2009)

What are your thoughts on a baby proofing service that comes into your home for a fee and tells you what to change? The service would also sell the equiptment and do all of the baby proofing installations if we choose.

Thanks!


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## Calee (May 10, 2008)

Excessive. Baby proofing is mostly common sense. A lot of the "stuff" they try to sell you for baby proofing is unnecessary and some of it doesn't even work.


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## Violet2 (Apr 26, 2007)

I would try the free evaluation and see what I thought. They might think of things you haven't.

Having someone do the work is helpful if you can afford it. We babyproofed after the baby came and it was hectic to where I thought, next time I'm babyproofing _before_ baby comes!

If you don't have kids yet (or are a new mom), I highly recommend lots of babyproofing b/c it means you can pee without having to worry about what the baby is doing. For us, more babyproofing = less stress but ymmv.

We basically turned our living room into a giant playpen, it was awesome because I could cook in the kitchen and just keep an eye on DD without worrying about what she was into b/c I knew _everything_ was fine for her to play with.

And, unsolicited advice, put your TV on the highest TV stand you can to avoid accidents like crayon, pen or pulling the TV down. We just happen to have a high TV stand and it is really awesome. DD doesn't mess with the TV at all and I don't have to worry about her pulling it down on herself.

V


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Total waste of money. But I don't do a lot of typical babyproofing. I'm more of a Continuum Concept parent on that front. Also I just watch my kids. My kids have not needed a lot of they typical baby proofing, but they needed different things.









-Angela


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## broodymama (May 3, 2004)

It's definitely not something I would choose to spend my money on.


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## Katie T (Nov 8, 2008)

I think it is over board but if it would make you feel better then of course do it.

I don't do much baby proofing, outlet covers and a gate to protect falling down wooden stairs. They have access to the house (we shut the bathroom door) but otherwise just watch them.

I have noticed friends who relied on the baby proofing things to much and by the age of 2 the children could work the door knob covers, scale gates, open fridge locks. You get the idea.

I would worry about safety issues so you can use the bathroom and cook with out having to worry about safety but I think most child proofing things aren't needed.

Just my .02 cents


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

I think it's a waste of money. Take care of the obvious stuff right away (anchor furniture to walls, cover outlets, etc) and then do what you need as you find that you need it.


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## poppan (Mar 8, 2008)

IMO, it's excessive. But I guess I am with the PPs who don't believe in babyproofing that much in the first place. I had a play pen and put them there if I absolutely needed to be not watching them for X amount of time.


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## new2this (Feb 11, 2010)

I think its a waste of money and boardline scamming of people and their what if fears.

We are going to do the obvious outlet covers, chemicals and things of that nature but thats about it. We live on one level so don't have to worry about stairs or anything like that. Just as I won't put certain items up either unless I would be totally devastated if it broke. The rest we will do as we go and see as fit.


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## laughymama (Oct 14, 2009)

I don't know...seems a little silly for us because it was all common sense. We don't do much babyproofing though. We DO create a "yes" environment so I suppose that's a form of baby/toddlerproofing. In the traditional sense though we've only ever used outlet covers and more recently a fridge lock. (A baby gate now and then.)

If it makes YOU feel more confident and comfortable though then you should do it. For me, I wouldn't feel like it's necessary.


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## lolar2 (Nov 8, 2005)

I think it's more the kind of thing you do to save time if you're very busy, rather than to improve safety.

ETA: Or if you have money to burn and just feel like paying someone.

Anyway, either way, I think it's more like a housecleaner or a lawn service-- you can pay someone and the house won't necessarily be cleaner, nor the lawn better-looking, than if you did it yourself, but it saves you time and effort.

I didn't hire someone for babyproofing but I kind of wish I had. I might ask for that for a treat if I ever have another baby.


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

We babyproofed as we went, and figured out what worked for us - I have gates up on the stairs and blocking off the 'laundry room' (aka mudroom/bathroom - its gross, always has been, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Also, virtually all cleaners are in their and its just easier to block it off than even attempt to keep semi-clean







), and also screens/gates around our woodstoves. Otherwise, we have outlet covers and all breakables put up and way out of reach. Thats about it though, really. When we go to grandparents' house I just quietly move the breakables out of reach and keep an eye on them, making sure they don't stick fingers in outlets etc.









Hiring someone to do all this? Sounds silly, and like a complete and utter waste of $$. But I spose if you have money to burn it could be nice.


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## lolar2 (Nov 8, 2005)

It also would be good for someone with back problems such that bending down to put on the locks and outlet covers, the basic stuff, would be painful.


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## Pepper44 (May 16, 2006)

I don't understand what all they would baby proof that would require a service to do it...? I'm curious now.

We used outlet covers and a baby gate in the doorway to the room where the cat food and litter box are kept. That was it, and I couldn't think of anything beyond that we'd need!

Any cabinets aren't a big deal since we have no chemicals aside from bleach and detergent, but those are up on a shelf. Things baby might break get moved up high or locked in a closet.

I think a baby proofing service might be over board unless your house is a very dangerous place full of chemicals and pointy objects.


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## treeoflife3 (Nov 14, 2008)

I think if it is something you really think you'd like, you should go for it as it is your money and your baby we are talking about but like PP, It isn't something I would spend money on.

for us, EVERYTHING is set up safe for LO to be in and the few places she can't we have a gate for. We use outlet covers and we do have a couple cubboards with some safety locks, but like someone else mentioned, kids learn how to undo those FAST so the things in those cubboards aren't necessarily bad and dangerous.. just things I don't want to clean up or deal with really.

I found it easier to add the safety features we needed as we went. We didn't get gates til she could crawl, we didn't get outlet covers til she noticed the walls (we only have a couple she can even access and she wasn't alone yet at that point when she noticed them) and we didn't put on the locks til she learned there were doors. Some people feel better getting it done ahead of time but since we use so little, it wasn't hard to add as we went.


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## Pepper44 (May 16, 2006)

Ok, I had to look up baby proofing services to see what they offered and I could see how adding plexi glass on railing with gaps might be very helpful and important if you have a deck or balcony.

But the rest of it, toilet lid lock and the like? Not so important and filed under excessive...


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## lolar2 (Nov 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Pepper44* 
I think a baby proofing service might be over board unless your house is a very dangerous place full of chemicals and pointy objects.









Now, there is a point-- someone who can and would pay for a baby proofing service might be someone who has a big house with a lot of expensive breakable objects.


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## One_Girl (Feb 8, 2008)

I think it may be excessive. Babyproofing isn't that hard. I just put our breakable things up, put locks on cupboards, locked up all chemicals and medicines in a high cupboard, and got outlet covers. If you have a tv that can be easily pulled on you may want to move it to a higher position. You may want to pad corners on low tables also.


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## whamuel (Jun 30, 2010)

I agree with the others here - it's not worth it to hire outside help. Installing general accident prevention items is something you can do on your own for much cheaper. I think it's useful to have casual furniture that you don't mind getting messy until they are a bit older.


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## Mama Mko (Jul 26, 2007)

I don't think there's anything wrong with hiring a service to babyproof. It might be overkill for some people, but it could be useful. Lots of people don't anchor things to the wall (dressers, entertainment centers, bookshelves) and that can be dangerous. A babyproofing service will point out any potential dangers and give you a list of products they recommend. You don't have to take them all (we put baby gates on bathroom doors and kitchens instead of using toilet locks and cabinet locks, for example).


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## Eclipsepearl (May 20, 2007)

It kind of depends on what kind of house you have. If it's big and has a lot of dangerous things, it might help.

It might also be a good idea is you have in-home childcare. I wasn't that into baby-proofing but if someone came into my home regularly to watch my child, I would make sure it were as safe as possible. I'm more into watching and guiding but I couldn't expect others to do the same (one reason why we opted for a part time daycare).

We moved when our youngest was 17 months old-the worst age! From an apartment to a multilevelled house. Yikes! I went nuts. I had a terrible time getting a large-enough baby gate for the stairs. The whole place looked like a big Death Trap all of a sudden...

It also depends on the child. She's a dare devil, as was my oldest, who was out of the bad age when we moved. My second was better about getting into things but darned it if she didn't hurt herself _just as often_...

Also, if you're a detail-conscience person, you could probably get all the articles and products on the net. If you worked with, or were otherwise around children, you're probably better at this than say, I was...

If this is your first child, and you don't plan to move, it could be a wise option only because you'll need the stuff for longer and for more than one child.


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## poppan (Mar 8, 2008)

I'm revising my opinion. I think professional baby proofing is good for someone who has the money and doesn't have the time and/or tools/skills to do things like drill in the latches on kitchen cabinets, or drill into the wall for the furniture straps, or put in one of those really sturdy baby gates that (again) involve drilling into the wall.

My husband happens to be one of those guys who has a lot of power tools and knows how to do this stuff, but my neighbors are the kind of people who wouldn't have the know-how or the equipment, so I can see them using a baby proofing service to do the installations.


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## Asiago (Jul 1, 2009)

Thanks everyone for your replies and opinions.

I actually feel that this service is excessive and overkill but my husband feels it is going to be very helpful, so some of you have helped me to see his side of things a bit more clearly. I have felt so opposed to the idea of it but am unsure why exactly.

My thoughts were to completely baby proof one room, likely the family room, and then of course the most important issues in the rest of the home. I am coming around to the idea though of having the work done for us as I have no time or energy to do it (I am with my son 24/7). He is eight months and crawls quickly and pulls himself up on everything. Time is whizzing by and my son is mobile, yet I haven't even covered the outlets (but I do supervise him closely and am with him 24 hours a day).

Thanks again for your input, we shall see how it goes with the service. We have an appointment in a couple of weeks.


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## leighi123 (Nov 14, 2007)

The ONLY babyproofing I did was put a child lock on the cabnet that holds cleaning supplies (b/c we couldnt move them anywhere else).

Other than that, I watch my kid! And teach him not to mess with things he shouldnt be messing with.


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## tbone_kneegrabber (Oct 16, 2007)

I always joked that I wanted to start a babyproofing service where I would take my then 18month old (although it would also work now that he's 2y10m) into someone's house with a newborn or whose still pregnant and just let him go.

Then he would run around being wild and doing totally dangerous stuff and almost breaking things and I would follow with a clipboard and say "mmm move that, huh I think you'd better put those higher, oh looks like that needs a new latch, uh oh hope that wasn't antique" and then I hand the family the list and they would hand me a wad of cash!


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## lolar2 (Nov 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Asiago* 
Thanks everyone for your replies and opinions.

I actually feel that this service is excessive and overkill but my husband feels it is going to be very helpful, so some of you have helped me to see his side of things a bit more clearly. I have felt so opposed to the idea of it but am unsure why exactly.

My thoughts were to completely baby proof one room, likely the family room, and then of course the most important issues in the rest of the home. I am coming around to the idea though of having the work done for us as I have no time or energy to do it (I am with my son 24/7). He is eight months and crawls quickly and pulls himself up on everything. Time is whizzing by and my son is mobile, yet I haven't even covered the outlets (but I do supervise him closely and am with him 24 hours a day).

Thanks again for your input, we shall see how it goes with the service. We have an appointment in a couple of weeks.

I definitely would do that for your husband's peace of mind, then.


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