Toddler-Proofing? Don't Overlook That Armoire!

We’ve done a bang-up job toddler proofing our home. Electrical cords for our entertainment systems are bundled and concealed. Blind cords on the windows throughout the house are retracted. Dangerous cleaning products are out of reach. All electrical outlets are covered. We’ve even still got a couple of security gates set-up in the home – at the kitchen area and the stairwell.

In spite of our toddler-proofing measures, sometimes however I discover that we still can’t thwart the most relentless explorers. In our family room is a large – no, very large – armoire that holds our television and other entertainment system components. Well, recently the twins have discovered a new use for the armoire - a secret hiding place.

Here’s what they do: One climbs into the armoire and settles onto a shelf which resides underneath the television. As the other one is hiding inside the armoire, the other twin will close the armoire doors creating a secret hiding place. The one inside will holler out “oooh, it’s dark in here”. The one outside the armoire will then open up the armoire doors. They’ll laugh and then proceed to take turns hiding and opening, closing the armoire doors.

I do NOT like this game at all!!!!!! Every time I see the twins doing this, it makes me very nervous. Nervous about how well that shelf is really constructed that supports the television that sits above their "secret hiding place". Nervous about whether or not that shelf could ever collapse while one of the twins is inside the armoire.

And, so I scold them EVERY time that I see them exploring, climbing or hiding in the armoire (with the exception of taking these photos this weekend). Lately, they’ve been wanting to get inside the armoire several times a day. In turn, I am scolding them and pulling them out of the armoire several times a day. I say in my firmest of voices “No” and “You do NOT get in there” followed by an explanation of “That’s not safe” and “You can get hurt so do NOT get in there”. My husband hates this game too. He scolds the twins also, for the same reasons and with other iterations of the same warnings and cautions I do.

Anyways, we’ve got to do something about this armoire. We either have to move it from the family room entirely or we have to reconfigure the shelving inside the armoire some how so that the twins can’t climb into it and hide. It’s just too dangerous…as the photo collage above clearly illustrates. Until we can move this armoire to another location in the house, watching them like a hawk around the armoire is a big must these days!