[ScrapIron]

Okay- so my second child is about to start crawling (can't wait really) and the hi-fi equipment is downstairs on a Archtype rack. We're talking B&K pre-amp/amp, Pioneer DV45-a DVD, Shunyata power cables, Transparent ICs and speaker cables, Boston Acoustics Reference bookshelf speakers on stands. All available for little hands.

Upstairs is my headphone rig- tucked away from the "dangers". My question is do I pack everything up for the next few years or sell it now and replace it then?

Thanks-
Skot

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScrapIron Okay- so my second child is about to start crawling (can't wait really) and the hi-fi equipment is downstairs on a Archtype rack. We're talking B&K pre-amp/amp, Pioneer DV45-a DVD, Shunyata power cables, Transparent ICs and speaker cables, Boston Acoustics Reference bookshelf speakers on stands. All available for little hands. Upstairs is my headphone rig- tucked away from the "dangers". My question is do I pack everything up for the next few years or sell it now and replace it then? Thanks- Skot

Do what I did - put it on a desk. He can't reach up there - not yet!

 

[Born2bwire]

Step 1: Incase toddler in bubble wrap.
Step 2: Repeat as necessary.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn Do what I did - put it on a desk. He can't reach up there - not yet!

My family was one of climbers so be wary of your toddlers when they reach such a stage as even the most seemingly out of reach items are within their clutches. Case in point, ask my parents about the time I dumped a mug of freshly brewed coffee all over my face and neck (I still have a patch where no beard will grow).

 

[Bunnyears]

It's a real dilemma! When our oldest was about a year old, my father-in-law gave us a sony betamax (yeah, she's 25 now) to film sports events for him (he lived in South America). My husband customized the tv cabinet with lucite panels that we padlocked shut. didn't matter, by the time she was 2 1/2, she found the key unlocked the front panel and "cleaned" the whole unit with baby powder. What a repair bill, and I had just given birth to her sister! The important thing is to put anything of value on high shelves away from curious hands and to secure wires and outlets so that they can't explore those in any way. Despite my miserable experience, we were able to baby proof everything else, including the betamax when we got it back from sony repairs (it worked fine for the next two years, then we replaced it with a newer less expensive machine). Just ask your pediatrician about advice on babyproofing, and I'm sure he will have as much literature on hand as mine did. Baby safety is a very big topic at the offices.

 

[RYCeT]

It just remind me of my neighbour's sons. They found many small stuff inside their VHS player

 

[KYTGuy]

Just a hint about babyproofing...do it early, and when they are certainly not going to be able to observe...

When we became aware that we needed to babyproof, the dear daughter had opened the refrigerator and taken out the Hawaiian Punch concentrate and .....well we were getting ready to go to a wedding of friends, and were in the master bath...when the little darling came in to see us, she had already opened up the syrup, and poured it into the nearly new white belgian rug in the living room, tracked it around, and filled the compression wells around the feet of the furniture, and tracked it into and out of the Kitchen, and finally to the bathroom.....oh yeah, she was dressed already in a really cute lacy white number...needless to say, we ended up with some denim coveralls and shirt for her, and got to the wedding late!

So I went to the hardware store, and got the cabinet locks that that looked best to me, and then spent a day installing them in all the important places...little darlin' watched me put them in, and test their efficacy on each and every cabinet, drawer, and door...then she demonstrated how they work better at locking adults out than kids!

Sheesh! Never did get all the stains out, but Resolve was the best at the time, leaving only the deepwells around the furniture feet pink.

 

[Bunnyears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYTGuy she had already opened up the syrup, and poured it into the nearly new white belgian rug in the living room, tracked it around, and filled the compression wells around the feet of the furniture, and tracked it into and out of the Kitchen, and finally to the bathroom.....oh yeah, she was dressed already in a really cute lacy white number...

That's as good as the tricks that my daughters got up to (especially drawing on the wall with crayons and my brand new designer lipstick which meant repainting the livingroom). I kept the carpets rolled up in storage for 5 years to avoid what happened to you. A white carpet or anything white with kids? You are brave. My husband tells the story of his mother's white furniture and how that lasted about a month between his tricks and his sister's. He wouldn't let me get anything white or off white when the girls were young. He knew even if I didn't.

 

[Todd R]

If training the young ones not to touch "daddy's toys" does not seem to work out, buy a baby gate..........for your system!
I've heard it works well to fence off your stuff.

My twins were watched very carefully when they were toddlers and trained (under penalty of spank!

) to not ever, ever touch my stuff.
We got through it fine with no accidents.

When they get a little older you can teach them how to load a CD. They feel like very important and proud "big boys" when they are allowed to operate the system.

They are now 13 and now, and know how to properly put on an LP.
(the original version of a remote control)

 

[zowie]

move away

 

[Bunnyears]

Did I mention that one of my daughters decided to polish the parquet with vaseline and I needed to get the floor refinished in order to make it safe to walk in the room? Protecting the stereo equipment was the least of the problems.

 

[zowie]

did i mention one of my sons wanted to play records on my scout and in 5 sec demolished a brand new cartridge

 

[Jahn]

oh boy. toddling age is going to rule isn't it?

 

[Edwood]

You are all scaring me.

-Ed

 

[elrod-tom]

I'm thinking that so long as you make it clear that your child is NEVER to touch daddy's stuff, I'm thinking you'll be OK. I've had two toddlers and never had a real problem with it. The one thing that we did was put things in front of the speakers (they were on stands) and attach the speakers to the stands with straps. That way if they ever tipped over they wouldn't fall in an awkward way (safer for the child AND the speaker).

 

[skullguise]

Gating and putting a cover (the plexiglass, or enclose it in a rack that had a door). Put a baby-proof latch at the top.

That said, I couldn't do that with my 2A3 mono amps, nor my Pathos Twin towers amp, both with tubes and/or sharp and hot heatsinks exposed.

But my son has a good respect for my equipment, and we were lucky we didn't have to resort to any physical restraint, electric cattle prods, shock collars, etc.