I am in need of ideas to totally kid-proof

[dansamy]

Rather than eliminating every potential issue, far better to teach them how to deal with it.

Exactly! I have not misrepresented the potential for mischief. But it is potential, not actual. So far, they have had only a minor mishap with the current store-bought cage. (Hot Wheels cars fit through the bars, by the way. My son thought the pigs needed a toy to play with.) Other than that, they have all been very good about not actually touching the cage, but they have come up close to the sides & stand there looking at the pigs. They are allowed to pet them only when I have them out in the playpen and only with my supervision. No holding allowed. If the pig goes inside its house, game over. It doesn't want to be petted if it runs inside the house. So far, so good. But as I mentioned earlier, I want to minimize the risk.

And I didn't acquire the guinea pigs. That was my husband's idea. I told him they were too young and we'd hafta be like hawks.

[guineagurl]

I'll be the 1st I think to say my kids ARE TERRORS!
Too smart for theyr'e own good.. 3yr old twins and 2yr old , Tag Team Triple!

I dream of the day they wont destroy all my loved posessions...I too have been through every childproofing gadget on the market, none work....

Let me ask you this,

What kids do they test this stuff on?
They wouldnt meet "childproof" standards if my kids got to test them out!
I've resorted to padlocks (with a key lock) on my food pantry and other doors.

[dansamy]

I only wish I could padlock my refrigerator. However, I've been "lucky". They haven't gotten into the fridge in several days. It most often occurs when I sleep later than they do and they decide they are too hungry to wake me up. They "make breakfast". I won't regale you with the cleaning chore that results in.

[guineagurl]

Theres no need, I allready know!

Heard of the artist Pro Hart? Well my kids have done this to me MANY mornings,,
I'm so use to waking up at 5 or 6am only to have to scrub carpet till my knuckles
are red.

Something to look forward to is teaching the grandkids in 20yrs+ to do the same hehe.

[DaCourt]

I would hate to admit that child was a terror. I would be completeley embarrassed by it. My child is wickedly smart and very curious. That is why I worked with her to make sure she was always engaged in an activity, and was taught to always be respectful of othere people's things. This from before she even turned 2. Their is no excuse for out of control children.

If my child spilled stuff all over the carpet, SHE would be the one cleaning it up, NOT me. If she made a mess in the kitchen, SHE would be cleaning it, again NOT me. At the early age of 2, if she spilled juice, she would ask me for a rag, and then clean it up herself. Of course, I would always follow behind to make sure it was done right. They are never to young to teach them to be responsible for their own actions.

Again, I say...someone might want to consider applying for Super Nanny.

[citronsoul]

I think I'm going to have to think long & hard before I have kids. This thread is scary!

[dansamy]

Please do, citron. Childrearing is not for the faint of heart. DaCourt, my kids *do* clean up after their own messes. They also have chores. Yes, even my 3yr old has chores. They are not terrors, nor are they "out of control". Are they energetic? Yes. Are they curious and bright? Yes. I can't hover over them every second of every day. So, there are some things, like guinea pigs and my digital camera and my stethoscopes, that I would prefer to be kept as safely as possible out of their reach. It's not to avoid teaching them respect. It's to minimize the risk for harm/damage while they are learning to respect others' belongings. I've got broken cups/plates. Those are no big deal. Injured pets are a big deal. Expensive equipment is a big deal. We'll learn life's lessons by practicing on things that are not a big deal.

[DaCourt]

Guineagurl was the one who said her kids were terrors, and that she scrubbed carpets till her knuckles were red. I was responding to that.

Dansamy, you talked about the kids making breakfast and the cleaning chore. Since this was in response to guineagurl, I thought you meant your cleaning chore.

I'm sorry, but the way you have described you kids earlier in this post, they sound out of control to me. This is my honest opinion.

I do take offense to your statement on page one that only lazy parents think child rearing is easy. I am not lazy, and I do find it easy. It is as hard as you allow it to be.

[guineagurl]

They are wonderful little creatures of habit, I wouldnt have it any other way.

I never said theyr'e out of control... thats just twins , allways active.
They started Kingergarden this year and boy are they different at school!

I dont need a nanny, they wouldn't last an hour hehe

[guineagurl]

Dacourt,
Are you saying that if your child went through a stage or something you would be embarrassed by your child? I would never be embarrassed of my kids or ashamed.
I dont mean they are allways "terrors". I actually was just thinking out loud. Havnt you ever had a bad day like Ahhhhhhhhhhh...??

I have 5 kids (2,3,3,8,12yrs) and I do a damn good job! You have no right to judge me. My kids are well dissiplined but one twin is just constantly into everything and i cant be in 3 places at once.
The messes I was talking about were ones that they couldnt possibly clean up without making it worse.
You come across as really strict, might not be the case but sounds like it.

Dansamy, I totally agree with you. I have tried and tried to get them to leave my stuff alone but it only makes them want it more so now if I value it I move it!
Avoid temptation!

[DaCourt]

The difference is, I would never allow my child to be a terror. There are ways to prevent it. I would be embarrassed for myself for allowing it to happen. I am not overly strict. I give my child credit for being smart and I treat her as such. I am not judging you, just responding to your own words. I have had only had one day that I can actually remember that was an ARRRRGGGHHH day, and it was a doozy. She was 4. It is now 9 years later and we have not had one since.

Even if the mess was so big that she would make it worse, she would still have to help. One time she spilled a pitcher of cool-aid all over the floor. She cleaned it up. And yes, she made it worse. But she never spilled it again. The reason I made her clean it up...I told her to wait and I would pour it, and she tried to do it herself anyway. She had to take responsibility. You may call that strict, I call it parenting. I have never once descibed her as a terror and I am very proud of that fact.

[guineagurl]

Dacourt, How would you prevent it?
Im asleep at 4am and my kid isnt? He pulls my food cuboard apart and does it so quietly that I dont wake? How was I meant to prevent that?
Now I have PADLOCKS!

Have you heard of ADHD? Not everyone has simple solutions like you do and I'm happy that you have a well behaved child, mine can be too like right now, Tv's on.
Honestly not many people can handle my kids..
Im so sick of people saying its just bad parenting.... My elder 2 arnet like this and I didn't change.... you cant smack kids, cant hog tie em' (kidding) ....I Invite anyone who dares to try their magic on my kids.... and god bless.

I agree the drink spill you speak of is nothing..the mess i was talking about was
Just one example)
1kg raw rice on carpet ,, toss in a few 2ltr bottles of cordial.. also on carpet...
a bottle or 2 of sauces... bbq, tomato etc... flour, sugar, cornflakes...jam, coffee.,
That is the mess Im talking about.... Its not a little cup of juice.

How would you feel if thats what you woke up to?
Oh and I am proud of my children too, their very creative~

[DaCourt]

FIrst of all, it was not just a drink spill. It was a full picher of cool-aid. Very sticky and it went everywhere...even all the way to the crapet in the living room. So, it was NOT nothing. It was in all the cabinets, the drawers, etc.

Yes, I have heard of ADHD. THank you for asking. I also know 2 children who have it severely, and they do not act like that. Why can't you give a little spanking? Not a beating, but a little smack on the behind might be in order. I never said it was bad parenting, but something isn't working so maybe try something new.

You asked how I would feel if I woke up to that. If it was my child who made that mess, they would be on restriction for a very long time, no TV, no friends. Make the punishment fit the crime. And yes...she would be on her hands and knees cleaning it up. PERIOD!

If your child is that unpredictable, then it isn't safe having pigs in the house. It's not fair to them or the child.

[guineagurl]

Sorry but I wasnt being nasty to you, just giving you some of the facts so you could better understand what I was talking about.
Im not sure what a pitcher is.. a jug maybe?

A bored child makes for a destructive child.
If I banned tv for example, they would just find other things to do and in that lies the problem. I dont smack him, its not like he wont do it 5 minutes later...its a useless cycle when they cant help themselves, they run on impulse and have no control.
That is what seperates a child that does the occasional naughty act to a child with adhd.
If I smack him every time he did something naughty, I'd be hitting him all day long.
I dont believe in beating a kid to get them to do what I ask out of fear.
(Not saying you do, but I just dont want to do that)

I have not yet come up with a solution... feel free to throw some at me but I'd be
betting I've allready tried them.

[dansamy]

One pitcher of Kool-aid is one thing. A few 2 liter bottles (guineagurl) is a whole 'nother story. I awoke one morning to a case of canned soda that was in a locked refrigerator the night before. That's how I found out they had learned to undo the refrigerator locks. They cleaned that up. And then they scrubbed the kitchen floors by hand. Then their bedroom walls. Then the stairwell walls. (Not all of those were dirty from soda. The bedroom & stairs were "punishment" chores.) They are progressing to the point where they do not get into things. But, discipline takes time to work. We do have regressions.

I'm sure you do have your opinion about my kids being terrors. You're entitled to an opinion. But, you have not met my kids. We go out regularly to eat. They are the politest children you'll ever meet. My 3yr old son holds open the door for me. They all say please and thank you. They use sir and ma'am.

But in the safe environment of their home, they are explorers and conquerors. I wouldn't have it any other way. They can take apart stuff at home where it's mine (or theirs) and look at how it works. We put it back together (with their help) and they learn about the world. They wouldn't take apart the cage to be hurting the pigs. They'd be taking it apart to see HOW the cage works.

[guineagurl]

Yeah mine have their moments,
When we go out they behave like angels mostly apart from running off on me!
But the minute they are back at home.. its unpredictable.

[dansamy]

Mine are the same way! It's amazing how different they are.