Command Strips : the baby-proofing tool you didn’t know you needed

The first time Luca opened a kitchen cabinet, my pride that he figured it out quickly morphed into an “oh s&^%” moment. So many family members and friends talked about this dreaded time and told me to be prepared to baby proof. But as with most things kid related, you nod your head yes and don’t think about it until it’s happening to you.

I remembered that we had been gifted a Safety First baby-proofing kit at one of our baby showers and I dug it out of the guest room closet we use to store all of our baby items. Armed with the kit to ease my worries and make our kitchen safe, I felt optimistic. But I was wrong, so wrong.

The kit comes with outlet covers, cabinet and drawer latches, cabinet locks and door knob covers. I always joked that when I baby-proofed, I was going to Krystin-proof at the same time because while I think I’m fairly intelligent, I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to common sense related things. You know that scene in Baby Mama where she’s trying to get the toilet seat cover off and ends up peeing in the sink — that’s me. It turns out I wasn’t wrong — the outlet covers were impossible to get out. After ruining my manicure, I had to use a flat head screwdriver and a bobby pin to take them out. The cabinet and drawer latches require drilling actual holes in your cabinetry and I could not for the life of me figure out the door knob covers.

All of this to say — I gave up on the kit and searched Amazon for a better alternative for our cabinets. I chose the Eco-Baby Child Safety Magnetic Cabinet and Drawer Locks based on reviews. But prior to picking these locks, I involved my husband because he’s great at researching to ensure we’re spending our money on the best items. He recommended using Command Strips on the inside of the cabinet doors. Better known for hanging picture frames without damaging your walls, Ry suggested using the strips to invisibly lock cabinets and drawers. He thought this was the perfect solution. I was super skeptical and decided not to listen to my him (like usual) and ordered the Eco-Baby magnetic locks.

Well I was wrong, again. Are we sensing a theme here? The magnetic locks are great in theory and if you have like two cabinets total. But if you cook a lot and are always in and out of your cabinets, having to use a magnet to get into them is going to get old real quick. Also, the latch and the base weren’t completely flush so Luca was still able to open the cabinets a bit and put his tiny fingers in — which defeats the purpose of having them on there. I think this particular issue is a result of the way our cabinets are set up but given that all cabinets aren’t created equal, it’s a good issue to note. The biggest problem though is how easily they come off. My husband often forgot about them and forcefully opened the drawer or cabinet and pulled the base right off. It took him caveman-ripping and me replacing the locks 5 times before I decided to give up.

I had a few Command Strip pairs on hand so I figured I would replace the magnet lock with a Command Strip pair. I stuck two strips together, removed the backing to one and pressed it onto the cabinet door close to the knob. I then removed the backing so the sticky side was showing and closed the door so that it would stick to the other side of the door. I didn’t have very high hopes of liking it but I was desperate to keep the cabinet closed. IT WORKED GREAT. The bold and all-caps are completely and totally necessary. The strips are strong enough to keep Luca out (for now**) but not so strong that I can’t open them. They also lay flush to the cabinets so that Luca can’t open the doors at all. The key is to place the strips close to the knob so leverage is on your side. If you place them in the middle of your cabinet, it’ll be harder to open the door. When Ry got home from work I excitedly shared that I used the strips on a couple of cabinets and instead of “I told you so,” he says what he always says “I knew you’d come around.” It’s the way our relationship works — I don’t listen to him at first but then I eventually end up doing whatever it is he suggests. After almost 10 years together, we gotta keep it interesting right?!

So forget the fancy baby-proofing kits and the magnet locks, when it comes to keep drawers and cabinets closed and tiny fingers safe — apparently all you need are Command Strips.

**We think it’ll probably take a couple of years before Luca has the strength needed to pull open the doors and drawers. I’ll be sure to share when he’s able to!

Command Strip Pros and Cons

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