Conference moira::parenting_v3

63.0. "Child proofing method" by RDVAX::COLLIER (Bruce Collier) Mon Jun 25 1990 13:24

    15.13 asked how to childproof an area without attaching things to
    walls, and I thought I should share my experience.  I started by
    attaching pieces of pegboard across the front of bookcases and the like,
    with a string going around the back to hold it up (bow knot on side, in
    case parents need to get in).  But leftover pegboard led me to invent a
    more general technique.
    
    I cut some sheets of pegboard into sections 4' wide by 2' high, and
    then hinged these together at the ends, using small hinges and bolts. 
    When zig-zagged across the floor, this made a flexible and quite stable
    self-supporting barricade, without being attached to anything.  Since I
    have a quite large living-dining-family room, I made one really long
    (20') and another medium (12').  I then concentrated non-baby-proof
    stuff (plants, electronics, you name it) in two sections of the room,
    and just walled them off.  The protected areas could expand and
    contract as needed, and the walls fold up in a jiffy into very small
    space if one wants them out of the way.
    
    Although this was experimental, it worked very well with my kids.  It
    was easily robust enough to repel a crawler or toddler, and by the time
    Eric got old enough to go over it or move it, it was firmly established
    as a symbolic barrier that only got crossed with permission.  Even
    though Aaron was about 4.5 when it went up, he saw the necessity of
    restraining Eric, and respected it himself.  Another advantage is that
    at 2' high, it isn't a barrier to parents, cats, and the like (indeed,
    the cats took good advantage of it!).
    
    In the case of major safety hazards (top of the stairs) I would want
    something more securely fastened.  But for the bulk of my needs (mostly
    protecting things from kids) this method worked extremely easily and
    well.
    
    		- Bruce