Jill Dillard, daughter of the infamous Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, faced scrutiny for sharing a picture of her young son with an uncovered electrical outlet in the background earlier this year. Critics were quick to flood this young mother with their opinions of such a heinous crime, but I found myself defending the act as a good parenting move. They were closely supervising their son and I would imagine they have taught their son boundaries, which kept him safer than an outlet cover would.
I confess: There were no locks for toilets or the fridge, no baby gates or multitudes of outlet covers in our home. Here are some of our reasons:
1. It Only Slows Them Down
This is my pediatrician’s classic counsel. There is no truly baby-proof product on the market—no matter how many times the package says “safe” on it. Outlet covers may prevent children from shocking themselves at first touch, but it is really only a matter of time before baby peels off the covers and goes at the outlet. Safety gadgets may give you enough time to finish up in the bathroom before your child finds herself in peril, but there is no guarantee. Even the best baby-proofed home cannot guarantee a baby will always be safe.
2. Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way
My best friend is the cautionary tale in this department. She decided she no longer enjoyed staying in her crib when she learned to pull herself up and began walking. She then began jumping in her crib—jumping so high that she propelled herself out of the crib. YouTube is riddled with footage of tiny escape artists climbing out of their cribs, over baby gates, up walls, and onto pantry shelves. If a child wants to try something badly enough, she will accomplish the task—no matter how tall the baby gate or crib side.
3. We Couldn’t Babyproof the Whole World
We knew that we would have to leave the house sometimes, even if we accomplished making our home a fortress of baby security. My doctor’s office has signs with a baby sticking his finger into an outlet with a reminder to parents to keep an eye on their children in the waiting room. We also could not force Grandma to impose our safety standards on her home. Nor could we inspect every inch of our neighbor’s home before allowing our son to play there. The grocery stores offer aisle after aisle of climbing wall potential, but we could not stop grocery shopping! Eventually we had to take our child somewhere that was not baby-proofed to our standards, and we did not want to leave our son helpless in those situations.
So, instead of baby gating every doorway and vigilantly guarding all four thousand electrical outlets in our home, here’s what we did instead:
1. Moved Deadly Hazards
My husband and I crawled around on the floor and sought to identify anything dangerous within a baby’s reach. Cleaning products were moved to top shelves, knives were taken from kitchen drawers and moved far back on the countertop. We began to monitor the basement door and ensure it was closed tightly. We looked for other dangers that could harm our child instantly and relocated them. There is no need to leave poisonous chemicals within a child’s reach, so a little proactive thinking can help keep our kiddos safe.
2. Strategically Placed Baby Equipment
My son moved about with me and was always within an arm’s reach. If I was cooking dinner, he was a step or two away in his bouncy seat or exersaucer. If I ran to the bathroom, he got to enjoy his bath toys and play close by. We set up the pack and play by the front door to keep him contained if I needed to unload groceries or take the dog outside. The swing was by the laundry room, so he could swing while I washed, dried and folded the multitudes of laundry a newborn creates. I began planning my chores and daily routine in conjunction with baby activities.
3. Taught Our Son “No”
At the time my niece turned one, her parents were planning to move out of the country. A common practice in their new country was the placement of water heaters in living rooms. My sister-in-law was working hard to teach her daughter that “no” means “no,” and immediately so. They would need their daughter to obey instantly if they were visiting a new home or else she could face painful burns. We applied the same logic to our son. At two-and-a-half, he can tell you that we obey the first time, and it is something we work to enforce with diligence. Teaching kids to obey the first time means you can stay safe at the doctor’s office, grandma’s house, and even a complete stranger’s home.
You, too, can save yourself time and money by avoiding the gizmos in the home safety aisle of the store. Teaching your children the power of the word “no” can keep them safe no matter where life takes you.
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