How to stop a freakishly strong 1 yr old.

[AFJailor]

So both my wife and i have firearms in our nightstands by our bed. They both have a loaded magazine, but not a round in the chamber. The drawer on the nightstand has one of those adhesive lock-thingies on it, now these things lock that drawer TIGHT, i tugged on it very hard after i first put em on and it didnt budge.

So i go into my bathroom leaving my 1 yr old girl to wander around my bedroom...i come back in the room to find her holding my sig .45, the magazine had been taken out and the drawer was on the floor. All this happened in about 45 seconds.

I ran over got the gun from her and put the drawer back on, she had tugged so hard on the thing that the lock's adhesive pad ripped right off.

I fixed the problem by putting TWO of the same locks on and then screwing them in place...just to be sure. It really scared the bejesus out of me, enough so that i have now ordered a small desktop safe.

[Mithras61]

In my experience, toddlers are so strong because they don't know they're not supposed to be so strong. As they get a little older and figure out they aren't supposed to be so strong, they get weak!

The only "child-proof locks" I've found that work required a combination of manual dexterity and knowledge (like a combination) to get past. We had some of those cabinet locks that are essentially a plastic hook on a spring that catches a latch in the cabinet frame. My wife could barely get the darn things open, but my daughter at 18 months could open them like they weren't there.

[HighVelocity]

Start teaching her the Four Rules now. Glad it turned out ok.

[shipwreck]

Get a gun vault and mount it in your nightstand - then attach the stand to the wall.

[flintknapper]

In my experience, toddlers are so strong because they don't know they're not supposed to be so strong. As they get a little older and figure out they aren't supposed to be so strong, they get weak!

Yup,

Toddlers are just like ants, until someone tells them can't carry five times their body weight, they will continue to do so.

[lrb111]

In my experience, toddlers are so strong because they don't know they're not supposed to be so strong. As they get a little older and figure out they aren't supposed to be so strong, they get weak!

Yup,

Toddlers are just like ants, until someone tells them can't carry five times their body weight, they will continue to do so.

and they don't know they can pull things over on themselves. So, they will throw their full weight into pulling.

[Xander]

I second the GunVault idea.

[stevie_d_64]

I support any gun safe option...At this particular juncture...

[stroo]

I also would strongly encourage you to get some kind of gun vault like safe. Your daughter had an angel looking after her. Having lost a baby son (disease, not accident), I will tell you that you do not want to go through that. It is much worse than you can possibly imagine.

[Lumberjack98]

Absolutely get a safe!

Little fingers with time have a strange way of figuring things out.

Lock it up. The extra time that it will take to get to the firearm is worth the peace of mind. Make sure that you put the safe high enough that she cannot reach the buttons or put the key in.

[LedJedi]

superglue works wonders.

Glue your daughter down to a heavy cinder block. as she gets older, add more blocks. Let her go when she turns 30.... 35, somewhere in there. This also helps a lot during those dating years.

I would look into a gun safe and start teaching as early as possible.

of course, you could always use the glue on the locks too.

[Venus Pax]

Here's another vote for the gun vault attached to the night stand. My uncle has one, and I walked past it several times before he showed it to me. ("You didn't notice my new gun vault, didja?")
It's touch-combination, so he can access it in the dark by feeling. Since it's attached to the nightstand-side closest to the bed, he can grab the gun while bundled up in bed.

[Lumberjack98]

I think that having a safe in a low position (night stand) that little fingers have access to is a mistake. Kids figure this stuff out. Yes there are a gazillion combination choices that you could choose, but guess what? It will probably take your child less than five minutes to figure it out. Or if given access to it enough, they will figure it out. I don't think it's worth the risk.

You can still have a firearm very close to you when sleeping and have it high enough off the ground to keep the kiddos away from it.

I have a 17 month old and this is something that really concerns me and I've put a lot of thought into what to do in our home.

[stevie_d_64]

I came back in here to interject a funny...

I was talking to my sister recently and brought up how she secured "things" from her kids...

She only had one word as an answer...

"Benadryl"

Heck, I thought it was kinda funny...

[Texican_gal]

... everyone with BIG TV sets needs to secure them.

Kids can pull them over on themselves pretty easily.

Here's an awful story to illustrate:

Plano 7-Year-Old Killed After TV Topples Over
Consumers Warned About Dangers Of Falling Televisions

Stephanie Lucero Reporting

(CBS 11 News) PLANO The TVs you own can pose a deadly hazard to your children. A North Texas family knows the anguish firsthand after a television set fell and killed their daughter.

According to Consumer Reports, in the first seven months of 2006, 10 children died after a TV fell on them – that's twice the typical yearly average.

Researchers say the threat of injury generally comes from children pulling a TV onto themselves, after trying to climb on top of furniture, retrieve a toy on top of a TV, or while attempting to change a video or DVD in a player on top of or near the TV.

"A lot of times if your toddlers are used to watching their videos and they somehow learn to change the television themselves, so they will try to climb up on a piece of furniture and turn the television on or change the channel," said Kristen Beckworth, Children's Medical Center.

Plano police say a TV toppled over and killed a 7-year-old girl Tuesday night. The death of McKenzie Cole has been devastating to the girl's family and friends.

McKenzie, who has a twin sister, was a second grader Brinker Elementary School. School officials say a letter concerning the death will be sent home with McKenzie's classmates and her sibling’s classmates.

Recent research conducted by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and Children's Medical Center in Dallas focused on the problem of child injuries from falling TVs.

According to the study, an estimated 2,300 children visit emergency rooms annually for injuries due to falling TVs. Most of the victims were between one and seven-years-old.

Eighty-five percent of parents interviewed said they weren't aware of the potential danger.

"I just think it's important for parents to realize that furniture tip-overs are a problem, and they're an increasing problem," said Beckworth. "When you do purchase a new piece of furniture, more specifically a television, make sure you stabilize the furniture, and then stabilize the TV with a strap or a bracket."

The average child watches 20 hours of television a week and with the size of TVs becoming increasingly larger, the danger of a falling TV increases.

Any TV can be a crushing hazard and Consumer Reports advises parents to take steps to keep children safe.


If available, buy the stand specifically designed for your TV by the manufacturer, as well as any hardware to secure the TV to the stand or wall.

If you put your TV on other furniture make sure it's sturdy before you put the TV on it, and that it can handle the TVs weight.

Consider a TV stand that has a lip along the outer edge, which can help keep the TV from being pushed or pulled off. Put a non-skid mat under the TV to make it harder for a child to move it.

Furniture holding a TV should be anchored to the floor or wall using brackets, screws, or braces.

Do not put a TV on furniture with drawers.

Do not place toys, remote controls, or other tempting items on top of TVs or other tall furniture.
Cover outlets with outlet protectors.

Check with your child's school, day-care center, and health-care facilities to ensure that they have properly secured TVs.

Some experts warn that it's not just televisions parents need to worry about. Large appliances, stereos, microwaves and anything a child can pull or push needs to be secured, child-proofed.

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SOURCE = http://cbs11tv.com/topstories/local_sto ... 93504.html[/u]