Outlet covers (Full Version)

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Zhi -> Outlet covers (7/23/2008 6:38:12 PM)

I know that outlet covers are supposed to be a big deal, but my 18 month old just learned how to carefully pick the outlet covers out of the outlets, regardless of how snugly I fit them on or how many times I get on her case about it when I catch her in the act. There's nothing about that in the manual. heh.

Should I take off the outlet covers so she's not messing with the outlets (she doesn't really seem excited by them unless there's a cover on them, but who knows, really) or leave them on? Which is safer?



NotDoneYet -> RE: Outlet covers (7/23/2008 6:45:57 PM)

My youngest son, at 18 months, took ALL the cover plates off the outlets...and laid them under the outlet with the little screw neatly in the middle. He had watched his dad fix one and then did them all...
Sometimes I think we go too far to try to keep our little ones out of harm's way. As I've gotten older (and had more kids), sometimes I think experience is the best way to learn...for example, we pull the kids away from the oven because it's hot...but for them to learn what hot really is, they need to experience it. They won't keep their hands on it long enough to hurt themselves, and they WILL learn "hot".

And one of our favorite lines around here...when the girls are really being experiental..."I'm not making any trips to the ER tonight!!!" They figure out that they're being over the top, and we all get a laugh!

NDY



Zhi -> RE: Outlet covers (7/23/2008 6:51:25 PM)

I just have the plastic kind, but I don't think the screw kind would help because the child has already disassembled the cable outlet plate (including unscrewing it completely from the wall). She would just consider it a new challenge. *sigh*



Mrs.Wifey -> RE: Outlet covers (7/23/2008 7:28:39 PM)

I think she meant the covers that are standard on outlets.

We don't use outlet covers, DD gets her hand smacked for touching any of the plugs and then we give her something else to play with... We did that consistently for about a week and then she stopped.



MrsTracy72 -> RE: Outlet covers (7/23/2008 7:33:24 PM)

Ryanne, We did the same for all of our kids and they did stop, but one day when Kali was three, she decided to hide a penny behind the nightlight that was plugged in. Your post made me think of that for some reason. I was in my kitchen and all of the sudden I heard this pop and then she started to scream. It smelled horrible and when I got to the room, her fingers were black and so was the wall and the outlet. Now that I look back at it, I can laugh because nobody got hurt, but at the time, I flipped out, called the electrician right away and they were laughing at me. (I knew them well) and I made my husband turn off the power to that part of the house until the electrican came to fix it and made sure it was safe.



Mrs.Wifey -> RE: Outlet covers (7/23/2008 7:38:12 PM)

Lol, Tracy. I had a brother that did that for fun in order to make the circuit breaker blow. He was probably 5 or 6[8|]



MrsTracy72 -> RE: Outlet covers (7/23/2008 7:42:39 PM)

I was pretty embarrassed because it wasn't like Kali was my first child and I did flip out and call in an electrician right away. But now it is funny and I know that if anybody does that, it does not cause a fire hazzard. LOL



Mrs.X -> RE: Outlet covers (7/24/2008 1:06:33 AM)

If your little girl doesn't put the covers in her mouth, might as well just leave them on. We do what Ryanne and Tracy do...smack the hand for dangerous things.



manda59 -> RE: Outlet covers (7/24/2008 4:25:19 AM)

Yup, that's what we did - keep an eye on them (made sure one of us was always around wherever they were playing), and squeeze their hand hand, or smack it, if they went to touch a socket (your outlet), and firmly say "No, hot" and look all worried.



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