My 18 month old knows how to remove the out let covers from the wall? I thought they were child proof?

Question

they are definitly not child proof. I can only correct and redirect so many times, there is no way to avoid every single outlet, every single second of the day. She seems more fasinated with them because they do have the covers. I took them off for a while, and she trys to stick anything she can in them. This is driving me crazy, any ideas. and please realize I have tried time out, hand spanking, correct and redirect, NO!, THATS BAD, blah blah blah, the usual..... ty in advance for the help

yeah i bought new covers thinking the old ones were too loose, she still got them off, My walmart did not have any other options, guess I will check another store but ussually walmart has everything

Answer 1

Get one of those outlet covers that you have to screw into the actual outlet plate.

I have a couple of these that a friend gave to me.

If you don't want to buy any, see if anyone has some at your local freecycle site.

Answer 2

That is definitely something to be concerned about - and the covers themselves can be a choking hazard. What I would suggest is change the type of outlet covers you have. I have had some that are opaque white, and they have a little slot that makes it easy to remove them, and that's not good!

I changed to some that I think are Safety First brand - they are CLEAR and very hard to remove. I think an extra advantage they have by being clear is that children get used to seeing the two slots of the outlet, so when they are older, the slots won't be so fascinating (the white ones obscure the slots of the outlet, so when they come off, a kid will be even MORE intrigued to go mess with the outlet).

There are also protectors that instead of plugging into the electrical outlet, they replace the entire outlet cover. The cover has sliders that you slip the plug of whatever you're plugging in, into - and then you slide over and in to engage the electric use. It is spring loaded. There is no little piece that can be removed.
Here is an example of one:
http://www.safeandsecurebaby.com/Sliding-Outlet-Cover-pr-181.html

I also have another tip another mom told me, and it has been the most wonderful tip I ever received. When something is dangerous, use the word DANGEROUS in a most serious tone, along with the other correcting things. If your child knows 'boo boo' or some other word that means something will hurt them, then use that too in the warning, like: "Dangerous! Don't touch, that will give you a boo boo!" Very quickly, a child learns the difference between when you say 'No" and when you say "DANGEROUS!!" They learn that it's more serious when you say the word 'dangerous' and it gets their attention, instead of ignoring it the way they'll often ignore the word 'no.'

Answer 3

The outlet covers must be fitting too loosely. They should stay in snugly. Find some in colors that match the outlets. That might not attract as much attention and she can focus on something else. In addition, make sure that anything she could stick into an outlet receptacle is out of reach. This includes keys, paper clips, and anything else that conducts.

You have a curious and intelligent child. Keep up the redirection and getting her interested in other things. It should pay off. Nothing wrong with the hand spanking either. I think it'll take time. I actually remember me at that age... I jammed a green crayon into an outlet somehow, and I got a spanking for that one... never did it again, though... hmmm, senility must be creeping up on me if I can remember something from almost 45 years ago.

Answer 4

Sometimes the more you say no, the more some children will play with something.

Tell her it's "hot" in there...then take a spoon and heat it up. Pretend like you put it in the outlet, but you wear an oven mitt. Then make her touch the hot spoon, all the while saying "hot". Make it hot enough that it makes her yank her hand back if she touches it.

Then point to the outlet and say hot. Then pretend to stick the spoon back it and say touch the spoon, hot, touch it....she should go running.

I had to do this with the stove to get my kids used to the idea of "hot" and not to reach up and touch anything there.

I can't think of a better way, but if she recognizes that "hot" is a danger word, and will hurt her, hopefully she will avoid it.

She doesn't see the danger which is the problem and unfortunately, those plugs really aren't that childproof. You could try taping with with a good sticky tape she can't peel off easily or put heavy furniture in front of it. Keep her occupied with colouring or something to get her mind off the outlets.

Answer 5

Mine are! Heck, I have trouble getting them out when I need to use the outlet! LOL No joking! Mine were just some cheap ones in a pack that were left over from using one of them in a baby shower game. Looks like a package from the dollar store. They fit fine, and like I said, even I have an extremely hard time getting them out. They're a bit rounded I guess, so you can't grab them around the edges at all, there's just a tiny slit on the top or bottom and it's hard to pull it out just by that. I've never really had to deal with my daughter doing that, so I don't have any other suggestions, but I hope you find something that works for you!

Answer 6

You could try putting duct tape or another very strong tape over the outlet(just on the outlet part, not onto the wall). I had to do this with a few that the covers kept falling out and my son was doing the same as yours. He had zero interest in the outlet as soon as he figured there wasn't anything there. Hope this helps!

Answer 7

They aren't child proof its to prevent them from sticking there fingers in the outlets Can you put heavy duty tape on them of maybe a little cage that has a tricky catch so you can access the outlets but she cannot

Answer 8

This correct and redirect thing is a waste of your time, which surely you can see. You need to SLAP HIS HAND HARD ENOUGH THAT HE CRIES. Once or twice of that and he will NOT touch the outlets anymore. Even my 9 month old knows that.

Answer 9

If she can get them off, don't punish her for it. She doesn't understand that what she is doing (being naturally curious) is putting her in danger. And no matter what you tell her, she still won't understand. YOU need to change her situation. They make outlet covers (the actual wall plates) that are spring loaded at an angle. She won't be able to push anything in there, but you can put your plug in, twist it (or slide it), and then plug into the wall. There are several of them, but you have to hunt for them.

Answer 10

Check out babiesrus or baby depot if you have one near you. They sell several different kinds of outlet covers. I'd use the caps for places up high or behind furniture where your child is less likely to get to them. For high traffic areas my husband and I have 2 different kinds that we use. Both screw into the outlet cover. http://www.safety1st.com/product.asp?productID=173
http://www.safety1st.com/product.asp?productID=170
http://www.safety1st.com/product.asp?productID=905
Try these links - safety 1st makes great products. The links also tell you what stores sell these products. Good luck. Hope you find something that works for you.