Baby-proofing

If you haven’t noticed already, I’m a pretty laid back person. When it came to baby-proofing the house when Linnea was first becoming mobile, I just baby-proofed as needed. Of course I covered all the outlets and gated the stairs, but not much more was required. Linnea just flat out didn’t get into things. She never opened cabinets she wasn’t supposed to open; if she found a foreign object on a shelf or on the floor, she didn’t eat it, but brought it to me; heck, she didn’t even go after Ringo’s water bowl! I never had to move my cleaning products, medications, or make up. We taught her personal possession early, and she just stayed away from things she knew weren’t “Linnea’s.” In fact, even “Daddy and Mommy’s” dusty liquor cabinet is still totally un-baby-proofed and easily accessible. Well, not for long…

I have a feeling Joey and Eliza are going to be into everything. Wait, let me quickly rethink and rephrase that: they are into everything! They just loooove things they aren’t supposed to have. Seriously, isn’t it amazing that babies totally know the difference!? Now, I’m not sure exactly why Joey and Eliza get into more things than Linnea did at their age. I suppose it’s a combination of personality and lack of supervision. When Linnea was 9 months old, she was my only focus. I was with her all the time and supervised every moment. Joey and Eliza, on the other hand, are often left to their own vices. I always keep an eye on them, but I’m also busy doing other things: unloading the dishwasher, doing a puzzle with Linnea, folding laundry, etc. Joey and Eliza simply have more time to get into things. Needless to say, some major baby-proofing has been occurring in our house.

Most of the daily baby-proofing goes on when Joey and Eliza have free rein of the upstairs. Both Joey and Eliza have opened the cabinet under the kitchen sink (cleaning supplies galore), so I’ve started looking for effective cabinet locks. I’ve found Joey with both hands submerged in Ringo’s water multiple times, so Ringo’s water and food are now put away during the day. I also close the bathroom door, because it seems to be their favorite room – ewww. I shut Linnea’s and the babies’ bedroom doors due to Joey’s fascination with electrical cords. Each morning I pull the living room blinds halfway up and wrap the cords out of reach. Eliza’s a huge fan of the blinds; Joey the cords. I do a visual sweep of the main floor to make sure none of Linnea’s “choke-able” toys are laying around. I do a physical sweep (literally with the broom) underneath the kitchen table and in the kitchen to make sure there aren’t any food remnants on the floor. I put away shoes that are left by the back door. I shut the door to the downstairs. Oh, and the biggest manner of baby-proofing done recently was moving our living room couch smack dab in front of the fireplace. Yep, I completely covered the fireplace with the couch. It definitely looks weird, but it keeps Joey and Eliza from exploring the bricks and ashes. That fireplace was a hazardous baby magnet. So, my house has officially become what I always swore it wouldn’t become: a completely child-proofed baby zone…but, hey, I never thought I’d have THREE kids.

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