We manage to get between couches, fridges and bathrooms safely and effectively enough, but what about new members? When a baby comes into the house, it's easy to see baby-proofing as a perfectly valid home improvement project. Like many other projects, there are multiple ways to get the job done, with varying effectiveness and hassle involved. Here are a couple things to keep in mind.
Minor annoyances vs serious hazards
One of the most common bay-proofing methods is to just start slapping locks on all the cabinets and drawers in your kitchen. This strategy causes far more annoyances than it prevents accidents. Get into your most important safety project with the knowledge that your child needs to drag out all of the pots and pans sometimes, and that most things just aren't that dangerous to children. One lock on the cabinet under your sink will do. Add one on the knife drawer when your kid gets a little taller.
Consider just putting dangerous stuff up
If you like both your baby and being able to use your kitchen, then some simple rearrangement will solve the vast majority of your headaches. since under normal circumstances, all of your cleaning chemicals can be found under the kitchen sink, you can move anything poisonous into that cabinet, and anything sharp or breakable to a higher location. not only is this cheaper, but it allows you to use your house, and your child to explore and play in a safe environment.
As a final note, use the electrical outlet plugs. They are one of the few baby-proofing ideas which protect your child from actual danger.