When can you undo the childproofing?

My girls are turning 2 tomorrow (yay!) and at this point the childproofing is still getting harder, not easier. Every day they get into something they couldn't reach or couldn't open the day before!

I know at some point the tide will turn, and we'll be able to start trusting them not to write on the furniture with Sharpies, take all the dishes out of the cabinets, etc. Just wondering when that might be? My nieces are 6 and 4, and their house is totally not childproofed, so I'm assuming it will be sometime in the next 2 years... please?

 

We got to take the gates down when my oldest was about 2 and a half - right about the time I had the twins. I think she would be fine now without much babyproofing, and she is 3 and a half. I would still keep the cabinet locks on the cleaners and stuff, just to be safe. But with the twins around, the gates went back up when they started moving around a lot, and it's going to be a while before they (ok, one especially) are going to be trusted without gates and latches... So, I think somewhere between 2 and a half, and 3 most likely in our house. At least I hope it doesn't take too much longer than that...

 

I started to undo most childproofing devices between 2 and 2 1/2. It wasn't because they were mature enough to keep their hands out of dangerous places, it was more because they could figure out how to undo the childproofing devices. They could unlock the cabinet locks, they unlocked the toilet locks, etc. They still try to climb everywhere, open all the cabinets, poke their fingers into everything. So now I have to threaten time out and slowly foster their self-control. They definitely know what they should and should not touch. They don't always remember it though, so I have to constantly remind them.

 

From what I remember, it was around 2.5yrs. And boy was it wonderful!

We had to do an enormous amount of childproofing....and "batten down the hatches" when they became mobile. I think we bought ever childproofing device out there! The boys were just into EVERYTHING! They just couldn't help themselves. They were ultra, ULTRA curious. I have no concept of people that say they never had to childproof anything? It certainly didn't go down that way around here.

I guess part of it was due to that fact that our house was SO not childproof. We had been married for 7 years before kids My passion is decorating and I had our house decorated like a page out of "Architechture Digest". Slowly during their 3's, I put almost all my accessories back out also . They are very good with everything these days..its nice. There is just one large ultra heavy vase/flower arrangement in our diningroom that sat on a tall pedastal piece that I don't think I'll ever put back out.

 

Like the PP, I am also finding that I'm removing some child proofing because it simply doesn't work anymore. They have figured out most of the gates, but at least it slows them down. We have the pressure ones upstairs and if you push hard enough, you can get through it. I have also had to put more things away because they can't help but get into it.

 

With my oldest DD we moved when she was 18 months and never put any gates up and she was fine. We still had the child proof door knobs on the pantry and basement door, but she figured out how to open those around 3 years old. That is really all we had with her, although it was much easier just having her. I don't know about it with twins though, I feel like they will get into everything forever.

:birthday: Amy and Sarah!!!

 

The gates came down around 2, and after that we just had outlet covers and the knife drawer and things like that. I went ahead and left them up, because it was pretty minimal. (However, my girls did not learn how to work doorknobs until they were over 3, so closing doors worked for us until then. They only got tall enough to open the fridge at 4.5, so I never had an issues that way.) We moved this past summer when they were 4.5 and did not put in anything. I have been pretty lucky with my kids not being the type to get into stuff and throw it everywhere, though.

 

my boys are 3.5 and almost all our babyproofing is still intact. They just cannot control themselves unfortunately.
This is the 1st year I've attempted to put a Christmas tree up in the are that's gated. . . their 1st test!

 

We moved when my guys were 3 and we didn't put up any childproofing things in our new house. Now they are 4 and we don't have too many problems. I would say that between the ages of 18 months to 3 years were the WORST for them getting into things and needing everything childproofed. Man, I've got some stories!!!!