10 Great Ways to Baby Proof Drawers and Cabinets

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10 Great Ways to Baby Proof Drawers and Cabinets

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As soon as your little one is on the move, it’s important to make sure that your house is baby proofed.

There are a lot of parents that say “Oh, I’m not going to let my little one in the kitchen” in response to baby proofing. However, as with everything parenting, it’s better to be safe instead of sorry. 

Baby Proofing 101: Tips You Need To Know

Most people instantly baby proof when their child is on the move. If you’re a first-time mom, here are a few tips that are going to help you make sure that you’ve got everything covered. These tips can also help the process go a little bit smoother. 

Baby Proof Your House When Your Child Is Younger

While most people wait to baby proof, starting earlier is a better idea. This makes it easier to baby proof as you won’t have a child crawling behind you as you move through the house.

It also gives you a chance to make sure that you’re happy with your baby-proofing devices.

If a cabinet lock is too hard for you to open, you’ll have plenty of time to get a refund and pick up something else before your baby is scooting over to the hazardous chemicals. 

Starting early means that you’ll instantly be ready when your little one is on the move, too. Babies go from tummy time to army crawling across the floor in what can be a matter of days.

My grandson went from bare arm crawling to scooting across the floor at an almost alarming speed in one week.

That leaves little time to research, try out new products, return ones you hate, etc. Instead, get started before your baby is even trying to crawl. It’ll make things easier. 

Baby Proof Anything You Don’t Want Your Child Getting Into

It doesn’t matter if it’s in the kitchen and you don’t plan on letting your baby in the kitchen. Babies can quickly learn how to climb and scale over the top of baby gates.

They can push chairs against the counter to climb on top. One time, my daughter pulled the drawers out in the kitchen to use them as steps.

Once she was on top of the cabinet, she discovered she could get into the cabinets that were previously out of her reach. It’s best to just assume your little one will find a way to reach everything possible. 

Get Down On Their Level

When baby proofing, it can be easy to forget things. It’s recommended that you physically crawl around your house on the floor.

You’ll quickly realize that there are plenty of things on that level you wouldn’t have thought to baby proof otherwise. You might also discover an outlet or two you didn’t know existed!

Top 10 Ways To Baby Proof Cabinets And Drawers

Baby proofing cabinets and drawers is a necessity. This is where most of us store cleaning materials, sharp knives, and a plethora of other things that can be dangerous to little ones.

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There are different things for different families, though. What works for one mom might not work for you. One of these top ten ways to baby proof cabinets and drawers is bound to, though. 

1. Magnetic Locks For Cabinets

These locks are amazing! You simply peel off the adhesive and stick it to the inside of your cabinet. You cannot see them from the outside, so your kitchen will still look flawless. 

These locks work exceptionally well for clever babies that seem to learn how baby proofing mechanisms work. There is no button to push or secret way to pull on the cabinet that your little one can discover.

Instead, you use the magnetic key included with the lock to unlock the cabinet. If your little one can’t get the key, they aren’t going to be opening the cabinet. 

They have another cool feature that I really like: you can switch them off. If you’re in the middle of cooking Thanksgiving dinner and are going to be opening the cabinet quite a few times, it can be easier to switch it off while you’re cooking the meal.

This makes it seem like there is no lock there, and the cabinet will easily open and close like it used to. Then, when you’re done in the kitchen, re-activate the lock. 

2. Cord Cabinet Locks

Cord cabinet locks are ideal for cabinet knobs. The cord wraps around both knobs and then is safely secured in the middle or at the bottom. These are adjustable so you can make sure that they are nice and tight. 

Not only are these great for home, but they are also an awesome solution for taking your little one with you.

If you already know that he’s going to try to open all the cabinets at your parent’s house, you can easily take these off your cabinet doors and take them with you.

It only takes a few seconds to remove them, and a few more to put them on your mom’s cabinets. This is a lot more convenient than bringing a baby gate. 

Not only are they convenient, but they’re also pretty cheap. If you’re looking to baby proof on a budget, check them out. You can get five for ten bucks, making them one of the most affordable options. 

3. Adhesive Strap Child Safety Locks

I love these things because they are so versatile. They aren’t geared specifically for drawers or knobs. Instead, you can use them almost anywhere.

Put them on the door that goes outside, the trashcan, the back of the toilet, closet doors, cabinet doors, etc.

If you need a child safety latch for something that opens, these will work! You can get really creative and finally keep a kid out of your purse if you really want to. 

Not only are these versatile, but they are also pretty simple to use. No drilling or holes in the walls. They use baby strength adhesive that is actually strong enough to stay in place.

Adults can unlatch them pretty easily too. Ordering a few packs of these can take care of almost all your baby proofing needs for door handles on exterior doors, any type of cabinet, drawer, etc. 

4. U-Shaped Child Safety Locks For Side By Side Handles

These locks work by basically connecting the two handles together. If you have anything with two handles right next to each other, these will work. They require no skill, no drilling, and no adhesive.

If you’re worried about adhesive pulling off paint or leaving a mark on the wood, it’s worth giving these a shot. They are too large to work on cabinet knobs, so it’s important to keep that in mind when baby proofing your home. 

5. Rubber Bands For Cabinet Knobs

If you’re in a pinch and need to make sure your little one stays out of cabinets, but are a bit behind on baby proofing, that’s okay.

Grab a hair elastic or rubber band. Wrap it around side by side knobs a few times. This will keep your little one from pulling them open. 

Keep in mind that this is best used as a quick fix. For example, if your little one keeps trying to get into the cabinet full of cleaning chemicals, and you can’t run to the store yet. These are a pain to take on and off, so it’s not an ideal long term solution. 

6. Cookie Cutters Are Another Quick Cabinet Knob Child Safety Idea

DIY child safety is pretty cheap and is usually effective. If you have some plastic cookie cutters in the cabinet, one of them will probably fit across side by side knobs.

Because they are plastic, they are flexible enough that they are easy to put on and take off. Most younger children won’t be able to figure out how to get them off. Older children, like toddlers, might be able to. 

7. Combination Cabinet Door Strap

If your little one seems to figure out every child safety thing in your toolkit, consider these for cabinets or another side by side handle.

They’ll even work for older children if you’re tired of them eating all of your snacks in the middle of the night! The strap is a simple, and adjustable strap, just like those you see on a shopping cart. 

To release the strap, you simply push on two little plastic pieces and pull. However, the combination lock is designed so that you cannot unbuckle the strap until you put in the right combination. Your toddler is not going to figure these out. 

8. Consider Alarms For Drawers And Cabinets

There are a lot of people that are against baby proofing because they feel you should teach the child to leave things alone. If that sounds familiar, or you would simply like to give it a shot, at least consider alarms like these.

They can be used on doors, windows, cabinet doors, and even drawers. When they are opened, a loud alarm will go off letting you know that your baby is getting into something that they shouldn’t be. 

9. Velcro Strips

Velcro strips will help keep your cabinets secure, and they are easy to use. You simply place a piece of velcro on the inside of the drawer or cabinet door, and again in a spot where the door or drawer closes.

The Velcro will keep the door or drawer closed. This does require adhesive, and various strengths of adhesive can be used. 

This is a convenient option, but it does have it’s downsides. It will keep a baby out of cabinets. As children get older and stronger it will not be effective. After so long, you’ll have to upgrade to another method. 

10. Use A Tension Rod For Drawers

I wish someone had thought of this when I had my oldest daughter almost eighteen years ago. If they had, I was not informed of this brilliant childproofing hack.

Pick up a tension rod that is long enough, and slim enough, to fit in between the drawer handles and the drawer. Slide the tension rod directly down through the handles.

The only way your baby will be able to open them is to be tall enough to remove the tension rod, and that’s not going to happen for quite a while. 

Childproofing Is A Safety Necessity

Childproofing is more than just something that overprotective parents do. It creates a safe haven for your baby to explore and develop.

Making sure that babies do not have access to dangerous chemicals or items, such as sharp knives, in drawers and cabinets is not being overprotective. It’s saving your baby’s life.