Locked doors are a must. Let’s start there because it’s easy. Is it though? In today’s society, the risks are too great to simply lock one door and call your security impenetrable. When there are kids in the mix though, double-checking safety is always a must.
I could suggest you look up “children getting through child locks” and that would answer your question in real-time, alarming cuteness, that is if you find babies breaking through safety barriers cute. Personally, I find it adorably anxiety-inducing and a huge red flag to double-check my own child lock methods of choice. As a mother and a sex worker, the dangers of not enforcing secure privacy between parenting boundaries and home office boundaries are all too clear.
Theoretically, when having a child, one would have a safety network of trusted people that would be your child’s emergency contact, but life doesn’t always work out perfectly that way. These tips work whether you have friends, family, or nobody at all. Your dependent’s safety is of the utmost concern, so you’re doing everything in your power to keep that safety protected.
These tools are flexible and can work with limited budgets too, but a quick online browse can also reveal fancy equipment for the more expansive budgets and stricter safety requirements. Extra door locks, baby monitors, and separate dedicated workspaces are vital to surviving and thriving. On a tighter budget, bolted door locks are available at Walmart and online for under $10, but do require tools to install. Baby monitors can be found as cheap as under $20, or even under $5 if found at a consignment sale or thrift shop, and require no tools to install. Child and pet locks, and other related safety gear, can often be found seriously discounted in abundance at infant and child consignment sales. They’re a high demand item that has a quick technology improvement rate with a quick turnover for use time due to how quickly children and pets grow out of these things.
Setting up a dedicated work area that is inaccessible to any minors is crucial. This is important no matter what budget or the number of dependents in your home. This space could be anywhere in your home that minors cannot and do not access during your working hours.
Personally, I’ve had to utilize bedrooms, bathrooms, living room couches, kitchens, and private backyards when appropriate given my living situation at the time. This could have been due to a shared home, co-sleeping with a breastfeeding infant, or moving into and out of apartments and similar shared living arrangements. The key in making this work is to make sure you’re working around the minor’s schedule and staying consistent. This will look unique for every living situation, each child, and every caregiver. In multiple parent homes, this could look like one adult working in a locked, private room, while everyone else goes about normal life elsewhere in the home at a polite volume. In single-parent homes, this could look like only working during naps, school hours, or after bedtime. With access to childcare or school hours, this could mean restricting work to only during those time slots when the child is away with other caregivers. It involves a lot of micromanaging and working even when you feel exhausted, like every other working parent out there, but with a few more locked doors.
Speaking of locks, keep all tools of the trade locked up. Stash it in a closet or under the bed, or go crazy and get creative with how you lock up your toys and tools of the trade. Unlike children, it’s not illegal to deadbolt vibrators and dildos in a closet for safety. I employ a locked drawer, a lockable toolbox, and bolted closets in my home office, which also has a lockable door. The key thing here is that all of the adult products are what is locked up- not the minors.
Do not use locks on your child’s room. Locking a child’s door is a fire hazard and illegal. If there are other problems that require locking your child, then a visit with their doctor and googling your state laws on child safety would be recommended. For child safety, knob covers and baby monitors are considered safe and do not present fire hazards when used properly.
Use your best discretion when choosing which safety features are right for your family and home. Sometimes it requires trying one option or two before you find the right fit, but the peace of mind is worth it.
Safety is priceless.