At what age…? Baby safety questions – Help!?
Do you quit letting your child use the pacifier?
Do you switch to a toddler bed?
From a toddler bed to a traditional bed?
Do you allow your child a pillow?
Do you quit covering outlets?
Do you quit using baby monitors when they are asleep?
Do you quit using baby gates around stairs?
I’m curious as to what your family has done – or what the experts say.
Thanks!
Do you quit letting your child use the pacifier?
My oldest quit at 18 months – but he was an easy child (and I was pregnant w/brother and didn't want any confusion over what was a baby item and what wasn't) – My youngest is 2 and still has it at nap/night, but never any other time. I'd like to break him of it, but it is hard (both boys sleep in the same room – space issue)
Do you switch to a toddler bed?
Oldest @ 2.5 so baby brother could have the crib. Youngest, at around 20 months – was ready…
From a toddler bed to a traditional bed?
When we have the finances/space…
Do you allow your child a pillow?
When they start to sleep in a toddler bed!
Do you quit covering outlets?
We still have ours covered. Our oldest is 4, and still attempts to mess with them occasionally…
Do you quit using baby monitors when they are asleep?
We still use them – hubby is dependent…
Do you quit using baby gates around stairs?
We still use it (ages 4 & 2)…
Thanks to everybody who answered. I wanted to get peoples opinions on when some of these safety measures aren't needed anymore.
I do strongly agree that the BIGGEST factors in determining whether a particular safety feature is needed or not is family situations and child's personalities. Because there is no right/wrong answer on this – I am going to have a tough time picking best!
Once again, thank you 
Pacifier ends at age 1 for my daughter-Its a pet peeve of mine seeing toddlers running around with pacis.
My Crib’s safety suggestions suggest switching from the Crib to the Toddler bed at 15 months. Then at 50 lbs it suggests switching it to the regular bed.
A baby under the age of 1 for sure does not need a pillow-I would say when switching the Crib to a Toddler bed, then add a pillow.
Baby monitors aren’t really needed unless you are planning on being on the opposite side of the house a lot.
My oldest is 2&1/2 he still uses a pacifier, sleeps on the love seat because he doesn’t like his toddler bed and we don’t have the money for another bed right now, been sleeping on a pillow since 1, don’t use outlet covers he pulls them out, don’t have stairs but if I did he knows how to go up and down without falling.
never used one quit as soon as you can there bad
2
2-3
4
2-3
4
these are the ages with my first daughter we had to put covers back on and gates back up because we had a second
Pacifier, I would start using it less and less after 1 yr mark till it’s just for bed time. And then around age 2 gone altogether.
As for toddler bed also around age 2 maybe even afterwords, when they can understand that bedtime is bedtime and they need to stay in bed. I switched my oldest at around 26/27 mos when my daughter was born. And he was fine. Now my daughter is 20 mos and since she’s in daycare and sleeps on a cot there doesnt like her crib anymore!! But she gets up from a bed.. so we’re thinking after she turns 2.
From toddler to regular.. well toddler beds are usually good till age 4, then they become too small.
As for pillows, my daughter sleeps on a pillow on my bed so I’l say 18 mos..
Quit covering outlets… hmmmmmm dont know… one of those things I’d rather keep on for much longer.
Baby monitors…. after they’re 6 mos I’ll say there’s no need
Baby gates around stairs… not till the child can go up and down the stairs properly like a grown up would do… I’ll say 2ish? And still we keep the gate upstairs because my son’s bedroom is too close to the stairs and Im always afraid that he’ll fall if he ever wakes up in the middle of the night and wonders off…
But that’s just me.
most of these things you’ll have a feeling on when to do it, it’ll depend on what your child is doing etc etc…
This is from me:
Do you quit letting your child use the pacifier? They were gone by 6 months.
Do you switch to a toddler bed? Never did a toddler bed went straight to the twin bed at 2-2 1/2
From a toddler bed to a traditional bed?
Do you allow your child a pillow? When they moved to a bed
Do you quit covering outlets? Some are still in there, just haven’t been taken out, but around probably 3-3 1/2 they weren’t put back in.
Do you quit using baby monitors when they are asleep? About 2.
Do you quit using baby gates around stairs? It’s still attached but the last time it was used for them no more than 2 1/2-3.
This is what we did:
1. Neither of my children ever liked pacifiers so I never had to break them from it. My friends all stopped before 2.
2. We never did a toddler bed for my 1st. At 2 we went straight to a traditional bed with the safety sides. We never had a problem. I will do the same for my 2nd.
3. The 1st child got the pillow at age 2 when we went to a traditional bed. I will do the same for my 2nd.
4. We still cover outlets. (My oldest is 3.) She doesn’t need it anymore. It is more for the baby. I think it depends on the child. You will know. My baby is into everything. She will need them until she is 21!
5. I used the baby monitor until she was 2. For me, it was about being in the crib. They couldn’t get me if something was really wrong!
6. My 1st was not good with stairs and we had the gates up until she was almost 2! My 2nd just ‘got it’ and I don’t remember when we stopped…It was somewhere around 14-15 months. I just have to make sure the dog or 3 year old isn’t running down the stairs with the baby around!!!! That is the big danger in our house.
I just try to watch what my kids can do! Both mine were/are so different. It really depends on the kid!
Here are my rough estimates!
Pacifier and pillow… age 3
Outlets … age 2 or 3
Baby monitors … age 4
Baby gates … age 3
my son is 20 months
Do you quit letting your child use the pacifier? still has pacifier for car, bed and tamper tantrums
Do you switch to a toddler bed? 18 months
Do you allow your child a pillow? not yet, but he does have stuffed animals
Do you quit covering outlets? nope
Do you quit using baby monitors when they are asleep? still have mine on
Do you quit using baby gates around stairs? no, stair but when in people house with stairs I don’t allow him to go up or down stairs alone
we took our son off the pacifier about a month after his first birthday i switched him to a toddler bed around the same time because he got his leg stuck between the bars one night and it scared the crap outta me, he is two and is still in his toddler bed and yes he uses a pillow i still have his outlets covered cause he is still really interested in them. he doesnt have a baby monitor in his room anymore and i stoped using the baby gates on the stairs when he was able to walk up and down them pretty good by himself
ok these are my answers hope it helps but everyone is different
1. my daughter 2 1/2 still has pacifier
2. my daughter still in crib but can move when child starts climbing out and risk of getting hurt.
3. can switch from crib to traditional bed it you would like but use the side rails
4. my daughter used a pillow very thin though from age 1
5. stop using the outlet covers when old enough to know to stay away
6. I still use a baby monitor so does my neighbor with her 3 yr old, so we can hear them call us.
7. Can stop using baby gates when they can successfully get up and down stairs with no probs
Pacifier,We took my Kids away around 3
Toddler bed,age one is a good start
Pillow,Age one to 1 and half for a reg size pillow
Always cover the out lets Keeps the outside air from coming in
Well I would say 5,I still have a set I use every night because I am a very heavy sleeper and my Husband works night and I have it right my my head so I can hear my kids,even though there older than 5.
Baby gates,I say around 3 .
My daughter is 2 years, 3 months.
Do you quit letting your child use the pacifier? She never took one. If she had I would have tried to give it up around 1 year.
Do you switch to a toddler bed? 15 months. We moved to a new house and she hated her crib here. I don’t know why, but the change to a toddler bed helped her sleep at night.
From a toddler bed to a traditional bed? 2 years
Do you allow your child a pillow? 15 months (when she moved to the toddler bed)
Do you quit covering outlets? still do. I left one uncovered for about half an hour (was vacuuming) and she tried to plug something in. They just get more curious!
Do you quit using baby monitors when they are asleep? still do, but I was thinking about stopping. She gets up and comes to my room if she needs something.
Do you quit using baby gates around stairs? we don’t have stairs, but did at the old house. I used them, and probably still would – never know when she might trip and fall.
Both my children never used pacifiers
My youngest 28 months still in crib, my oldest was 2 and half went straight to traditional bed
Yes my toddler uses a pillow when she turned 2
never removed the outlet covers that we put in for my 1st child yet, I feel safer you never know what they’ll try to do when they are feeling like exploring
Never used baby monitors I’m a light sleeper
Yes I have gates and probably will keep them until my little one is about 4 just to prevent any accidents.
Answers:
Let your child decide on the pacifier, my son is 2 and has one.
Toddler bed comes when they start to climb out of the crib!!
My son had a pillow when he could move around enough, so around 6 months, make sure it is flat and not too confining.
Quit covering outlets when you can explain to them about the dangers of electricity and they understand. I would say around 4 or 5.
I would quit the baby monitor around age 3, when you can trust them to have their door open at night and you know they won’t get into anything.
Baby gates at around 2 years old, depending on how well they manage walking up and down stairs and how dangerous they are.
The best advice to you is : USE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT because you know your child better than anyone!!!!!!!
I have 4 kids, ages 22,15,2 and 10 months and everyone of them is different. I have learned to just to make decisions on each one of them separately.
Good luck!!!