No matter what the item is people always want to buy the best especially when it comes to the safety of their children. But as true as this might be sometimes choosing the best is easier said than done. For example a few weeks before my oldest son was born I decided it was as good a time as any to buy and install a child proof cabinet lock for our kitchen cabinets. Like most people we keep all kinds of chemical cleaners and other unfriendly products under our kitchen sink. We also keep our larger glass baking dishes in a lower cabinet which might not be as obvious a danger as cleaners but these could turn into a real hazard if one were to be pulled from cabinet and broken.

Child Proof Cabinet Lock – Which Ones Really Work?

I knew from the very beginning that I didn’t want any of the locks that were used on the outside of the cabinets. For one I just didn’t like the way they made the cabinets look. Secondly, I felt there where major disadvantages to the two main types available. One type which is attached with a two sided adhesive tape I felt would eventually pull off the cabinets making them completely ineffective as a safety device. And if you ever read any of the reviews this is actually one of the biggest complaints with this type. Plus if I ever decided to remove them there would always be a sticky residue left on the cabinet.

Then there’s the second type of outside lock which fits around the handles on the cabinet doors. All I can say about these is watch this video.

Beside the fact that the lock quickly pulls off you will notice the child could easily fit his arm into the cabinet. Even extremely young kids are very smart. I am sure just about any child given enough chances could easily figure out how to remove something from a cabinet with this style of lock. Even when it is working correctly.

Another Child Proof Cabinet Lock To Consider

So after eliminating the previous two kinds of child proof cabinet lock from the list I seriously considered buying the flexible plastic hook design. These are the kind that are installed on the inside of the door or drawer. The way they work is by allowing the door to open just wide enough for you to reach in and push the hook down which unlocks the cabinet. Simple and easy just the way I like it. Plus just about every brand of this design was rated four stars on the reviews at Amazon, so these were obviously very good locks. Ah, but then I saw a video like this one…

Luckily I had not purchased the hook locks yet or I would have returned them. So here I was back to square one.

The Best Child Proof Cabinet Lock!

Now you’re probably wondering what type of cabinet lock I ended up buying since it seems that so many “child proof locks” are anything but. Well at this point the decision was easy it was going to have to be the magnetic locks. The brand I chose is the Tot Loc by Safety 1^st and I can say without a doubt this is one of if not the best child proof lock on the market. When Locked they do not allow the cabinet doors to open in any way. So there is no way anyone is getting in a cabinet with this lock unless they have the magnetic key or a pry bar. To see how they are installed watch this next video. But if you want to see exactly how good the locks are skip to 5 minute 51 second mark to see the lock in action.

As you can see the Tot Loc is awesome and is truly a child proof cabinet lock. But if you didn’t watch all of the video you missed a few good features you should know about. The locks magnetic key can be stored on the refrigerator out of reach of little hands. Also that it comes with a built in switch that allows you to disable the lock. This comes in handing when you are getting in and out of the same cabinet over and over. It is also great for grandparents and babysitters that don’t always have children around but occasionally need cabinet locks.

For those that are afraid that the lock will scratch the cabinet don’t worry. We have had our locks for more than four years and you can’t see any evidence of scratching.

Where To Get Your Lock

We purchased our lock set online and even ordered an extra magnetic key in case we ever lost the original.

I have tried to make this article as helpful as possible for those looking for a child proof cabinet lock. With two small children of my own I know first hand how hard it can be to make the few things in this world you do have control over safe for you kids. Thank you for reading and keep those little ones safe.

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