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07/02/2002 Entry: "Oh, my"

My baby is obsessed with the dishwasher. Whenever dishes need to be done, I have to bodily haul Sam out of the kitchen and pretty much hold him the entire time Eric loads the dishwasher; otherwise, Sam's right in there, pulling at the trays and yanking things out.

Well, guess what he learned how to turn on this afternoon? Uh-huh. Now, how do I childproof that?

Replies: 10 sandcastles

Stephanie certainly knows what "no" means, and when you tell it to her, she screws up her face, lays her face down on her arms, and pretends to cry!
Then she looks to see if you've changed your mind, and if you still have on your "No face" she continues on with the screwed up face, for a few more seconds, and then grins at you, to get rid of your no face, before trying again. Cheeky little monkey!

Posted by melanie @ 07/05/2002 06:45 PM EST

Oh, we do "No." He doesn't seem to understand it just yet, or else he "forgets" a moment later. Sometimes he accepts limits, but with objects of intense attraction, such as the dishwasher, it's harder for him to acquiesce. We say "no" and redirect, but still have to do it over and over and over. He's very good at noticing when I'm distracted, too, and seizing the moment. ;-)

Posted by Carrie @ 07/05/2002 09:47 AM EST

um... I do believe there is a place for childproofing, and ensuring safety for your child, but somewhere in amongst all of that there should be a place to teach your children what "No!" means.
Have you tried that one?
I didn't childproof anything when Jade was a baby. I taught her what was good and what wasn't. And yes, I know Jade was a wonderful baby, and they're not all that obliging. I was extremely lucky. And I still am.
But "No!" is worth a try :)

Posted by melanie @ 07/04/2002 04:59 PM EST

I believe there is such a babyproofing method of blocking the dishwasher. This is yet another thing that I can relate to. Ever since Ethan has been walking, he has been pushing the buttons on the dishwasher. He still does it to this day if we let him and he'll also do it in the middle of a cycle (which throws the entire dishwasher off) if he's allowed. I believe Safety First makes a plastic panel similar to the stove blocking panel. Think I've seen it in Babies R Us - I would give your local store a call (if you have one near you). If not, then I would just make it a rule to not let Sam in the kitchen unless strictly supervised which is how we handle it. There's so many baby hazards in the kitchen, there's not enough babyproofing products to help. (handles of pots and pans that aren't always pointing towards the wall, but towards reaching fingers, hard floors to fall on, cuboards to open, etc. not to mention even falling right over him which we've done a few times while busy in the kitchen..) It'll get a little easier once he understands "no" better, but until then, I would say the kitchen is pretty much off limits to his walking territory.

Posted by Tina @ 07/03/2002 03:22 PM EST

I'm still trying to figure that one out too. We don't have a switch you can turn off. There's just a dial to turn it on, and if I leave it unlocked, they get into it. I was hoping someone was going to come up with some genius solution here. ;o)

Posted by Hilary @ 07/03/2002 01:05 PM EST

I think there is a child-proof thingy for dishwashers. I would look at Smart Start or something like that. We didn't get a dishwasher until Zoe was a couple years old and she didn't bother it, for whatever reason. I think because she would rather eat the dry cat food than play with appliances. Heh.

Posted by Von @ 07/03/2002 08:12 AM EST

Yes, but if the door isn't locked, I'm betting Sam will pull it open and "help" put things away. My only suggestion is to baby-gate the kitchen.

Posted by Kristie @ 07/02/2002 07:56 PM EST

Doesn't the dishwasher have to be closed and locked to start when the dial is turned? :)

Posted by Mahoney @ 07/02/2002 07:37 PM EST

The dishwasher. :-) He figured out how to turn the dial to "start." Eric pointed out that I can turn off the motor with a switch, so it's all good.

Posted by Carrie @ 07/02/2002 05:22 PM EST

Carrie, you lost me. What did Sammy learn to turn on?
When in doubt, tape it down!

Posted by Angela @ 07/02/2002 05:09 PM EST