The Parenting Journal

Every china cabinet looks like a display case to an adult. To a two-year-old, it looks like a challenge.Built-in china cabinets are one of the trickier baby-proofing jobs in any home. They’re fixed to the wall, often finished in paint...

My younger daughter was 18 months old when she figured out the pull-out pantry. I heard the familiar rumble of the drawer gliding open, then silence. By the time I crossed the kitchen, she had a box of pasta in...

Every 15 seconds, someone in the U.S. calls a poison center about an exposure, about 2.1 million calls in 2024 alone, according to America’s Poison Centers. A significant share of those calls involve children who found something they shouldn’t have....

Most cabinet locks work on one assumption: the door opens from one spot. A Lazy Susan breaks that assumption entirely.The rotating tray inside means your child can push the door open at any angle, reach around the edge, and spin...

Every 15 seconds, someone in the U.S. calls a poison center about an exposure, about 2.1 million calls in 2024 alone, according to America’s Poison Centers. A significant share of those calls involve children who found something under the kitchen...

The outlet in my living room was about eight inches off the floor. I didn’t notice until my older daughter started pulling herself up to stand, at which point that little two-slot receptacle was exactly at eye level for a...

Inspection day for a foster care license is not the moment to discover your outlet covers don’t meet code. Inspectors arrive with a checklist, a flashlight, and the authority to delay placement. Getting ahead of their requirements protects both your...

Sliding doors are among the most overlooked hazards in a baby-proofed home. Parents spend hours installing cabinet locks and outlet covers, then leave a 70-pound glass panel on a track that a determined two-year-old can move with one hand.The risk...

Every parent has a cabinet story. Mine happened on a Tuesday afternoon when I answered the doorbell, came back to find my younger daughter standing in the kitchen with the under-sink cabinet wide open, a bottle of dish soap in...