How to Childproof Doors

Ensuring your children’s safety can be a constant struggle, especially if they love to play all day long, as keeping an eye on them at all times can be difficult. However, there is one aspect of your home that they tend to have fun with the most: your doors.

Constantly opening closed doors, swinging from door handles, or hiding behind your exterior doors can result in them getting hurt. Finger injuries in children under five years old are especially common, with some cases leading to fractured bones or amputation.

It’s crucial to have a childproof door to avoid medical emergencies. So, in this article, we’ll discuss how you can secure your entryways and prevent your children from getting injured when you’re not looking.

Let’s get into it!

Identify the Hazards First

Before child-proofing doors, it’s crucial to evaluate some risks first. This sets your foundation for implementing child safety measures. 

That said, look for:

• Doors that lead to hazardous areas like stairs, bathrooms, or rooms containing sharp objects.
• Doors that could pinch fingers or limbs when closing or opening.
• Doors that children could lock themselves behind.

Being aware of these spaces in your home can help you prevent dangerous scenarios, like your child accidentally trapping their fingers in a closing door. Noting these places also ensures you don’t miss potential hazards when childproofing your door.

Childproofing Interior Doors

Install Childproof Door Locks

Your children use interior doors more often than exterior ones, so they’re more dangerous and should be prioritized. If you don’t have child-proof doors inside your home, you might be putting your kids at risk.

One way to avoid this is by installing a top lock. This lock is installed at the top of your door, out of your children’s reach.  

Image source: Canva

Use Pinch Guards on Doors

Another way to child-proof your door is to install foam or plastic pinch guards at their edges. This ensures that your interior doors won’t slam shut and your child won’t get themselves locked inside a room. 

To keep doors closed while still protecting little fingers from getting slammed, you can use pinch guards with door lock functionality like Door Monkey. You clamp this to your door, and when you close it, the tool hooks onto the door stop moulding, locking the door in a partially opened position. 

Your children’s fingers will be safe from the door slamming shut. This device can also be used as a pinch guard, meaning your child won’t be able to lock you outside or inside a room accidentally. 

Childproofing Exterior Doors

Use Deadbolts and Security Chains

A good way to childproof your front door is to install a deadbolt or security door chain. With these locking mechanisms, your toddler won’t be able to easily open and close doors on their own. They’re best installed indoors leading to places they can’t enter without supervision, such as the entryways leading to the basement or your lawn.

For extra security, consider fitting your front and back doors with at least one deadbolt. Not only does this ensure safety against finger injuries due to door trauma, but it also helps you avoid invalidating the warranty on your front door since the deadbolt comes preinstalled with the door system.

Image source: Canva

Invest in Childproof Door Handle Covers

Sometimes, you don’t want to damage your new front door by installing a deadbolt. So, the next best solution is to place baby-proof door handle covers on your door hardware.

This is a more affordable alternative than installing deadbolts and lets you avoid damaging your exterior door. The door handle works by being wrapped around your door’s hardware like a case, thus making it difficult for toddlers to grip the door knob to open the door. 

Cover Your Door Knob

Similar to door handle covers, door knob covers are also made to fit most standard-sized round knobs to help childproof door knobs. This childproof tool secures the door knob from turning, similar to how stoppers on medicine bottles operate. The cover acts as a physical barrier to ensure your child cannot turn the door knob on their own.

Many homeowners prefer this method over security chains and deadbolts because the covers remain on your door. You wouldn’t have to remove them when you use your entryways.

Make the Glass Stronger

If you have sliding glass doors or French doors, your child may accidentally bump the glass and cause it to shatter. While many glass doors are durable and can withstand high pressure, you shouldn’t dismiss the fact that they could still shatter, and the shards could injure your child. 

So, ensure that your French doors have double glazing, as it ensures the glass panels won’t break under pressure.

Additionally, your sliding glass doors need to be secured with flip locks to prevent your exterior door from being used while you’re not around. Flip locks are a great way to childproof doors because they can be installed at any height and are unbreakable. 

If your doors have sidelights, replace the glass panels with double-glazed glass to prevent it from shattering if your child bumps into it. 

Keep Your Child Safe With Stylish Doors From Burano

Embarking on a DIY project such as baby-proofing your doors is a relatively simple task. However, these are temporary solutions. Your door locks could get rusty, or the deadbolts may ruin your door’s warranty. 

So, make sure you’re working towards a long-term solution instead and get high-quality hardware that’s pre-installed with your doors. With this, you won’t have to worry about finger injuries, costly repairs, and void warranties.

This is where Burano Doors can help.

We are a leading manufacturer of customized doors and windows. We give our clients full control over customizing their doors and ensure these are secured with 16″ Lock Blocks and reinforced wood stiles.

For more information on how you can customize your doors and child-proof door knobs, contact us today!