How do you manage to not kill a baby when you have a screaming toddler?  I think that is the 50 gagillion dollar question of parents to more than 1 kid…OR…20 thousand if you hire a professional babyproofer!  I think I’ve mentioned here that I made it through all of Miss A’s life without babyproofing, she just got into different types of trouble.  I had to remove things like crayons, markers, nail polish etc, so to save my house from her wrath, but I never had to cushion the coffee table or tie down the toilet seat.

Baby D is proving to me that there will be no comparing these 2 kids of mine in the, getting into trouble, department.  He’s a lot more stealth-like with his mischief.  He’s gotten his head stuck under the sofa, sticks his little fingers into the sockets, pulls all the cords out of the outlets, was caught splashing away in the (thank gd just cleaned) toilet, pulled down a glass bottle and shattered it along with it’s contents (salt)…and the slamming of the doors (that is certainly going to end in pain)…all at times when I am dealing with the drama that Miss A brings!   How do you prioritize one kids mental safety over the other one’s physical safety?  You cave and do a little babyproofing.

Since this is really my first go at this, I decided to do a little inter-searching, you know….googling “first things to babyproof for protection against a Macgyver baby”.  The first site I came upon had a page of suggestions….in which these 2 statements were found.

“Never leave your baby alone for even a minute unless he is in his crib or playpen………Once you’ve made your home safe, and made yourself aware of the risks to your child, it’s important to just relax and let your little one explore. Only by being given the freedom to investigate his surroundings can your baby truly learn and grow.”

Uh-huh.  I see.  Let me get this straight.  Stick your kid in a cage, then sit back and relax while they are free to explore their cell.  Just how long do you think my kid would stand for that?!  I say -10 seconds!!!! I bought the outlet covers, and some baby gates to keep him away from Miss A’s things and am now in search of something that will stop the damn doors from swinging!  I’m not….NOT….putting him in a playpen, and his crib is for sleeping.  I’m packing up anything in his reach, or close to his reach.  It’s a good thing Mister LK didn’t let me replace quite every decorative thing I had before the storm!  I’m letting him fall a little, and cry a little, and learn a lot.  I’m going to lock the cabinet under the sink because he is the type to want to check out what is in there.  As we come to each new problem, I will pray the big girl gives me a break and lets me keep at least half my eyes on him, and if not, I hope the 5 lives he has left last at least until he’s more sturdy on his feet!

Speaking of the next problem….

At least I buy organic, all natural dog food!