sksgrad, I am so glad you asked this question. We have an 18 month old who is really curious! We would like to also babyproof our kitchen without drilling our cabinets. I am curious to see what type of solutions people have used.

I never used those locks, HOWEVER, I always made a point of putting things that they could "play" with in the low cabinets/drawers i.e. pots/pans, plastic/tupperware - which, once they discover that one and mom lets them play with it, mine never really bothered with the other cabs.

Now, if you HAVE to keep dangerous things/chemicals down low, then there are slide locks etc that lock on to the handles/knobs -- of course, in one old cabinets of mine I kept something with glass so I just used a heavy rubber band. maybe if you don't have those types of knobs/pulls that fit them, you could use those Command adhesive hooks mounted horizontally on each side and put the lock on those?? those are the ones that come off clean.

here are some of the locks (quickest list I could find online, but they have them everywhere Target, Walmart, Home Depot, etc)

Here is a link that might be useful: Baby Proof Latches

I think it depends a bit on your child. I have a daughter who never got into trouble, and a son who was hell bent on self-destruction. For him we road tested every safety gadget in the baby store and devised new ones out of necessity. We *swear* by tot locks. They really aren't that hard to install and they make tiny little holes on the interior of the cabinet door. You could easily plug that up with a little plastic wood. These are easy to use -- even the grandparents and the cleaning service can handle them. You can also set them to be inactive with a little toggle. I know I sound like a tot locks advertisement, but our son easily out-maneuvered every other brand. He didn't outsmart them -- he just bashed them into submission!

I knew I could count on the kitchen forum community to be responsive and full of suggestions (just like I remember)!

I will definitely look into the tot locks. I came across them online but was afraid that they required a little more destruction to install. So far we've just been using rubberbands to keep some cabinets closed but I assume that it won't be long until she understands how to remove those.

I am definitely open to any more suggestions or 'out of the box' solutions that people have thought of (e.g., using the command adhesive hooks)!

Thanks!

We have 9 kids, (still waiting on #10) and only one of them made me want to lock down everything permanently. He pretty much required constant supervision, anyway, so cupboard locks wouldn't have made much difference.
My mom and my MIL both had one drawer, too (the tupperware and covers) that kids had permission to play in, and that seems to work well.

If necessary, depending on the toddler, we have done things like taking the knobs off the gas range for a while. You will have to find the balance of child-proofing/teaching limits that works for your family.

I ordered magnetic adhesive locks that a friend uses. I haven't actually installed them yet since my little one is only 5 months.

For my older daughter, we just used these slide latches.

They're not as secure since the baby can still pull the door open an inch, but luckily my older daughter was not interested in messing with things in the cabinets. They are certainly an eyesore, too, LOL.

The latches go on the inside and the holes aren't that big...but I don't think I'd want them on drawers. I installed the cheap plastic ones on my built-ins mostly to keep things from sliding out in an earthquake, but they work for the kids, too. They have the bonus of allowing fingers to be smashed which aids in training. Muhahahhaha!

I haven't remodeled yet but do have the chemical (undersink) cabinet latched. I've been removing handles from cabinets as my little guy gets into them. Very soon he will figure out that there are fingerpull edges on every door and drawer at which point if the kitchen isn't gutted, the knives and cheese graters will move.

Meanwhile the aquarium cabinet is secured with a rubberband. I might end up with 150 gallons of water on the floor if he figures that out...

Another recommendation for TotLoks. All the other kinds can be defeated. TotLoks are indestructible & don't show from the outside. They require a magnetic "key" to unlock them; we fastened ours to those coiled wrist keyholders to make them very visible & portable. I recommend installing them in the same spot on every door so you won't go crazy trying to find the unlock spot. TotLoks have a switch so you can turn them off rather than having to use the "key" all the time.

Another TotLoks happy customer here! I can't stand the looks of the plastic ones on the outside of cabinets. We used them to lock up the sink base and two other bases. Be sure to buy an extra 'magnetic key'(they are expensive!) or buy a strong magnet at the hardware store. We stored ours inside our sink tilt-out tray. It was metal and 'stuck' nicely to it.

Son is now 7. We keep them on for when nieces and nephews come over. We just flip a switch and they work again. We also put one on the liquor cabinet, but I'm sure when my son gets older, we'll have to figure out another way to lock that up!

My kitchen remodel is done and I have lots of drawers, all with soft close. Here's a feature of soft close that I wasn't expecting. They are hard (so far impossible) for our 14 month old to open. I'm not sure what we'll do when that changes, but for now it's nice.

- Jim

We have totlocks on the bathroom cabinet and they've been wonderful. We have plastic ones in the current kitchen, but when it gets remodeled (hopefully late this year), I know my husband will cringe about drilling into the cabs, but we'll do the totlocks again.

We also have a "safe" cabinet for my daughter to play in - tupperware stuff - and that keeps her plenty busy. She's 22 months now.

Just my opinion but personaly I'd rather make sure my children are safe and put a few holes in my expensive cabinets. The wood is easier to repair/replace.

We went with the TotLoks and left some for the tupperware and dish towels. Both kids quickly lost intrest in the locked cabinets and proceed to empty the cabinets they can open.

Happy parenting!!