In a matter of days, Baby Bird went from inching along like the tortoise to hauling tail like the hare, so Mr. T and I had to scramble to baby-proof the house.
Needless to say (but I’ll say it anyway), scrambling to make a space safe is a surefire way to end up with a space that isn’t.
We put up baby gates, added outlet covers, hid electrical cords, and installed safety locks.
We padded the fireplace hearth and moved furniture around to give Baby Bird more space to practice her new skill.
I thought we were cruising when it was time to cover our home’s many, many, many edges. We had a kit. This kit:
Open it, stick it on, baby’s safe, right?
Wrong. So, so wrong.
This stuff didn’t stick. It just sucked. (Maybe we got a kit with old tape?) We applied it according to the instructions, but this is what we woke up to the next morning:
W.T.F.
I didn’t even hear it peel off and, as you know, I keep an ear tuned into my daughter’s room all night.
Baby Bird is moving too much to leave the edges uncovered for long, so I had to think fast, and I had to think outside the box.
Lowe’s. The answer was at Lowe’s.
(Stick with me. I swear it’ll all make sense soon.)
Instead of wasting money on another kit, I went to my favorite home-improvement store and picked up … foam pipe insulation.
This stuff, though ugly, has more cushion (it’s an inch thick) and better adhesive than the stuff in the kit — and it’s half the cost!
I was able to cover the edges of her crib, dresser, and bookcase, plus the living room entertainment center for $11. Yep, you read that right — $11.
We always keep a close eye on Baby Bird, but moreso now that she’s on the move. It helps ensure she doesn’t crack her head on anything or gnaw on the insulation. The plan for this weekend is to cover the foam with two layers of fabric (attached using duct tape), which should provide protection from ingestion.
Baby safe, budget saved, and I got to take a trip to Lowe’s.
All in all, I’d say it was a good day.
We bought that first one and she loves to peel it off the TV stand. She thinks it’s a game! lol
Our daughter would probably have thought the same thing if it would have stayed on long enough for her to notice it, lol!
This is a great idea and it’s so affordable!
Thank you! Baby products are SO expensive. It’s nice to be able to offer an alternative that will still keep little one’s safe 🙂
This is such a great idea and looks so easy to do! I love that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to baby proof the house. Thank you for sharing.
It really is so, so simple. Since I wrote the post, I’ve gone back and put duct tape in the middle and on both ends of the pieces of insulation — just sort of reassurance that my daughter won’t be prying it off. I used black duct tape (purchased from Wal-Mart) so it blends right in with the foam piece, and the residue will rinse off with soap and water.
Thanks for reading! 🙂
Nice! That stuff is a pain in the butt, wish I would’ve thought of this with my kiddos.
Thanks! It really is annoying, but I think the insulation is gonna do the trick.
Brilliant!! I hate how baby proofing stuff is so dang expensive.. I hope the adhesive on the insulation doesn’t pull off any of your furniture finishes, though.Might want to just check now before it has a chance to set…
Thank you!
I pulled up a little of the insulation on her bookcase, just to be sure there wouldn’t be any damage. It looked fine! It took a little work to pry it off, but I think I might still apply some duct tape where the insulation meets the furniture to make sure Baby Bird can’t pull it up (that residue comes off with just dish soap and water). It’s crazy how strong she is!
What an awesome idea! Anything “baby proof” is going to be extra expensive because they know they can charge more and people will still buy it. It’s great to have a work around, thanks for sharing!
It’s sad that there’s an up-charge on things that keep kids safe. I’m glad I was able to offer an alternative. Thanks for reading!
What a terrific idea! I never did any of this for my three kids (all teenagers now). I always worried about the coffee table, but they got through!
Thank you!
My daughter is so active and SO QUICK that I knew I had to baby-proof the house. I’m just glad I was able go do it inexpensively. Thanks for reading! 😊
This is awesome! Love reading great tips like this from a mom who had to do something last minute!
Thank you! It really was last minute, but it’s been holding well for nearly two weeks, and she tugs at it daily. Thanks for reading!
This is genius!! I still need to cover a lot of our house.
Thanks! The time to baby-proof seems to creep up on you. And the little ones move so quickly, lol!
This is great! With a family of 6 (soon -to-be 7) not only is safety important but budget friendly is as well! This is a really economical option and just plain genius! Thank you so much for sharing! =)
I’m glad I could help! I’m working on a way to inexpensively cover the crib railing, too, so keep an eye on the blog for that post!
Family of 7 … God bless you! 🙂
What a brilliant idea! Usually everything to do with kids is so expensive but $11 I can handle!
Since I had my daughter, it’s driven me crazy how expensive baby items are. Especially the stuff we really need — car seats, cribs — to keep them safe. I’m glad I could help you with this alternative! Thanks for reading 🙂