Drawer and cupboard locks - none fit, nightmare!!

[csherr80]

Hi

So I have my Ofsted inspection on 4th June and I am pulling my hair out about home safety! I have been told by the lady who did my home safety check that I need to have drawer and cupboard locks in my kitchen.

I bought four lidam lockable safety catches and they don't fit so I bought some cheap self adhesive locks and they don't blooming fit either!

The problem is our kitchen drawers are very shallow and we have over hanging worktop. The lindam ones are ok but impossible to open one handed (my husband only has one arm) and as we rent the property I can't have screw holes in the cabinets.

Clippasafe adhesive ones - well they go on, sort of but in order to close the drawer you have to squeeze the prongs together and unless you have the smallest hand in the world you cannot get your hand in to squeeze the prongs and shut the drawers.

I am tearing my hair out now. I have two lots of locks, none of which are any good and I cannot afford to buy any more

HELp!!

[JCrakers]

I had a new kitchen fitted 3 yrs ago and I was damned if I was going to put cupboard locks on it.... Lol


I have a gate which closes off the kitchen...is this an option instead? Esp with the problems your hubbie will encounter by opening the locks

[AliceK]

I have 1 cupboard lock on the cupboard under the sink and that's it. I don't see why I need cupboard locks or drawer locks, the children never play unattended in the kitchen and TBH it would drive me mad if I had locks on them all. Ofsted have never said anything about it to me. I do though have a gate on my kitchen, it's actually to keep the dogs in but also useful for keeping children out .

xxxx

[JulieA]

I just close the door to the kitchen and they are only allowed in under supervision. Ofsted happy with that.

[Tinkerbell1979]

I use a safety gate and no cupboard/draw locks. OFSTED where happy with this

[Kirstylob]

I don't have any locks, a kitchen door - its a big archway or a stairgate. Ofsted have never commented on it.

[Tazmin68]

I have mAgnetic cupboard lock for under sink only, gate on door.

[csherr80]

Thank you everyone

Panic over! I can shut the kitchen door and the children wont be allowed in the kitchen unattended. May keep an eye out for a cheap gate to go on just in case. I have 2 children of my own, aged 6.5 and 3 and I have never used cupboard/drawer locks. They know they aren't allowed in the drawers and its never been a problem.

Fingers crossed Ofsted are happy with that.

[caz3007]

I only have a lock on the one under the sink and one with glasses in. But no one has ever tried to open the cupboards as they are never in the kitchen unsupervised anyway as have have a gate up

[nikkiv]

I have a gate at the kitchen door I have a lock on the cleaning cupboard for piece of mind with my son and that was it! Kitchen is out of bounds and Ofsted were round last week and they were more than happy with it!

[jellybellys]

I've no cupboard or drawer locks. Have up with them as kids broke and dismantled them! They know they're not allowed in my cupboards or drawers except the Tupperware drawer. Never had any probs since binning the locks. All my cleaning stuff is in the top wall cupboard where they can't get them so all good

[clareelizabeth1]

I've just got a bolt on kitchen door. Although that is more to keep dogs in than children out.

[blue bear]

I have never had them, all the cupboards the children can reach only have stuff on the children can't hurt themselves with. Everything else is up high.

[kellib]

I had them but they fell off pretty quickly and I never replaced them.

I'm not a fan of all this child proofing, whatever happened to children just being told not to touch things?

[supermumy]

I had a new kitchen just before ofsted came last time I had no locks on my cupboard just the one under my sink with bleach in and my safety gate which I feel is good enough and ofsted didn't say anything

I not am not a fan with all this child proofing a child needs to learn about danger and learn when not to touch things ! Child proofing to me is like telling a child in a sweet shop not to touch

[Mrs Scrubbit]

It will depend on how you wish your kitchen area to be used I think. I have a large kitcnen and want it safe at all times so that the children can freely engage in 'messy play' activies, as the flooring can be quickly cleaned (and I don't have a playroom) so I have always had very discrete locks on all my units, this brings me peace of mind knowing the children are safe to 'come and go' as they please xx

[adedwards68]

I think you just have to prove to ofsted how you will make it self eg shut the door, use a stargate

[bunyip]

I don't trust drawer locks at all. Since most kitchen fittings are made from laminate over chipboard, they can easily be ripped loose, screws and all (and I actually tested this when we fitted a new unit.) Aside from that, I have a 3yo who knows how to unlock most of these 'safety' devices already.

Keep all the hazardous products (bleach, other cleaning products) in high-level units, and get anything sharp (like steak knives) out of the cutlery drawer and into a knife rack or similar, again out of reach.

[angeldelight]

I don't trust drawer locks at all. Since most kitchen fittings are made from laminate over chipboard, they can easily be ripped loose, screws and all (and I actually tested this when we fitted a new unit.) Aside from that, I have a 3yo who knows how to unlock most of these 'safety' devices already.

Keep all the hazardous products (bleach, other cleaning products) in high-level units, and get anything sharp (like steak knives) out of the cutlery drawer and into a knife rack or similar, again out of reach.

Same here

Never used them

Angel xx

[oxfordshirecm]

Never used them either - the children are not allowed in the kitchen unless supervised