Last updated on June 12th, 2024 at 09:30 pm
In case you were unaware because you are a ninja trying to harness your mobile and active twinnies, September is Baby Safety Month, sponsored annually by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). We at Twiniversity trust in the JPMA and its product recommendations. Most of the products we have listed are JPMA certified, but some are not or have not gone through the process. But they are just that, suggestions and ideas to put in your head. There are lots of options out there. Safety is not one you should go on the cheap about either. Be careful while looking.
BestMassage Thick Folding Panel Exercise Mat
Many people rave about the foam mats that are everywhere, but have you ever thought to put traditional gymnastics mats on your hard floors? We could NOT listen to the sound of our twinnies cracking their head on our hardwood floors so we measured up and got 2 of these that cover our whole front room/play area. BEST THING EVER! Plus it makes it easier for us to sit on the floor for a long time, and there is no way they could ever take these apart and start throwing them around the room.
North States Industries Superyard Playard
There are lots of baby containment centers, aka baby jail, out on the market. What I have heard from a lot of twin families these are the way to go. You can Frankenstein a few of them together and have a huge area cordoned off for all of the crap that they have brought into your space. We love the North States, but there are some super fancy ones with play mats under them that you can change as the kiddos interests change like the Cloud Castle Foldable Playpen.
QDOS ZERO-SCREW FURNITURE ANTI-TIP KIT
No one wants to screw more holes into their walls. That is some of the greatness of Qdos. Patented, no screw anti-tip furniture anchors. These hold up to 200lbs and can be loosened for cleaning.
Jambini Self-Closing Outlet Covers
If you are a little bit handy you can easily install these outlet covers. Every night we have to take out our safety caps and plug in our fan to help circulate air through the house. But you can put these covers in and no tiny fingers can go into them, and you can keep your house safe without having plastic caps everywhere. Though if you want those caps here is a link for you too! Maybe you need both, who knows!
Child Safety Surge Protector Power Strip
We do not have a lot of outlets in our house so we have a bunch of power strips/surge protectors. When we needed new ones I wanted to ensure that our twinnies would be safe. This power strip is super baby proofed. They thought of everything, from making a separate switch for power switch when the outlets are not being used. Again tiny fingers cannot get in, or toys or whatever. The cord is 8 feet long and heavy duty. Also, wall mounting brackets are on there to keep them higher up.
Roving Cove Baby Proofing Edge & Corner Guards
People love the soft foam bumpers. My parents have there marble angled coffee tables and my fear has been them literally cracking their heads open on these artistic pieces. Fears averted Roving Cove has 245 Inches of soft durable foam with pre-taped corners to help us protect our twinnies.
Retract-A-Gate retractable baby safety gate
JPMA certified this gate as safe for the top and the bottom of the stairs. Easy to install, one-handed operation, child locks on the top, and clear soft material in the pull-out gate.
The NaviGate for Babies
Our family travels and stays at other peoples houses which are not necessarily child safe. This gate again is JPMA certified. It weighs only 5lbs and comes with a carrying case. No installation tools and you can use it anywhere without taking away the aesthetic of others homes. Of course, you can use it at home as well, but easy to move around and throw in the car for visiting others.
Munchkin Push to Close Hardware Baby Gate
Yet another JPMA certified gate that is perfect for doors, stairs, any extra large spaces that need to be gated off, think a partial wall. These can be taken down very easily. With an integrated tilted hinge so less stress on your wall, no more ugly indentations in your walls!
Skyla Homes – Magnetic Baby Locks
Another great product to keep your twinnies safe using the lovely 3M non-damaging adhesive is these magnetic locks for cabinets. In my opinion, my kids are gifted in getting stuff open so these are extra secured with 2 keys and 12 locks. Keep the keys high if they are not climbers and if something occurs they are super strong magnets but there is a hack!
Bali Blinds Light Filtering Cellular Cordless
Most of us do not even ponder our window treatments past the point of installation. But then twin toddlers come into your world and they get into everything. There are cords hanging that are just as fascinating as ceiling fans, so putting these shades in will not hurt our littles.
Wittle Finger Pinch Guard
Mom truth right here my twins LOVE to close doors on each other! They think it is fun, like their own personal peek-a-boo, but they do not ponder who this could hurt. These foam door stoppers take the worry out of this mama. When not in use they hang nicely on the door handle and we do not have to worry about the thickness of our door because they can fit snugly on any door.
Adjustable Child Safety Strap Locks
Using 3M adhesive means no tools and no damage to your cabinets or anything else you have put these lovely straps on. Like doors, my kiddos love to open and close, well, everything. The toilet bowl has this really cool liquid in it that they are yearning daily to play in.
Roving Cove® Safe RailTM – Balcony and Stairway Safety Net
Sorry friends who may not have banisters and open fancy staircases. Here comes the safety net that will provide a safe place for your twinnies who may not yet have a spatial awareness while backing themselves down the cool stairs they have learned how to climb. This net will seamlessly fit into your decor and give you so peace of mind so you do not have to bust out the butter to get your kids head out of the banister rail or more padding on the floor if they fall through.
Safety 1st Essentials Childproofing Kit
For those of you, like myself, who just wants an all in one kit I definitely had to provide a good option for that. I would buy a couple of these kits that includes four grip n’ twist door knob cover, twelve wide grip latches and 30 press n’ pull plug protectors. You still need to get some of these other products, but it’s a good start, right?
At the end of the day, there are LOTS of products out there that will keep your twinnies safe. Research them. Tailor to your needs and know what you actually need for your own home and peace of mind. Do not let people or companies bully you into thinking you need to put a steel cage that costs a million dollars around your house. You know what is best and where to draw the line. If all else fails you can use one of my resources, throw your hands up and hire a certified professional to come and proof your house so even you cannot go into the toilet! A couple of great resources I found were:
- Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) Baby Safety month website
- International Association for Child Safety: https://www.iafcs.org/
Jenifer Roth is a busy, busy mom to 1-year-old identical twin boys Jase and Evan, full-time High School driver ed teacher, and full-time finder of random information to help others! When not running around from work to home to errands she enjoys working on her blog, making piles of stuff and just hanging with her family! Trying to find the work-life balance has been a journey of its own but push on she must!
