5 Helpful Tips to Childproof Your Doors
Soon-to-be parents logically know that kids are curious and when left to their own devices, can unintentionally land themselves into situations that may jeopardize their safety, but may find that there are childproofing needs they didn’t consider until the baby arrives and becomes mobile.
Doors especially should be childproofed, and many first-time parents may overlook the dangers of a child accessing interior and exterior doors. Here are a few tips and tricks to easily childproof your doors.
Standard Childproof Security Measures
It doesn’t take much to stop a little one from getting through an exterior door. Thankfully, exterior doors are equipped with locks that are placed fairly high out of reach. Kids grow fast, though, so you’ll want to install some extra childproofing measures on your exterior doors when they figure out that they can reach the deadbolt or security chain.
If your door only has a deadbolt and you’d like to install additional security measures, rest assured that adding a security chain to your door is a quick and easy process. You can pick up a security chain at your local home improvement store or online. Simply follow the manufacturer’s instructions (which will likely involve just drilling screw holes) for installation.
Childproof Doorknob Covers
It doesn’t take much effort to childproof a door to stop a young child in their tracks. Doorknob covers are a quick and easy solution and the best part is that there is a wide variety of styles available that will suit just about any type of doorknob.
Some knob covers that fit over spherical doorknobs require the user to hold two buttons on either side simultaneously in order to open and close the door. This can only be accomplished by someone with larger hands and dexterity—an adult. Other knob covers will require you to insert a thumb and index finger through holes in the cover, a task that’s made impossible for children with short fingers.
Doors with lever handles are the ones to watch out for as a child only needs to yank on the lever downward to open the door. There are specially designed covers for doors with lever handles that are outfitted onto the door handle, attaching to the door by an adhesive strip or screws.
Door Monkey
What if you need to have an interior door cracked to allow pets to pass through but not children? Fortunately, there’s a solution for that and it’s called the Door Monkey. This device clips onto the door and is secured against the door frame, locking the door in a cracked opening. Now you can let the cats pass through and help promote air circulation without worrying that your kids will access an off-limits area of the house. It’s a win-win for everyone (except maybe your child who desperately wants to sneak into places they’re not allowed).
Sliding Glass Doors
Sliding glass doors are quite common and are typically exterior doors, so you’ll definitely want to childproof these doors to prevent kids from accessing the outside unsupervised.
Flip locks are designed for sliding glass doors and are a simple solution and can be found online or in your local hardware store. These locks stick to the glass with an adhesive strip, making for a fast installation and later removal. The arm of the lock flips upward and prevents the door from being opened. To use the door, all you need to do is flip the lock downward to allow the door to slide once again.
These flip locks can be installed higher on the sliding glass door, and for childproofing, it’s recommended that you install them about 15 inches above the door’s latch. Children won’t be able to reach on their own.
Door Unlocking Tricks
First-time parents may not consider the opposite situation of a child locking themselves in a room instead of traipsing through off-limits areas. Doorknobs with push locks are quite dangerous in the hands of a curious child and can lead to panicky moments where a parent feels helpless in trying to free their child from a locked room. Luckily, modern doorknobs with push locks have a small hole in the center on the other side of the lock that when a thin object is inserted, the door unlocks.
There are easy preventative measures you can take to stop this from occurring. You could put doorknob covers on all of your doors, but if you’d like to leave some coverless and are worried that your child may lock themselves in a room, keep a long, thin object handy for a quick unlock release. Objects that fit into the small door unlock release are a safety pin, a bobby pin, or even a small screwdriver.
Feldco has high-quality doors in many shapes and sizes to perfectly fit your home. We also have professional and experienced installers to make sure the job is done correctly.
We provide homeowners with great local services and showrooms so they can customize their homes with a variety of styles and colors. Get a free quote today to start your project.
