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Childproof Door Locks

Is your house safe for your inquisitive toddler? Childproof locks can ensure his/her safety while you are away. This story provides a brief insight into their features, placement, and availability.
Ashwini Kulkarni Sule
A child taking baby steps sure looks cute. However, the one standing on her feet also rings an alarm for parents. Her baby steps can take her away from the safety of the home, out into the yard, or sometimes, even on a busy street. Toddlers are inquisitive by nature; they have an instinct to observe, touch, and experience the things in their surroundings.
Since they cannot look after their own safety, they need constant monitoring. Parents obviously cannot watch them round the clock. Even a minute of laxity while supervising them can spell danger for them. Childproof door locks can relieve you from the stress of continuously watching over your child.

Where to Install These Locks?

Home injuries to younger children are very common. Jamming fingers between doors, mild-to-severe electric shocks, trouble with appliances, falling, drowning, etc., are some common types of hazards that they are prone to. They often wander off on their own in patios and out into the yards. This can put them at a greater risk of injuries and accidents.
Installing child safety products in your home can prevent your child from going to places that are unsafe for her. Besides, you can have your own life, as well as you no longer have to watch over her continuously.
Childproof locks are available in myriad varieties, shapes, and mechanisms. However, essentially, all of them perform the same function, and that is, containing your child safely inside your home.
You can put these locks on your front door, patio door, windows, bathroom door, refrigerators, ovens, kitchen cabinets, and practically anything that poses a threat to your child. Children cannot open them, either due to the complexity of their operation, or placement at a higher level.
You do not need to bother about your child's safety in a car because most cars manufactured after 1980 have them by default.

Where to Find Them?

As mentioned above, these safety products are available in many variations, right from simple adhesive ones to magnetic door locks. You can find these products at any of the home improvement stores such as Lowes or Home Depot. Even, supermarkets such as Target also stock them. Look under the baby care and safety products section. You can also buy these products online through various shopping websites.
These products are often inexpensive; hence, it makes sense to put them at all places that are likely to be dangerous for your children. Usually, these products are made out of plastic, and thus can be blended with your appliances or other surfaces. Their opening mechanism is often complex, and hence, children cannot open them. Some of these products even come with features that prevent jamming of fingers, in case your child succeeds in opening them.
These locks securely keep young children within the safe limits of your home. However, the older ones may work out how to open them. In that case, you should make them understand that wandering off on their own, or touching a hazardous appliance is bad for them.
Children over two years can listen to you and understand the consequences of rash behavior. Another reason why such safety products are useful is that you don't have to yell at them every now and then, when they are about to do something dangerous. Even, they can find your continuous objections irritating and may become disobedient over time.
Thus, installing such locks has several advantages. They are useful for homes, schools, and day care centers. Buying one can indeed make your life less stressful.