Babyproofing Bookcases

Both of the other suggestions are great. What we did was remove good books from the bottom shelves and put either my daughters board books or some small toys down there. As she has gotten older we have started to put some things under the entertainment center that she is not allowed to touch. After telling her several times that she is not allowed to play with those things, she has gone back to playing with her own toys and books. What ever you choose to do, patience is the key.

Pick your battles, we only have stuff that our 18 months old can touch on his level(otherwise I would be telling him no all day long:))

I agree with some of the others... make that his space. Toys and books. In our house we have 3 small/medium baskets. 1 for books, 1 for toys and 1 for wood blocks. We have strongly told grandparents/family members that is the only spot for toys... more than that then we have to donate to charity. So far, it has really helped us keep a neat play area and our son is not overwhemled and tripping over a plethora of toys.

YES YES YES YES YES!!!!! Both of my kids did that and actually my 2 year old still does on occasion. When my oldest started I looked at the books we had and figured out which ones we no longer needed or wanted and donated them to the library. When the bottom 2 shelves were clear I filled them up with HIS books.

I would go through your house and make it safe and touch-able for your little guy. Your life will be MUCH more peaceful! Your house may not look perfectly put-together, but you'll be able to sit down with coffee or do some chores without worrying about your son destroying your things. Plus, it's probably not much fun for him to hear "No" constantly.
I agree with the other posts about putting his things on the bottom shelves of your bookcase. You could use nice looking lined baskets..I know Michaels has them pretty cheap and they look just like the expensive ones from Pottery Barn. If there's an available corner or room in your house, set up a playroom with all his toys and steer him in there when he's tearing up your stuff. Also, rotate the toys in there to keep his interest. I try to rotate my kids things once every couple weeks, that way it's like they're getting new toys.
And keep reminding yourself that he's learning through his curiousity. Every new thing he discovers actually helps his little brain develop!!

A. you have gotten lots of advice here, all of it has good points.

I am mother of 5 children all young adults now, I am also a home daycare provider. We have 2 bookshelves in our livingroom, which is where my daycare kids play. Also at any given time there are 3 or 4 paperbacks in the process of being read on the end tables.

My daycare kiddies range in age from 1 to 8 years of age with the majority being in the 2-3 old age range. I have taught all of them not to take books off the shelves without asking. If they treat my books with respect I let any of them sit with the books and look at the pages.

Teaching little ones how to treat a book even at 9mo. of age will teach them to enjoy books as they get older.

Try sitting down and reading a pretend story from a grown up book and saying only when mommy or daddy has time to sit and read with you can we get a book from mommy's shelf.

I was never big on putting everything I owned away so that my kids did net mess with it. I just taught them from the time they were old enough to touch, to not touch.

I have to say, I'm with Anita on this one.

Sure, you can remove all the adult content and put his books and baskets of his toys on the bottom shelf, but unless you *need* to use those shelves to store his toys, I think you're passing up a golden opportunity for learning here. The best way to 'babyproof' a book case is to teach the baby not to touch the contents.

I have shelves full of knick-knacks, photos and DVDs right down to the floor in my living room and I taught DD #1 (now 4 1/2) and we're working with DD #2 (now 11 months) that the stuff on those shelves is off limits. (I learned this was possible by seeing my older sister's kids learn it - they are now 10, 8 & 6) Remember, a baby as young as 6 months can learn to do or *not do* certain things, and that babies/toddlers can understand us much earlier than they can communicate *back* to us through talking.

I never used the term 'No' with my babies (until DD #1 was at least 18 months and talking - she learned it from daycare.) I say "Not for Lydia" for the things my baby can't touch and I immediately redirect to a suitable toy with emphasis "*This* is for Lydia."

Yes, you will repeat it a LOT at first, but my daughters learned some boundaries early on and the phrase worked well for many occasions - baby on your lap, reaching for your drink/knife/fork/etc? -over at a friend or relative's house not 'dumbed down' for babies? -at a restaurant/ church/ hotel/ public building? It has saved my Christmas tree ornaments, the dog's water and food bowls, my photo frames & books and I'm sure countless other stuff over the years.

If you choose to make all the space full of his toys now, at what point do you start to make some boundaries for him? You will also never be able to relax at someone else's house unless they have similarly 'dumbed down' their shelves - you will need to constantly be alert to keep him from trashing their stuff.

Also, I am a huge reader and my house is *full* of books, there are shelves/baskets in each room of the house (except the bathrooms & dining room. =) The baby's room also has a wicker basket on the floor for her board books, so she can get them easily. I demonstrated being 'gentle' with books just like I demonstrated how to be 'gentle' with the dog. My books were 'not for [baby name]' and I redirected to her own books with '*this* is for [baby name]' (The repetition of her name really seemed to help with recognition that I was talking to her.)

As my DD #1 got older, we let her 'read' the magazines we were done with and the glossy circulars and 'magazine' in the paper every weekend. She loved looking at the pictures and pretending to read 'like big people', and she also learned how to handle the pages so as not to rip them.

HTH and Good Luck!

A.,
Have you thought about putting his books on the shelves so he can read them and not destroy yours.