As children grow, they find pleasure in playing with different objects, whether they are toys or not. At certain ages, they even see the doors of your home good enough to play with. They are fascinated by the slamming sounds the doors make and would happily close and open them repeatedly. As happy as it makes them feel, this playful act could lead to occasionally locking themselves in, which is unpleasant, either to them or to you as the mom. This blog post will address how to prevent a child from locking a door. We will share helpful tips with which to safeguard your kids at home.
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How to prevent a child from locking the door
1. Change your doorknobs to more secure options
Manufacturers of doorknobs understand that emergencies can come up at any time; hence they now make knobs that provide more safety to users. Now you can get doorknobs that can be screwed open from outside a room. That way, you can easily unlock them if your child should get locked inside a room. It would help to keep a screwdriver within reach for emergencies because that is the tool required to open the doorknob from the outside. You can also use a coin for the same purpose in case there’s no screwdriver available.
2. Install Security Chain or Deadbolt
You can also prevent child door lock incidents by installing a security chain or a deadbolt on your door. By installing these high above your door handle, your child will find it difficult to reach the door latch to open it. Even if they stand on a stool or chair, their hand will still not reach the latch. You must, however, remember to reattach the security chain or lock the deadbolt before you close the door each time.
3. Put your doors in a non-lock state
There are DIY solutions on how to prevent a child from locking a door. One of them is to put your door in a state where your child cannot entirely lock it. You can quickly achieve this using strong tape. Cover the latching device of your door with tape, and it will not be completely closed again. With this in place, your child will not risk locking themselves indoors. However, the sacrifice you have to pay for this option is defacing your door with tape. That may make your entries appear unappealing, but for the safety of your toddlers, you should be willing to go the extra mile. You must also know that this is a temporary measure you can reverse whenever you feel it’s no longer necessary by simply removing the tape.
4. Reverse your door-locking mechanism
For moms unwilling to deface their doors to keep their kids safe, there are other options to achieving the same aim of preventing a child from locking a door. What you can do instead is reverse the locking device of your entries. To do this, you exchange your locking mechanism’s inside and outside positions. Doing this means you won’t have to worry about your child locking themselves in anymore.
5. Educate your toddlers
Children learn very fast and can follow your example. Once they become toddlers, you should educate them in simplified terms on how to properly lock the door. If they can close the door, they also can unlock it. So, teach them how to open the door on their own. It would help if you also taught them the dangers of locking themselves in and why they should be cautious with the doors. Children learn faster with illustrations. So teach them this valuable lesson with stories and pictures.
Conclusion
Now you know how to prevent a child from locking a door. It also helps if you prepare for any emergency should your child eventually lock themselves in a room. Prepare your mind psychologically, so you don’t panic if it happens. Also, keep a screwdriver and some coins where you can always reach for them. Above all, educate your family on what to do during emergencies.
