Although I support efforts to keep kids safe, I'm increasing frustrated by many of the child safety contraptions which are sold to keep children in the house, out of the cabinets or away from other dangers. While these devices obviously provide protection for babies, nimble fingered toddlers and preschoolers are often able to operate these gadgets more easily than I can.
As an example, I always struggled with the door knob cover which my son had installed on his front door. Marketed by Safety First, the product description indicates that it is "next to impossible" for toddlers to grasp the doorknob. One day, while I was trying to leave my son's house, my three year old granddaughter noticed my problem and called "I'll help you grandma" and she did.
So much for child proof. Maybe we should just call them adult proof.
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Comments: 18
That's not a bad idea Sandra L. The darn things probably would be more useful for Altzheimers patients.
And I thoroughly agree with everyone who has issues with childproof medication bottles. My husband takes a large number of prescription medications. Fortunately we use a mail order pharmacy that gives us the option of easier to open containers. Before that we have had to actually break into pill bottles with a pliers and repackage the medicine.
As for the medicine bottles, I have to say I'm thankful for them. I can't tell you the number of times I've caught my kids with a jar of Advil or vitamins or my mother's whatever. Yes, we try to keep them out of reach, but as humans, we forget. And the bottle locks kept my kids from swallowing a number of pills.
Which is why they are called "childproof."
I think of that each time I am banging my pill bottles against the sink trying to break into them.
I keep our medication in a locked room. It's much easier to unlock a room or use a locked medication box than to struggle with the lids on medication bottles. And the lids are definitely not of any value if I have to break them off the bottles
Most of the child safety cabinet latches can be opened by any child older than about 12 months. But they probably do buy you a little time.