Finishing Touches: Childproofing a Kitchen and Stairs and Completing the Nursery

Bob talks with Jay Martel from the International Association for Child Safety about kitchen safety products for toddlers and baby safety gates for the stairs. Bob visits the nearly-complete nursery, a week before baby is due.

Clip Summary

Bob talks with Jay Martel from the International Association for Child Safety. Martel reviews new kitchen safety products for toddlers, such as an adhesive latch for the refrigerator and magnetically-latching cabinet doors. For stove safety, Martel recommends parents use the backburners with cookware handles turned away, remove dishtowels from the outside of the oven, as they can invite children to pull on them, and use stove knob covers. For electrical outlets, Martel shows covers that automatically slide shut when electrical plugs are removed. Bob and Martel then review the crucial baby safety gates that have been installed at the top of the stairs. This swinging gate requires two motions to open, has an inswinging action, and importantly, has been properly installed with affixed mounting hardware. Bob visits the nursery, where most of the work has been done. Some of the furniture has arrived, insulation has been installed, the Solserene sound-reducing ceiling has been put in place, and safety covers have been put over the electrical outlets. The whole project should be wrapped up next week in time for the new baby's arrival at home.

Alright, back in the kitchen now. Let's say hi to Jay, again.

 Bob.

 And there are lots of danger points in a kitchen, from the point of view of toddlers.

 Yes.

 And what are some of the gadgets that are out there that can make life easier?

 Well, to keep toddlers from preparing their own meals or anything dangerous that they might eat. We've got various types of adhesive latches for appliances,

So, that's just a peel and stick gadget that you can pick up for a couple of bucks.

Peel and stick, that's right, but it comes in very handy to control what's in the refrigerator.

Okay, well my kids are grown u . But I always remember, putting in these little things that you push down so that they couldn't open the cabinet doors under the sink.

That's right.

Well, they've came a long Bob. You can't even pinch your fingers in her , because they won't open at all, until you put the magic magnet and it will release from the inside. So that's what's going on with that.

Oh, so let me have that. So it's really clever.

 That's right.

 You controlling it that way.

 And it can also be deactivated with a flip of the switch.

Fabulous.

So that if children aren't around.

That's a great innovation.

Yeah.

 Now what about stoves? Aren't they a dangerous place?

 Yes, they are, and there are a few things we can do that don't even need equipment.

You can get in the habit of using the back burners, handles turned away . Dish towels kind of attract kids to the oven.

 Yeah, so you want to keep them off of there.

 All right. Stove knob covers. Everychild wants to...

Stove knob covers.

...burn everything. So it allows us to utilize the burners and keep a child out.

And what about receptacles? Plug ins? That's a danger point.

Well Bob, we can replace the cover now with a sliding outlet cover. So that a child when pulling out a plug can't work that plug in and out.

So it automatically slides shut?

That's right. And you don't have to worry about prying out those small choking hazard plug ins.

And let's go look at the staircase a minute.

Let's do it.

So because we've got a two family house here, our homeowners have to come up one flight before they are in their main floor. And then they have got another flight of stairs to get to the bedroom level. So we're really looking at two gates here. And how does this gate work? Is it different from the one over there?

This is a gate at the top of the stairs. And nothing in child safety is more important than a properly installed gate at the top of the stairs.

 OK.

 Which needs two motions to operate; one, two.

Oh, so you slide back and then lift up.

And up. And to close, we can pretty much close it from anywhere and it'll drop right in. You do not want this gate to go in that direction.

You can't do it. All the movement over the landing, that's right.

Now what about the installation though, Jay?

The installation, you know the gate is only as sturdy as what it's mounted on. And you'll see two wood mount kits. ten from Kid Co and we have used what was available on the wall to mount it straight, because if not straight it has a mind of its own. We don't want gates swinging and hitting against people.

 We don't want them swinging or minds of their own. Alright well thanks for all the tips.

And were up in the nursery now where most of our work is done. In fact , furnishings have arrived, some of them, and we've finished all of our installations so that it's nice and snug and quiet up here, and we've got our ceiling, and we've got our safety covers on the electrical outlets and our night light is in place.

 But we're out of time.

Next week, we'll hopefully have the whole thing furnished and maybe even get to meet the baby.

'Till then I'm Bob Villa. Thanks for joining us.

Clips in More

Excavation and Foundation Work

Tour of the Victorian Interior

Reviewing Plans for Updating the Victorian

Demolition and Reconstruction of Victorian Foundation

Clips in Finishing Touches: Baby Safety Products and a Corian Tub Deck

Baby Safety Gates and Healthy Organic Sleeping Products

Finishing Touch: Master Bath Custom Corian Tub Surround

Finishing Touches: Childproofing a Kitchen and Stairs and Completing the Nursery

Share

Clips in More

Installing High-Performance French Doors

Removing Horsehair Plaster and Door Framing

Matching Original Victorian Frieze Board

Spraying In Closed-Cell Insulation

Clips in Babyproofing the House

Painting the Guest Bedroom

Installing a Fabric Sound-Absorbing Ceiling

Tour of the Finished Nursery and Master Bathroom

Finishing Touch: Installing a Vintage Tub in a Child’s Bathroom