Help! My Son Has Figured Out How to Turn on the Dishwasher

Can you unplug it? I know they usually give up doing something like that once they aren't getting a reaction from mom anymore. :)

Safety First makes several types of locks. You can go to their website and see them. They also make a lock for the stove. I have one for my dishwasher that works great. My washer has a lever that has to be engaged to lock the door and start the cycle. I put it in the unlock position and click the safety lock shut. That way, even if the little ones push buttons or turn the on knob, it will not start.

Have you tried onestepahead.com? THey have the coolest "gadgets" for babies and kids!

Chrissy

I'd just turn off the electricity to the dishwasher. That way, he'd push buttons all he wanted, but nothing exciting would result. The power switch for our dishwasher is located underneath our kitchen sink. And it is easy to find child-proof cupboard latches.

This phase won't last forever, and in a couple years the obsessions will be with more mom-approved things.

Maybe you could give him a big cardboard box with a pot and lid inside, so when he goes in the kitchen he has something exciting and noise-making to play with. My mom had a bottom drawer that my little brother was allowed to open up, drag everything out of, and sit in. I think she has a photo somewhere of him in the drawer. LOL

Hi J.,
A quick slight switch on the hand with a very small switch/stick and a smiling face that says "no" will cure him in a hurry. He will think the diswasher did it because Mom was so pleasant about all of it. Blessings, L.

Say "NO" like you mean it. And then take him out of the kitchen and give him something else to fiddle with. After a few times he'll get the picture and will move on to something else more annoying.

You can't babyproof his life away...at some point he'll need to know what is OK to play with and what is not. Especially if you plan to take him to grandmas, friends or other relatives. GL!!

Go to Leaps and Bounds or One Step Ahead online and see as they offer a large variety of safety locks and things for little ones. I believe they have a lock for the dishwasher.

I suggest if possible babygate your kitchen off entirely. That way you needn't micormanage and if he is messing with the baby gate you will hear that first before he gets to the dishwasher.

If he is that fast and goes to it, be stern with him, face to face telling him NO TOUCH!!! It will take like 20 times but he will get it eventually too. Do not let him head that way, redirect him every single time if you cannot baby gate off the kitchen.
If he does it, pick him up and set him in a playpen or somewhere else for a minute. It is so important at this age they learn to listen to you on these things as now is the time they will test everything, climb and get into things potentially hazardous. Just takes consistency.

We had the same problem. We did purchase a dishwasher latch from either Wal-Mart or Babies R Us for it. It almost looks like a seat belt. It may have been something for the fridge.
The best thing we did is; my husband put it on a switch (like a light switch) so when the dishwasher didn't need to be ran we turned the switch off. (Hence, the baby can turn the dial all he wants but nothing happens.) He just put it under the sink which was locked with child proof locks so my kids couldn't get to it.

we found a great refrigerator lock a few years ago that had two pieces that stuck to the fridge with a strong adhesive and kind of buckled together. the adhesive later came off fine with soapy water when we were finished with it. something like that might work for the dishwasher too. as far as keeping him from pushing the buttons, though, i have no idea.

I wonder if it's on it's own circuit on the breaker box. Would be pretty annoying, but you could switch off the breaker when you're not using it.