Motherhood tricked me. My firstborn was easy; smart, developmentally ahead of the curve, loved to learn, and (almost) always listened. I thought it was me; that I was just such a great Mom to produce such a good kid, but spoiler alert… it was First Time Mom Syndrome. The only cure for First Time Mom Syndrome is, you guessed it, having another child. My FTMS ended super quickly when I had twins. Twins who have their own agenda, would gladly be raised by a pack of coyotes or bears, and who don’t care about a single rule, regulation, or consequence. These strong-willed, curious, and fearless boys have been giving me a run for my money since the glorious day they were born.
The Problem: Safety
At three-and-a-half, they each have varying degrees of developmental delay and diagnoses that have constantly keep my definition of Motherhood evolving. Suddenly, a decade into Mothering, I was faced with new challenges; IEPs, therapies, and safety. My youngest has learned to scale gates, unlatch cabinet and drawer safety latches, and most recently, how to unlock locks and deadbolts. This same child often wakes up in the middle of the night. When you have a fearless child, you, as a mother, soak up all that extra fear and anxiety. Sleep was becoming almost impossible, I was terrified that I would fall into a too-deep sleep to hear him get up. What if he opens the door? What if he goes outside? He could end up anywhere. Those were the thoughts that kept me up at night. The resulting bags under my eyes were not a good look.
The Solution: Door Guardian
I googled and searched to find a solution. An extra deadbolt at the top of the door? Our exterior doors are steel so that’s a no-go. Same for latches and slide locks. I have also seen, on more than one occasion, my determined tike ripped a hook and latch lock right out of the wall when trying to open a basement door (true story). Then I had the chance to try The Door Guardian. It is a simple locking mechanism that attaches to the top of the door (in-swing or out-swing) with the help of two screws and some included trusty 3M strips. You pop out the “key” and slide open the lock to be able to open the door. It makes me feel even safer to know it is a two-step process to unlock the Door Guardian. (Just in case my nearly-feral children figure out how to reach up to the lock by stacking toys on top of each other like a cartoon, they still wouldn’t be able to open it).
It was a super easy and quick install; if I can do it then literally anyone can. (Pro-Tip: attach the door piece first, then the door frame piece so they line up correctly.) It is also pretty discrete, which honestly wasn’t on the top of my wishlist when searching for a safety product, but was a nice surprise. It comes in white, which blends right in with my door, unlike an added deadbolt or alternative lock. My little guy was pretty frustrated when his newfound unlocking talents didn’t result in the door opening and I finally got a little relief from the constant worries about his safety at night. Both my exterior doors are now fitted with The Door Guardian in-swing door lock and my little Houdini is staying put- even if I am sleeping (peacefully), using the bathroom, or unloading the dishwasher. The Door Guardian is my personal favorite item of 2020 thus far, and the first thing I did after installing it? Order more.
Under the brand name Door Guardian, our Door Guardian, Patio Guardian, and 3M Stick on Safety Lock are simple to install and easy to use safety solutions giving peace of mind to you and your family. Our research and development team is working continuously to develop unique and innovative safety products to keep you and your family safe and secure. To see a full list of our products, click here, and to learn more about where to buy them, or to stock them in your store, click here.
