Blogging Baby Size Six: Safety products for the newly mobile baby

When we moved into our house two years ago, we were lax on childproofing. At the time, Nolan was two and a half and not into the antics of a newly mobile, very curious baby. We had safety latches on our kitchen cabinets and safety covers on our electrical outlets, but that was all we needed. Our place is small, so it was unlikely we'd miss him getting into dangerous situations. But since Quin started crawling a month ago, we've been on the mad dash to child-proof our house again. Quin's fast, curious and bold. Like Sarah Gilbert's son, Truman, our little guy loves to go for electrical cords and anything else that looks like trouble. We're having to use safety gear that we never had to use with Nolan. Here are six things that have been a huge helps in safeguarding Quin:

1. Cabinet Latches - Every lower kitchen cabinet has a latch on it. We're even installing them on the pull out drawers - they shut so fast that Quin's fingers would easily get seriously injured if it closed on him. They're a pain to install but worth the agony. And if you have older kids, double check your latches to ensure they're still working properly. The kitchen was already fitted with some because the previous owners had kids, but they've become loose or broken over the years from Nolan figuring out how to get around them.

2. Finger Pinch Guard - Quin loves playing with doors and watching them swing. We bought Finger Pinch Guards for every bedroom door in the house. The foam piece slides on the door and keeps it slightly ajar. And it's easily removed. Now I can let Quin play without worrying about his tiny fingers getting crushed.

3. Window Blind Cord Windups: Again, something I never needed with Nolan because our previous home had different blinds. I thought Quin wouldn't be able to touch our current blind cords so I couldn't believe it when saw him actually pull one. I immediately purchased these Safety 1st Windups so he'd never have a chance to get tangled up in the cords.

4. Electrical Outlet and Cord Shortener - Despite all the main attractions in big brother Nolan's room, Quin darts right to the outlet where a lamp and radio are plugged. Safety covers on the outlet weren't enough. We needed something that would hide the cord and keep Quin from pulling the plugs out. This outlet and cord shortener does the trick. Now if we could only get Quin to leave the radio alone.

5. The Vacuum - I'm paranoid about Quin choking on Nolan's lego pieces, but what about dust bunnies kicked up on our hardwood floors from constant use of the heater? The vacuum is my best friend. I run through the house every day picking up any bits and pieces that could be potential choking hazards.

6. Big Brother: No joke, Nolan thinks of himself as Quin's protector. If Quin is in a precarious situation Nolan will come running to us yelling, "Quin's in a DANGER SPOT!" Or if the baby is nearing an outlet or wants to pull on the lamp, Nolan will copy what he hears from us and say, "Quin, HOT! Don't touch!!"

Any childproofing products or tips that have helped you out?