Childproofing entertainment stand

[Thare187]

Well my wife just got a job babysitting three kids aged 2,3, and 7. Thats on top of our 8 month old! I have stand with the reciever, cable box, xbox 360 and PS3. The wires are exposed in the back which has me worried. There are no enclosres to put anything in. Just have a question to all of you that have little children around what you do to keep the little ones and my devices safe. Thanks
Todd

 

[stratman]

Well my wife just got a job babysitting three kids aged 2,3, and 7. Thats on top of our 8 month old! I have stand with the reciever, cable box, xbox 360 and PS3. The wires are exposed in the back which has me worried. There are no enclosres to put anything in. Just have a question to all of you that have little children around what you do to keep the little ones and my devices safe. Thanks
Todd

Hey Todd,

The best thing to do is fence off the area with those portable kiddie fences, I have a five year old that already outgrew that aspect of behavior. I think the fences are the safest and are not hard to implement, if you use three as a "U" shape use tie-wraps to hold them together. You might want to use plastic tie downs that use screws to fasten the legs of the U to the wall, remember, this might sound extreme, but you're taking care of multiple kids and some aren't yours, don't take any chances and you'll sleep better at night.

 

[davo]

Speak softly but carry a big stick!

But in reality Stratman has a good idea. I assume you are not home while the kids are there? And your wife does have to provide a safe environment, no questions there. Maybe a new entertainment unit/rack could be an option?

Because if there is a way to damage things, kids will find a way.

 

[Thare187]

Any idea on a rack that would be useful. My wife would kill me if i spent much money since she just "let" buy a PS3 and other gadgets for my bday!

 

[Exit]

I think the fencing idea is a good one and maybe the cheapest solution. I sold my audio equipment and bought an Aiwa mini-component system which I put up out of reach of my kids when they were little.

 

[stratman]

Remember Todd it's not just cables, you've got plugs, slots, anywhere a little finger can get stuck or shocked, I'd go with the fence.

 

[Midcow2]

I agree; also add additional stablization.

Remember Todd it's not just cables, you've got plugs, slots, anywhere a little finger can get stuck or shocked, I'd go with the fence.

You also need to add additional stabiliztion on anything that could possiblle topple over. You can attached a mushroom head crown bolt in the way fairly unobtrusively and tie it off to the top of stands or directly to TVs, receivers, etc.
Defense in depth; in case the kids get past the fence or you accidently forget to put it up

P.S.- Does the fence affect the sound acoustics ? acoustic neutral fences

 

[BMXTRIX]

Sound won't be an issue with the fences as long as you use fence risers to isolate them from the floor.



I personally got a rack from www.racksandstands.com which is completely inclosed with a glass door on the front. It's tricky enough that my two kids haven't quite figured out how to open it yet, and my older one knows he's not supposed to play with it now.

I think the fence idea is great though as the fences will be under 100 bucks usually and provide a good fix to the problem.

I also have the rack in a part of the room that basically makes the back of it inaccessible to the kids, so that helps.

 

[Thare187]

I also read somewhere about putting a cheap piece of plexiglass (dont know if I spelled that correctly) infront of the entertainment stand and secured it with velcro. My concern is the remote. I have a harmony 880 and dont know if there would be a problem with the signal getting through the plexiglass.

 

[acacia987]

i have been searching for 3 months for some flat panel tv stand that looked good, reasonable price and had doors to keep my one year out. nothing so far.

 

[MDS]

You also need to add additional stabiliztion on anything that could possiblle topple over.

That's definitely a good idea and TV manufacturers often include some blurb in the manual about using a strap to tie the TV to the wall or stand so that it cannot easily fall forward.

 

[stratman]

I also read somewhere about putting a cheap piece of plexiglass (dont know if I spelled that correctly) infront of the entertainment stand and secured it with velcro. My concern is the remote. I have a harmony 880 and dont know if there would be a problem with the signal getting through the plexiglass.

Fences are relatively inexpensive (Target, Wal Mart) and after they're no longer needed you can donate (tax break) to low income/needy families.

 

[gladiator335]

Fence should do. But you have to watch them all the time anyway! When my daughter was 2 she managed to squeeze couple of pennies into VCR. It was a big boom!