How to childproof the front door
Children are curious about everything that surrounds them. Time runs fast, and sometimes parents may not immediately realize if their baby crawls through the house and even opens doors. It's a pleasure to see your baby growing, but there is one thing. Children don’t always understand what is dangerous and what is not. Parents usually show great concern regarding their children’s safety. You may not be able to protect them from every possible danger, but you can at least, almost 100%, secure your house. There are so many cases of children opening the front door and running outside all by themselves. You never know what can happen to a defenseless child on the street. These facts should make us all wonder as to what is the best way to childproof the front door. Sure Lock & Key has put together the most important details in order for you to know how to reach that goal. We’re happy to give you DIY knowledge, if you are so inclined. We are also happy to provide you with a wide range of locksmith services in order to make your home safer for you and your children.
Making your home safe for a child
There are a variety of threats to your child outside, but remember that accidents may happen even inside your home. So, it might be an intelligent decision to start securing your house from the inside, step by step. You can place covers on all the sharp edges of your furniture so that your children won't hit them with their heads. Also, you may consider installing a safety bar on top of the staircase so the child won’t fall. Another great thing to do is keep all medicine, household chemicals and sharp objects out of their reach. If you have a fireplace, you may want to attach a gate to it to keep your child at a safe distance from it. Also, some children like to stick something into the sockets, so it’s advisable to cover them.
One of the worst nightmares of each parent is children leaving the house without any supervision. To avoid that, you may consider adding extra protection and making your front door childproof.
Ways to childproof your front door
Now, let’s childproof the front door. There are many different ways to do it, depending on the type of doors you have.
The simplest way to prevent your kids from opening any front door is to place the lock high enough. If you do so, they won’t be able to reach it. If you have doors with knob locks, you may use covers for them. They make it hard for someone with small hands to grip the knob and turn it.
If you use lever handles, you might want to put a special cover on your doors. It will stop the handle from going down if kids try to open it. You may also use the door monkey which prevents doors from opening wide.
What is a child door lock?
The child door lock is a mechanism designed to prevent children from entering dangerous places. Toddlers are naturally very active and always want to explore everything around them. Due to this factor, there is a high risk of them getting into a dangerous situation. They may not understand what they are doing and the result could be disastrous.
The law has required child locks for doors in the United States since 1970. With this law, people were able to protect dangerous medicines and household cleaning products. Over time, the law was updated, adding new features for automotive, residential, and commercial properties. Depending on the type of mechanism, people can choose from several options to lock almost any door. For example, the child lock for cabinet doors consists of a simple bendable plastic rod with a hook on the side. It's naturally situated inside the drawer of the cabinet. The rod prevents the door from opening because the baby couldn't handle the hook mechanism.
Childproof locks
You may want to consider installing child-safe front door locks. Children won’t be able to open locks that are a little more complicated to operate.
The first option is a double cylinder deadbolt lock. Compared to the single-cylinder one, it has keyholes on both sides. So the child won’t be able to open it from the inside. Another children's safety lock is a smart lock. They can be really helpful in terms of preventing your child from opening the door. You just need to download an app that will help you connect the smart lock to your phone. It allows you to monitor what is going on with your lock, all the time. If someone opens the door, you’ll get a notification. So, even if your child tries opening the front door, you’ll see it immediately and be able to stop them.
Pros and cons of using child locks for doors
The most significant advantage of children's safety locks is that they are made from soft materials. Kids won't get hurt even if they try to unlock one of these locks. For example, if you use spring latch locks, you can fix them on the door. When a kid pulls the door handle, the door won't open. However, it’s just a quick easy push on the hook to open the door for yourself. An installation instruction manual comes with the children's safety lock, so you will understand how to set it up in the right spot. However, if you are unsure about what you are doing, you better call a professional residential locksmith. This person will not only place the lock correctly but also explain how exactly you may use it.
Reasons to use baby proof cabinet lock
Besides locking doors to places like the bathroom, there are still several cabinets, drawers and other spots that could become easy targets for children. Kids usually want to reach into every area they can see, no matter what or where. You don't want them to get to cleaning, personal hygiene, automotive supplies, important documents, etc. One of the reasons to use baby-proof locks is that they will prevent babies from opening cabinets with potentially dangerous things.
Need more information?
Get a free quote
Summing up
We can all agree that children’s curiosity might lead to unwanted accidents. So, properly using different tools to childproof your house is a great idea. The scariest thing that might happen is a child leaving the house alone. You may use our tips on childproofing your front doors to avoid that. If you think that your kids' safety is too important to handle without professional assistance, call us. Sure Lock & Key is always ready to help and make your front door or any other entry point child-proof!