I recently told you about my safety consultation with Child Safety Expert and Professional Childproofer Kimberlee Mitchell. As you may remember, I thought my husband and I had done a pretty good job of providing a safe home for our kids. It turns out that there was much that we could do to make our home safer for our kids. Kimberlee offered a wealth of safety information and gave us insight on the “how to” of childproofing. We learned that childproofing goes beyond gates and includes discipline and supervision. Since the installation, my son has already figured out how to open the drawer locks. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is NOT to rely solely on childproofing.
This week, I want to spend some time sharing with you what is involved when you decide to professionally childproof your home. If you remember, Kimberlee went through our entire home (minus our “off-limit” rooms) offering suggestions and solutions for obvious and not-so-obvious safety hazards. The plan was to install gates, cabinet/drawer locks, toilet locks, door knob covers, stove knob covers, outlet covers, fireplace lock and video monitors (stay tuned for my upcoming review).
Here is a quick video to give you an overview of what was done:
Safety 1st Squad offers two different service options: Consultation & Installation and Consultation & Product. If you’re a busy mom (like me) and don’t have the time (or energy) to babyproof, I highly recommend the first option. It would appear that installing a few gates and locks would suffice. However, it’s a bit more involved than that. Each home has it’s own set of hazards and it’s important to consider things like stairs, off-limit rooms, pets, etc. Whether you choose to have the safety equipment installed or to do it yourself, the consultation is a valuable educational endeavor. Kimberlee not only walked us through our home, room by room, to identify hazards we didn’t think about, she provided education (and options) on how to handle those hazards. The Consultation & Installation option includes a personal in-home child safety consultation, recommendation of safety devices, and expert installation by trained installers. I like the convenience of not having to think much about which products will work with our home or spending the time to install them. She took into consideration the age of both of our children and what types of issues we would encounter for each developmental stage. As noted on the video, I was concerned about having both children in the same room and the challenges that might pose. Kimberlee was insightful and resourceful and I LOVE her idea to install the video monitors in that room.
If you would rather install the equipment yourself, the Consultation & Product option is affordable and effective. Once you’ve received your professional in-home consultation, you can purchase the products recommended by the Child Safety Expert. Perhaps you’d like to do some of the installation yourself and have the pros take care of things like gates and monitors? That’s also an option. That’s what I appreciate about the Safety 1st Squad…the personalized attention to your home, children, and living situation.
So what’s the difference between traditional and professional grade childproofing products? That was my question and it’s likely yours too. When we moved into our house two years ago, we installed cabinet locks that we had purchased at Target. Before Kimberlee came over to consult with us, she opened the cabinets under the sink where we keep dishwashing liquid, etc. The locks had long been broken off…by my son. Traditional products can be found at retailers and are designed to be installed by anyone with commonly owned tools. They address the most common safety issues and include the hardware and installation instructions necessary to get the job done. It’s important to note that these devices are CPSIA compliant and are as safe as professional grade products.
Kimberlee used a combination of traditional and professional products during our installation. These products are not typically available to consumers at retail stores because they may only be sold in bulk, may not include installation instructions, or require additional hardware. These products are specifically designed for professionals and are typically more visually aesthetic. To be honest, I also find them to be a bit more durable, especially considering I have a very active 2 1/2 year old boy.
There are a few products I’d like to make note of, simply because I think they’re ingenious.
Tot Lok: This “traditional” safety device is a must for kitchen and bathroom cabinets which house dangerous items. Tot Loks utilize a patented magnetic locking system to keep cabinets and drawers closed. The loks come with a key that is waved over the area to open the cabinet. Simply brilliant!
ProGrade Push-Button Toilet Lock: This is one instance where I prefer the professional version of this safety device. It includes a push button for one-hand opening and has an indicator to show when it’s locked. I personally think it works better and looks nicer than traditional toilet locks. I should mention that my toddler can still manage to sneak in items into the toilet but I know he won’t fall in.
Swivel Outlet Cover: Conventional outlet plugs pose a choking hazard (my son can take them off easily) and the ones that are too difficult to remove frustrate me. These covers automatically cover outlets when the plug is removed.
Stay tuned for my full review of Safety 1st’s Prism Color Video Monitor because it deserves an entire post of it’s own.
For more information about the Safety 1st Squad including how to set up a consultation, just visit their website.
No compensation was received for this post. A consultation and installation was provided, courtesy of the company.
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