Beyond Childproofing

When my oldest, Alex, was a toddler, I remember being worn out when I'd go to bed. She was curious, strong-willed, and very busy. She hated being told no. In the picture above, she is pitching a fit because I won't let her go down the stairs. She had just turned 1, and I knew I was in trouble. As she learned to walk, she also learned to climb. If she wanted a drink, she pushed a chair to the kitchen counter, climbed up, got a cup, climbed down, went to the fridge, opened it, and took out whatever she wanted. Sometimes what she wanted to drink was chocolate syrup and she didn't bother with a cup.

Sometimes what she wanted resulted in a big mess, which she would try to clean up herself, because she was that independent. 

She kept me VERY busy.  

And then I had my son. While he was a fussy newborn, he quickly mellowed out and became a calm baby and easygoing toddler who willingly took a backseat to his headstrong, attention demanding sister. And I thought "Gah, boys are soooo easy compared to girls." 

But then I had Jaxon. He is so much like Alex - curious, strong-willed and very busy. The difference? He is busier at a younger age than Alex was. He's already climbing on things, like the hearth of the fireplace and his brother's bed, and he can't even walk yet! He pitches fits when I don't let him go down the stairs. He empties drawers and cabinets daily hourly. He pulled his chest of drawers over and destroyed it. He can lift the lid on the toilet, and he loves to unroll the toilet paper. He has hawk like eyes - these allow him to find the tiny Legos and other toys that his siblings have dropped so he can eat them. Childproof caps on medicine bottles? They are no problem for Jaxon. Outlet covers? He removes them and laughs. Like he thinks it is funny that we even bothered putting them there in the first place. He is fascinated with electrical cords, which is terrifying since he will also try to plug them back in...after chewing on them, of course. You cannot let this kid out of your sight for one single second. 

I'm getting more and more scared of what he's going to be into as he starts walking and growing taller and getting smarter. For now, I've learned that he must be secure in his crib or Pack' n Play if I need to do anything without him. I had been preaching to my husband about how we need to childproof better, but I think we're beyond that at this point. Right now, I'm just grateful he can't climb out of his crib. 

Is your house childproof? What is your best childproofing tip?