Way to Keep 2 Year Old Safe

I have a two year old, I have babyproofed the whole house. I shut the bedroom and bathroom, and lock the front door, then she can do what she likes

Our kids rooms were completely baby proof, I have years and years in child care so I know all the things to do. The shelves for the toys are attached to the walls, the shelves are fastened into the case with L brackets, the plugs have covers in them that are difficult to get out or they are behind the furniture, the closet has a doorknob protector on it so they can't get in there, and the curtain and blinds have no strings or parts the kids can get hurt on. I had a piece of smooth wood that slid into the opening behind the dresser (Solid wood and very heavy) and fit into the opening of the door on the other side. They could not knock it down, they could not climb over it, etc.... They were very safe. It's their room and should be a haven.

When they were very small I used a pack-n-play. They could see out the mesh sides and could scoot around and eventually pull up and stand.

When I wanted them in the room with me I used a baby corral. It was a Todays Kids and a wonderful friend had given it to me. The kids are older now and still love to go and put it together and play with the kitty, the penguin, and the cat in their little mazes. It also has a ball in the wall that spins, has a barn with sliding doors, a phone, all kinds of things to keep kids entertained. They sell for lots of money on ebay but the kids still like them so much that I can't get rid of it. I would put my Tommy Hilfiger quilt down on the floor and put the play yard on it, that way the floor was always clean when I moved the play yard and put it up.

I also fixed up a gate in the end of the long hallway when the kids were older and wanted to have more autonomy. All the doors were closed on this hallway. We had 2 long skinny pieces of wood on one wall to create a groove that went up and down and the piece of smooth wood was stored behind the edge of the piano. The wood was rotated and put into the groove and then the other end was behind the piano. They couldn't hurt the piano or the wood so it was safe. They could ride their little scooters, run a bit and play doing bigger motor activities. If I was in the living room or kitchen I could see them the whole time and they seemed to like it better when they could see me too. The wood was a piece of MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), I think, it was from Lowes and we had it cut to the size we wanted there.

Is the room reasonably childproofed? Are you leaving her alone for a long period of time or a short period of time? I have gates up in front of the rooms she cant go in (the storage room and my room) and everything else is reasonably childproofed, so she does her thing while I do mine.

My son's room has a baby gate at the door so he can't get out. It is the most childproofed room in the house, so if I'm going to shower or do something that takes more than just a minute, I leave him there. We had a play yard, but he was easily able to knock it down, or push it around, I would set it up in the living room and he would end up in the hall.

If its just for 10 minutes or so - he's fine on his own. He's 20 months and our house is used to kids. I have doorknob protectors on each door, we live in a single story house so no stairs to worry over, and I am usually able to hear what he's up to (If I am in the kitchen and he's in the living room.) I own a few baby gates if I really need to be sure he stays put, or if there is something I want to make sure he doesn't get in to. I have the classic kind that block off doorways.

If its something that needs focus of mine for hours, honestly I just wait until nap time or bedtime and do it then.

I've owned a pack n play in the past.. but I never used it as a place to put my kids when they weren't sleeping.

the baby yards can be pushed around & climbed over!

2 is the perfect time to teach them patience & obediance. & actually I'm surprised that this hasn't been an issue before! I can't imagine being together ALL of the time....time to teach some independence.

To aid in this, set up a puzzle or activity to keep her interested while you're out of the room. My little ones have this skill from early on! Good Luck!

I have used strollers and infant seats in the bathroom while I showered, did hair, and makeup. Sometimes I did makeup in the car while she was strapped into the back seat. When I vacuum, she has a little toy vacuum that she works around me. Babyyards are good. The people I've seen use them are large so they have a really large space in the living room or den. No coffee tables in the middle.

I would say most of our house was child proofed for our 2 year old. We had a lock on the toilet, but still kept that door closed at all times.

We also live in an older house so we have doors for every part of the house.

I could leave her alone for a couple of minutes anywhere in the house. If I was going to take a quick shower, I also placed her in her room. If I was doing laundry , out in the attached garage, I could throw a pile in the washer and a pile into the dryer and our daughter would have been fine anywhere in the house..

While cooking, depending on her behavior or needs, I could let her roam around, Or I placed her in her high chair and let her "help" .. I had child type cooking tools so she felt like she was helping. She was good at pulling grapes off of the stem. tearing up pieces of lettuce.. Attempting to spread butter on bread.. hee, hee.. you should have sen my husbands face with this adventure at dinner.. She knew mom had chores so she sometimes wanted to help and other times she had things to play with or, I could pop in a video for a few minutes to keep her attention.

I childproofed the house and put gates up/closed doors to keep them somewhat contained. This way they can do their own thing and learn to play without you in the room, and you can do your thing too.

how long will you be gone and how far away will you be going? Why can't you just leave her in the room to play? if she needs you she can come find you. she is old enough to stay by herself in a room for a few minutes. What kind of dangerous things would she be getting into?

We had a room turn into a playroom.....you could use the hallway or something but we used baby gates to help set the boundaries. Could not have lived without the playroom (child proof room and baby gates).

At some point you have to start letting her be alone for short periods in a safe room. Make sure your house is as safe as you can get it. Get on your knees and crawl around each room and look for dangers. I think at 2 she is ready to have a little more freedom.

My daughter is almost 2 and here is what I have done...My dd is VERY active and an extreme climber. I have totally toddler proofed her room, well as much as humanly possible. I have removed any and all things that could be dangerous. I have used the outlet covers for safety. Thankfully, my dd usually doesn't fall when climbing so I have left the rocking chair and her little rocking chair in her room. I do still continuously leave the baby monitor on in her room. That way, I can be in the living room and still hear what is going on. I also periodically sneak peeks as to what she is up to. She has toys, blocks and music so she is usually good. When she wants something, she comes out to the kitchen or the living room to get me. It helps me get dishes done or other housework. We do have two baby gates that we use. We also close the bathroom and our bedroom doors. Hope this helps.