10 Genius Hacks For Baby Proofing Drawers and Cabinets Without Drilling
As soon as your curious little baby starts crawling, the first thing you need to do is start babyproofing everything that they can possibly get their hands on. Here are 10 genius hacks for baby proofing drawers and cabinets without drilling.
Aren’t they adorable when they are little! All babies do is eat and sleep.
Trouble starts when babies start crawling. They will want to explore everything that they get their hands on. They love getting their hands into drawers and cabinets.
While they are having fun exploring, parents are worried about their little finger getting pinched or their encounter with sharp objects stored in the drawers or cabinets. To protect them from unwanted injuries, you want to keep the drawers and cabinets closed and secure.
Recommended Reading – Smart Guide to Starting Solids in Babies
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Why Baby Proof Drawers and Cabinets?
When baby gets mobile, protecting them from getting hurt by household things like electric, fire, water, drawers, and cabinets is a priority.
Your little one will want to explore drawers and cabinets first because of its accessibility to them. They can just crawl to the kitchen or washroom and get their hands into drawers or cabinets!
All household drawers and cabinets store sharp objects like knives, forks, other things or medicine, cleaning products, laundry detergents, and more. They can get seriously injured by sharp objects or by ingesting medicine or household chemicals from the cabinet. And also, getting finger pinched is another painful annoyance for both baby and parents.
You will be surprised to know that every year, about 800,000 children between the age of 1 and 2 go to the emergency room because they’ve accidentally ingested harmful substances.
Even if there are no harmful objects in the drawers or cabinets, they will open them, keep slamming them and throwing stuff out of it. Also, they will try to climb over an open drawer to get on top of the counter. There is also a risk of a chest of drawers tipping over a baby if the baby is hanging over one of the open drawers.
Yes, it does not get easy as they start crawling!
To protect them from unwanted injuries, you want to keep drawers, cabinets, and cupboards closed and locked. There are many options available in the market to secure drawers and cabinets. Many of them require drilling into drawers and cabinets to keep them secured.
However, the drilling option may not be that attractive if you are renting a place or simply just do not want to aesthetically ruin your drawers and cabinets by drilling them.
If you are looking for an option to baby proof drawers and cabinets without drilling, then keep reading.
Why you might want to Baby-Proof Drawers and Cabinets without Drilling
In my kitchen and washroom, I have installed Dreambaby Secure Catches Safety Locks. My husband had to drill a hole into the cabinets to permanently attach the locks. These safety locks do the job, and they are super secure, but I wish I have opted for no-drill cabinets locks for the following reasons.
- Hassle of drilling the holes into the cabinet – If you are not a handy person, it may take a long time to do a proper job. You need to get your hardware lined up properly before drilling holes into your cabinets. If you don’t line up properly, you may end up drilling multiple holes into your cabinet. Also, you need to be extra careful with drilling as you don’t want to drill through the cabinet door and damaging the cabinet door.
- You are left with a permanent hole in the cabinets – Once you drill a hole in your cabinets, it is there to stay forever. The holes are not visible from outside if you ever decide to remove the safety locks, but it would be better to not have to patch those holes one day.
There are better options like adhesive and magnetic locks available in the market that do not require the hassle of drilling the drawers and cabinets.
What to Consider When Baby Proofing Drawers and Cabinets without Drilling
Here are a few things that you should keep in mind before baby proofing drawers and cabinets without drilling.
Ease of Use – Keep in mind that you are going to use those drawers and cabinets on an everyday basis, so you want to make sure that they are simple enough to use. You don’t want to purchase something that takes forever to open, and when you are in a rush that is the last thing you want!
Locking system – You do not want something that leaves gaps forlittle one’s fingers to fit through. You need a safety lock that allows you to close the door completely. Even the smallest gap can increase the risk of your little one getting their fingers pinched.
Sturdiness – Pick something that lasts you a couple of years and your baby can’t get around the mechanism of the safety lock.
Ease of mounting – Before buying a product, check on the procedure of mounting the safety locks into cabinets and drawers. Some required drilling holes into cabinets white others comes with adhesive pads. Adhesive and magnetic locks are easy to mount and does not require any drilling.
10 Best No-Drill Drawers and Cabinets Locks 2021
It is cute when your baby first time opens the drawer or cabinet. But it is not cute anymore when your baby opens it starts throwing stuff out of it. Safety locks are very important to not only keep your baby away from dangerous things but also great for keeping your sanity. There are five basic types of locks – adhesive, magnetic, sliding, cord and spring latch locks, available for baby proofing drawers and cabinets without drilling. Read on to find the best no-drill cabinet locks in each category.
Best Adhesive Cabinet Locks
Adhesive cabinet locks are great if you are in rental property, so you do not have to violate your rental agreement. Adhesive cabinet locks have two adhesive pads that can easily stick to a flat surface to each side of the cabinet and are connected by a flexible band. They are simple to install and take it off easily when you don’t need them.
Also, because of their flexible band, you can install them anywhere you want like the door of the refrigerator, a toilet lid, oven, windows, drawers, cabinets, or trashcan.
Let’s look at the best Adhesive Cabinet Locks available in the market.
1. JOOL Baby Child Proof Adhesive Locks
This multipurpose adhesive lock can be used anywhere that your baby likes to linger around and explore. Whether it is a refrigerator door, toilet lid, trash can, drawers, or cabinets, this adhesive system will keep your baby out.
JOOL adhesive lock is easy enough for you to open with one hand when you need to access the cabinet or drawer. This product is made from a non-toxic chemical keeping the safety of your baby in mind.
This lock uses 3M adhesive to stick to your cabinet, so you don’t need to drill holes into your cabinets or go through a complicated installation procedure. Just wipe the surface of the cabinet, remove the adhesive protectant, and stick the adhesive pad. That all!
When you are ready to remove it once your kids are grown, use dental floss or string to remove the adhesive without ruining your cabinet.
These adhesive locks come in a pack of 4 with the manufacturers 10 years warranty.
This family-owned company supports lower-income homes with free baby proofing products with the profit they earned by selling this product. This is another great reason to purchase a product from JOOL Baby.
2. WONDERKID Reusable Adjustable Child Safety Locks
WONDERKID adhesive locks are reusable, flexible, and made with BPA-free, non-toxic plastic. It is great to keep your baby or toddler away from any drawers, cabinets, refrigerator or toilet lid, or any other place where they usually like to hang.
This flexible strap can be adjusted from 4 to 7-5 inches and can be used on a flat surface or around the corner. This brand also gives you options to pick the color that goes with your décor in your house rather than just a plain boring white option. These also don’t require drilling or any other complicated installation.
These are available in a pack of two or six. It makes it easy to try out the product without paying for a bunch of extra locks that you are not going to use. As a bonus, the manufacturer offers two extra 3M adhesive pads, plus a lifetime 100% guarantee. So, there is no reason why not to try this product!
While this product is hard for your baby or toddler to figure out, it can be open with one hand by an adult.
Best no-drill Magnetic Cabinet Locks
Magnetic cabinet locks are easy to use and are invisible from outside so one will know you have a lock on your cabinet unless they try to open it. Also, your kids won’t be able to open it, because they come with a key.
However, you need to be careful in selecting magnetic locks as some brand requires drilling on your cabinets. Here we have selected brands that do not require drilling into cabinets or drawers.
3. Jambini Magnetic Cabinet Locks
Jambini Magnetic cabinet locks are easy to install and does not require drilling as it uses 3M adhesive pads, which are strong enough to keep the locks in place and keep your baby out of the cabinet and drawers. These cabinet locks blend well with your décor and you will barely notice them.
For installation, just peel the sticker of the adhesive and stick it on a flat surface ensuring proper alignments. In a couple of minutes, you will be done installing this cabinet lock on one of your drawers. To open the locked drawer or cabinet, you need a magnetic key that comes with the locks.
These magnetic locks are tough and will last you forever. The only downside to these locks is, they come with only one magnetic key so if you lose one, you might need to buy a replacement key to open the locked cabinet.
4. Safety 1st Adhesive Magnetic Locks
Another great option for baby proofing drawers and cabinets without drilling. They are easy to install and withstands the tugs of your curious baby.
For installation, it does not require measuring and marking. All you need to do is peel the sticker off of an adhesive and stick it on using proper alignment.
The great thing about Safety 1st magnetic locks is that they come with 3 keys so you don’t need to worry if your postpartum brain doesn’t remember where you left it last.
Also, this magnetic lock system has a switch to disengage the lock if you need to open and close the cabinet or drawer’s door often while cooking. This feature of these magnetic locks makes life easier as you won’t need to use a magnetic key every time you need something from the cabinet.
This magnetic block comes in a pack of 8 with 2 keys, which should be enough to cover all the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen at least.
Best Cord Cabinet Locks
This type of cabinet lock is a low-cost option, works if you have two side-by-side round knobs. To make it work, just wrap the cord around the two knobs and tighten the cord with the button. They are not the most intelligent locks that your toddler can’t figure it out, but at least it will keep your little one out of the cabinets for a while.
5. Kiscords Baby Safety Cabinet Locks
This cord lock is great when you have a cabinet made out of particle board (adhesive won’t stick to that material. Kiscords baby safety cabinet locks are a non-permanent solution to keep your kids out of the cabinets.
They are very easy to use and you don’t need to drill anything or later worry about taking the adhesive off the cabinet. This cord lock is great for the cabinets to which you need frequent access. Also, you can easily move it from one cabinet to another cabinet without damaging your cabinet. They are also available in two different colors.
Its double lock system makes it difficult to figure it out for your baby and toddler, but you can work around it with one hand.
Also, you do not need to worry about your kids pulling on the cord and getting hurt by it, because cords are made out of non-stretch nylon material.
Kiscord also offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee and a 30-day money-back warranty in case you are not satisfied with the locks.
Sliding Cabinet Locks
Sliding cabinet locks are yet another effective option for baby proofing cabinets. These types of locks do not work for a certain type of handle so make sure that you have the right type of handles to accommodate sliding locks.
6. Secure Home Sliding Cabinet Locks
Secure Home Sliding Cabinet Locks are great for a cabinet that has thin handles. These sliding cabinet locks are U-shaped and slip through the handles and the lock at the end keeps the cabinet door shut.
They are similar to cord locks and does not require drilling or installation. Also, they are reusable between cabinets doors. You can bring them with you when traveling or visiting grandparent house.
Secure Home Sliding cabinet locks are designed keeping the safety of kids in mind, meaning the surface of the lock is smooth is it won’t hurt your baby’s little finger when she tries to explore it.
This lock might work for knobs smaller knobs if you have different types of handles and knobs around the house. Also, they work for handles or knobs that are up to 5 inches apart so measure your handles before purchasing this product.
7. JOOL Baby Sliding locks
Jool Baby sliding locks are another good quality sliding lock to consider if you are interested in this kind of lock.
Again, it carries the same features as Secure Home sliding locks. Suitable for thin handles and knobs, this lock keeps your baby away from getting into the cabinets yet easy enough for you to unlock.
Best Spring Latch Locks
Spring latch locks work for both cabinets and drawers. They are invisible from the outside. You mount them inside of the cabinet and drawers. They are very simple to use and does not require drilling.
Once you attach them inside the drawers, to open them, you will need to open the door and slide your fingers in there and press the latch down to open the door. This is a great choice but easy for your toddler to figure it out.
8. The Good Stuff Safety Cabinet Latches
If you want something simple to keep your kids out of the cabinet, safety latches are the simplest option. The Good stuff Safety cabinet latches are easy to install, and you won’t need any tools to install it. All it takes is few seconds to lock your cabinet with these latches.
You install them inside the cabinet, so they are invisible from the outside. They come in two-part, the hook and a grip. The hook has a spring, and to open the cabinet or drawer, you just need to open the cabinet a bit and press down on the hook.
It is available in a pack of 12, enough to cover the drawers and cabinet of the entire house.
DIY Baby proof Cabinets and Drawers
If you are looking for some quick and frugal solution to baby proof cabinets and drawers, then keep reading.
This solution may not be permanent solution may not go with your décor, but certainly keeps your baby out of trouble.
9. Rubber Bands, Ribbon or Pipe cleaner
Most of you us have rubber bands available in the house. I have used thick rubber bands that come wrapped around the bunch of fresh vegetables. Or you can use a hair tie.
All you have to do is wrap the rubber band around the knobs as tight as you can by double looping. It is the simplest solution to temporarily keep your baby out of the cabinet or drawers.
Another option is any kind of ribbon or string, you have available in the house. Wrap around the ribbon or string around the knobs. However, you may need a few seconds to unwrap in if you need to access the drawer or cabinet. But it is a quick solution for the safety of your baby.
You can also use a pipe cleaner to lock the cabinet door as well. Simply wrap them around the knob and you are done!
10.Yardstick or Dowel Rod
Yardstick or Dowel rod works great if you have a vertical drawer with handle. Just insert yardstick or rod through the handles of the drawers and it is locked. Your baby wonèt be able to open it without talking out the entire yardstick or rod.
It is not visually appealing solution for your kitchen drawers if you have frequent visitors, but you can certainly try it for your bedroom vertical drawer chest.
FAQs
How Many Cabinet Locks Do I Need?
Walk around your house and count how many drawers and cabinets needs a baby proofing. You want to consider a safety lock for all the cabinets and drawers that baby can get their hands on.
Even if you are storing harmless things in your drawers or cabinet, you still want a safety lock for it. If you don’t lock it, your little one will be throwing things out of the drawer or cabinet and it will be extra work for you to clean up the mess multiple times a day.
Also unlocked drawers and cabinets posses a risk of slamming their fingers in the door. So, for your peace of mind, it is better to lock every single drawer and cabinet that is accessible to your little one now and in the next three years. And good thing is, they are inexpensive to buy and great for peace of mind.
How to Baby Proof drawers and cabinets without Handles or Knobs?
The easiest way for baby proofing drawers and cabinets without handles or knob is to use adhesive strap locks or adhesive magnetic locks. They are the best hassle-free child safety locks available for baby proofing drawers and cabinets without drilling. They are easy to install and work on any flat surface.
How to Baby-proof Cabinets that have Handles instead of Knobs?
Magnetic locks are a universal option to baby-proof any cabinet with or without a handle or knobs. However, you are looking for a non-permanent solution to baby-proof cabinets that have handles instead of knobs, then these locks are a great option.
They are designed specifically for baby proofing cabinets that have handles instead of knobs. They are super easy to install, no-drill or adhesion is needed. They are hard for your little to figure out, yet easy for you to open with one hand. They are also reusable.
How to Baby Proof a Medicine Cabinet?
First of all, the medicine cabinet should be out of your baby’s reach and sight. If your medicine cabinet is accessible to your baby, you need to find another spot in your house to store your medicines that your baby can not reach. It is not worth the risk.
If you want to baby proof a medicine cabinet, adhesive strap locks work great if you are looking for a no-drill option. You may want to opt for a magnetic lock for a more reliable option for a baby-proof medicine cabinet.
What do I do if I lost my Magnetic Key?
If you lost the magnetic key, try any magnet available in the house – fridge magnet, to open the drawers or cabinet. If it works, great! If it doesn’t, you need to buy a replacement key or buy another magnetic babyproofing lock system. To save you from the headache of replacing lost magnetic key, here is a brand that offers two magnetic key when you purchase magnetic locks.
Conclusion
I hope this article has helped find types of locks for baby proofing drawers and cabinets without drilling.
Once your curious little baby start crawling, she will want to explore everything that she gets her hands on. To keep your baby away from the household hazards and most importantly for your own peace of your mind, invest in safety locks and latches and baby proof your entire house! That is the wise thing to do!
What did you do to keep your babies out of the cabinets and drawers? Please leave your comments below.
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