Best Bets: Safety Latches/Locks

Since the little man has been able to move around, we've found it increasingly necessary to have cupboards and drawers locked up around the house. Obviously they aren't all locked, but in the living room and kitchen things are locked up so he can move about freely without me worrying too much if he's getting into something. (His grandparents on both sides have also taken some precautionary measures as well.)

Some locks and latches we've had success with; some we have not. I thought I'd share with you our experiences in baby proofing in hopes that you'll have lock luck around your own homes!

First off, we have Press-and-Pivot Latches by Safety 1st. While they are not overly easy to install, we have found they are quite awesome at keeping the little ones out. (That said, my friend Lisa said her daughter figured out how to open these and now likes to climb in the cupboards ... I am dreading the day this happens at our house.) Even better, they can be turned "off" and "on" by flipping the protruding arm around (or just taking it off altogether like my parents have). Great for grandparents' homes when locking things up isn't always necessary, these latches are easy to use and make it easy for adults to get into drawers and cupboards that are frequently used.

They can be installed using two different ways of latching. First, the lazy ("Nicole") way by making it so it just latches onto the wood frame of the cabinetry. I'm not sure I would recommend doing it this way, since it can take a bit of trial and error (read: lots of drilling) to get them in just the right spot; but it works in a pinch.

Second, and the more preferred way, you can install the accompanying latch to the inside of the cabinet, providing a sturdy spot for your lock to latch onto. My husband installed the one pictured below, and I can reassure you that he is no professional handyman and had little (if any) trouble installing this. (Yes, honey, you are handy, but I think we can both agree that you are not a "baby-proofing professional".)

Next is the Safety 1st cabinet lock. Both my mom and mother-in-law purchased these for their cabinets, and sadly to report both found them ineffective at keeping out the grandkid(s). My mother-in-law's problem is shown below; her knobs were too shallow to hold the lock on.

My mom's knobs have a longer shank, but the locks still managed to slip off. My sister and I have concluded from both experiences that these particular locks might work better on handles like we have at our house. That said, when trying to remove them properly, my mom found them difficult to unlock.

In an attempt to keep the grandchildren out of the cupboard where she keeps her extra dishes while not scratching her knobs in the process, my mother-in-law tried this next cabinet lock, also by Safety 1st. Unfortunately, this lock does not work well on her shallow knobs and slips off just as easily as the first lock did. One nice feature, though, is that the lock can break apart for easy access, and shows you when it has been locked up properly. With deeper knobs, this lock actually might be quite nice and could work extremely well.

Originally, we decided to go with Especially for Baby brand cabinet locks, and for the longest time they worked really well. Easy to install and easy to use, they were perfect for the cabinets in our kitchen and living room. Sadly, our 27 pound one year-old figured out that if he holds onto one and leans back with all his weight he can pretty much snap them open, especially if he puts his little thumb on the release button with any force. So on some cabinets I installed the Press-and-Pivot Latches mentioned above.

(He figured it out at my parents' house too, so my mom tried turning hers around with some success.)

And then on a couple cabinets we installed this beauty of a lock. It is by Safety 1st, and I wish I could find the name of it for you but apparently Babies R Us doesn't sell them online. We bought ours at Babies R Us, and that is the only place I have found them. At $5.99 a pop, they aren't the cheapest lock out there, but Baylor hasn't bested them yet - and boy has he tried!

I will say, they are tough to get into even for an adult, so they aren't ideal for cupboards you need to get into every day. But if you have a cupboard full of dangerous items (i.e., alcohol, cleaning products, sharp thingies) this might just be the lock you'll want to use. It is fantastically flexible, so it works around nearly any handle - I haven't tried it at my in-laws' yet, but I might have to give it a try for them - and really keeps the kiddos out.

We initially tried it because the handles pictured below were too thick and too far apart for any other lock to work. Since we don't have to get into this cupboard much, it works out well.

I hope you've found this helpful. We have had quite the foray into the world of baby-proofing, and I'm sure we're not done with it yet. I swear Little B is all muscle and is finally figuring out that he can use his weight to get him into just about anything he wants! What a cunning little cutie!

By the way, I'd like to extend a special thanks to my mom and mother-in-law for letting me take some pictures at their houses! I really appreciate it!