My son is 9 months old and had just gotten the hang of crawling. His favorite thing to do now is chew on any cord he can find. Most of them can be put up and out of his reach, but what do I do for the ones that I cannot move? I have some speaker cords that run along side the patio door. They were tucked under the carpet, but he got them out and constantly goes over there to chew. I pick him up and put him away with a toy to distract and he is right back at the cords. Any ideas? Should I put him in a pack and play?
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A.,
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At this point, I wouldn't use a pack and play unless you have to leave the room. He's just getting to know his world and explore it - I'd feel bad taking that excitement away from him.
Good luck,
T.
Another cheap solution is duct tape. Not pretty but it can keep the cords out of harms way.
Keep distracting. Move him to a totally other area.... give him something to chew on
My 9 month-old daughter likes straps and shoes....ewwww.... LOL
I think the easiest thing to do is to get a plastic conduit for the cords. They're narrow for speaker cords and they sell them at Home Depot in long tubes of about 5 feet or so. You cut them to the length that you need and I believe there is an adhesive on one side to attach it to the floor or baseboard. We have them all over the house. Good luck!
Some cords are actually not that big of a deal - such as speaker cords, or the ones that plug in small electronics (those with the large "wall wart" adapters). The thinner wires run almost no current, and would give him an annoying "buzz" in his mouth, but nothing more. Ever remember licking a 9 volt battery when you were younger? That's the WORST it can get.
The ones that plug in regular AC appliances are the concern, such as TVs, lights, etc. are the real concern. Phone wires can also be a little jolting, but not fatal. I would consider wiping the wires in something nasty tasting, such as that "green apple" stuff that's used to prevent thumb sucking, or anything else you can find that just says "yuck" but isn't a food product/juice that can attract bugs. It's got to stay yucky after it's dried off. Dishwashing soap will also work.
BTW: we used to have a problem with our cats chewing the phone cords, but they grew out of it. Turns out that some cords are made with corn and soy products, and that cats were going for the taste.
Oh...I know it's a pain...but exploring IS part of their learning process! I don't know if you can do anything with your speaker cords - would those hollow plastic coil pipes that you tuck electrical cords into be of any benefit?? I can't remember where I got mine from - Target or Walmart or Home Depot might sell them, they are like a hose coil, split lengthwise, Circuit City might even have them. I have bought a few baby proofing products from Leaps and Bounds - I especially like the stove knob covers for front knobs and the panel which sticks to the stove top front so they can't pull the pot handles off the stove...only thing is the double sided sticky tape only lasts maybe 6mths because of the heat..you can get replacement tape but their tape must be heavy duty...normal double sided tape doesn't hold. Your little guy might not be at that stage yet. Mine doesn't fool with the stove anyway - thank goodness!
Hang in there...wait till he's fully walking!!!
