My child is an eloper which I was told by another parent of an autistic child. That means she will wander off down the road and just keep going. She has little safety awareness nor that fear that most children have of being away from their parents. So I have to keep our home as Fort Knox so she cannot get hurt or get lost. Over the years, I have used many products and this is one that we started with. This item also helped keep my daughter out of rooms in the house where she should not be....out of the bathroom so she would not play in the toilet water when she was in diapers...out of the laundry room to keep her away from the cleansers. I was a little frustrated and shocked when the occupational therapist started teaching her to open doors...this struck fear in my heart that my daughter could get lost. I got over and purchased extra door knob covers to take with us on trips to other people's houses.
You can find these doorknob covers in packs of two or three. A few times I had trouble finding them in local stores and needed to order online. Walmart had only ONE pack, a local baby clothing store had ONE pack, the dollar store said they usually stocked them but were out when I was needing a pack. I had friends and family on the lookout before I realized that I could order them online! They come in cardboard sleeves with a clear plastic package so you can see the covers inside. I usually found them in the baby section of course, hanging on an end aisle. Look near the baby nail clippers or bottles. They are not that expensive at under $5.00 a pack. A great gift for anyone with a new baby! I always try to include a safety product in my baby gifts.
What do they look like? They are white plastic, a little bigger than a doorknob. You will see two pieces on the sides that you push in to grab the doorknob and open it. They fit most any doorknob, I never had issues with them fitting doorknobs at a variety of places. The only bad thing is those doors that have the handles that push down to open--there is no doorknob cover to prevent a child from getting lost for those! In an emergency situation, someone cut open a tennis ball and placed that on the doorknob since I did not have the doorknob covers with me. These covers come in two pieces--to open just pull apart, to put on the doorknob, snap the two pieces together around the doorknob.
The Safety 1st logo should face outward away from the door. You can tell if the covers are on right just by looking at it. If the covers are not lined up appropiately or not snapped into place, there will be gaps in the plastic.
Once on, you should be able to spin the doorknob cover freely. So when a child tries to leave in the middle of the night when everyone is sleeping, the doorknob cover will only spin around the doorknob. Adults can easily push in the two tabs (one on each side of the cover) and open the door. It does take some getting used to. But you will be a pro in no time! I have had different servicemen get very frustrated by them and not be able to open the door. Just squeeze the tabs down and hold while turning the doorknob.
I really liked this safety device as no one had to remember to engage it again, it automatically engages once you let go of the tabs on the cover. I have always had issues with people coming over and disengaging safety devices and then forgetting to engage them again. With this one, I had no problem as it stayed in place and engaged no matter how many people used it. It is very sturdy and not easily broken. I know this for a fact as once my daughter was older, she started hitting it with items to break it open. The doorknob cover would pop off but never break into pieces! It lasted years though before she was able to do that! I did find the doorknob covers to look dingy after a while, they are washable but looked off-white after long time use. I also loved that this safety device was so portable, small enough to pop in our suitcase or overnight bag and take up little room. I would recommend for anyone with a small child who knows no danger or special needs children who will wander away. An inexpensive safety device to keep your child safe!
Other safety items that I have reviewed, click on each to find out what it is and what it does:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Lid_Lok_Toilet_Safety_Latch/content_416433409668
http://www.epinions.com/review/Fridge_Guard_by_Parent_Units_White/content_416431246980
http://www.epinions.com/review/Safe_Lok_Cabinet_and_Drawer_Locks/content_416430591620
http://www.epinions.com/review/Kid_Safe_Door_Alarm_Monitor/content_416428166788
http://www.epinions.com/review/16_Kidsafe_Driveway_Guard/content_416424365700
http://www.epinions.com/review/Ionkids_Child_Monitoring_System_Starter_Kit/content_416308629124
http://www.epinions.com/review/Mommy_s_Helper_Kid_Keeper_Safety_Harness/content_416309350020
http://www.epinions.com/review/Beddiebye_Zip_Around_Safety_Blanket_Small_Microfleece/content_416436162180
http://www.epinions.com/content_424111410820
What is so good about THIS item?
Prevents children from opening door, works well, portable, sturdy, automatically engages once used
What is unique about this item?
Keeps children from opening doors.
Is it worth the price?
Yes, a wonderful safety device.
There has to be some bad to this item, right?
Some grownups may get frustrated.
Any warnings people should be aware of?
Older children can hit it and break it off of the doorknob .
Final verdict:
A wonderful safety device product for young children and special needs children. Inexpensive and vital way to protect children!
pablo the safe
When you're safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you're having an adventure you wish you were safe at home. Thornton Wilder 
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