Committed to Safety

Just look at those three little faces. Yup. All ours. When this picture was taken, The Childproofer had been in business for about four years, (hadn't slept for two), and we were working out of our garage. Alex was in kindergarten and Stuart and Sam were practically airborne. In those days, we didn't have the variety in beautiful, taller gates that can be expanded to the nth width as seen on pages 6 and 7. We had little wooden gates that stood 24” tall and had a curved crocodile clamp to hold them in place. Mark and I climbed over them. The Childproofer's office was in our dining room just off the kitchen. Mark put a gate between the two rooms to keep the twins out of there. He eventually had to strap a 36”- tall piece of polycarbonate onto it so that Sam couldn't climb over it anymore. We couldn't climb over it anymore, either. Heck, I could barely swing it open. We had gates between the kitchen and the front door entryway, across the living room, at the top and bottom of the stairs to the family room, in front of the wood stove, and at the top of the stairs by the bedrooms. We were the House of Gates. Our Feng Shui had been re-routed. We had no chairs in the kitchen because the boys spent their lives on top of the kitchen table. We ate standing up. Mark put advanced latches on all of the lower cabinets. I called them the nail breaker. Their feature was that they would lock open when yanked on. Great idea to save fingers but Sam used the locked-open cabinets like a ladder to climb up onto the counter. Stuart was right behind him. We used a magnetic lock on an upper cabinet where we kept the Children's Tylenol for them and the Ibuprofen for us. The magnetic “key” was constantly on the move to a new hiding place. We still carry the magnetic lock— you can find it on page 4 at the top, it works great and it's easy to install. But, a while back, we retired the advanced latch from our catalog. Adeiu, dear nail breaker. The variety in design of today's quality cabinet latches now give you so many more choices in tackling a challenging cabinet door or drawer.

As parents, we tend to overestimate our children's cognitive skills while underestimating their motor skills. Add in a little sleep deprivation and the fact that children don't look at consequences when anticipating their actions, and you've got yourself a situation ripe with possibilities. In this edition of our educational catalog, we've packed it with insights into developmental stages from renowned Pediatrician, Dr. T. Barry Brazelton. You'll also find information on age- and stage- related safety issues. And look at Sam's Safety Scale: it will help you make decisions about the level of protection served as well as the limitations of each product. Throughout, we are proud to offer you the best safety products on the market today.

From the beginning we have maintained that childproofing is a philosophy of parenting. We still do. Look at what the risk is. With some risks, you might not get a second chance. So, that's the determination for the use of a strong, effective product. Then, make decisions on areas that are not life threatening based on parent convenience and personal preference. Child safety products provide nonverbal limits that can help create a “yes” environment for your children by allowing them to explore freely. And, remember, nothing takes the place of supervision.

Enjoy the journey

Mark Altman is cofounder and CEO of The Childproofer, established in 1989. His 35+ years of experience in Business Operations, Marketing and Management have created our economical, invaluable service for new parents. The Childproofer is a Licensed Contractor, #690908, fully bonded and insured. Ask us about our dynamic training program for start-up Childproofing businesses.

Anne Piotrowski-Altman, cofounder of The Childproofer, is a Masters-prepared Family Nurse Practitioner, Public Health Nurse, and Credentialed School Nurse.

Creating Safe Environments Since 1989

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