9 Tips for Keeping Glass Cabinets Safe in Homes with Small Children

Glass cabinets are a great way to display precious items. But they're fragile. Here are a few simple tips to help keep your displays safe with kids at home.

There are a lot of steps parents need to take in order to child-proof their homes. Safeguarding children from all things glass is one of the first priorities.

But what about glass cabinets? Those aren't as easy to move up to a high shelf, and most of us store valuable things inside those beautiful cabinets displays.

Don't fret! There are ways to have the best of both worlds.

Keep reading to learn how to have safe children and safe cabinets. 

1. Anchor the Cabinet to the Wall

Kids love to climb all over the place. The more dangerous, the better. Chances are good that your cabinet looks like the perfect place to start their epic career in mountain climbing.

So you'll want to anchor the cabinet to a wall as soon as possible. These anchors come in all kinds of shapes and sizes so they blend in behind the glass. The anchor is the best way to keep both child and cabinet from falling over from the extra stress and weight.

2. Block the Entrance

One of the best ways to keep children from interacting with your fragile cabinet is to block off all access to the room. This is extra important if you're unable to stay in the same room.

Baby gates are your new best friends in keeping your little ones safe. They'll stop children from getting into places they shouldn't be in. These gates work great for corralling animals as well.

Otherwise, a shut door is another way to block the entrance of the cabinet room.

3. Lock Cabinet Doors

It's a good idea to stop children from playing with glass cabinet doors and the contents within. If possible, lock the doors at all times. Make sure to hide the key, as kids love to find the things you don't want them to have.

But some cabinet doors don't come with their own locking mechanisms. In this case, it's possible to install your own into the doors.

If you don't want the lock to interfere with the beauty of the clear glass, a simple rubber band around the handles often does the trick. As children grow older, though, you might want to find a different and more permanent solution.

4. Cover Glass With a Blanket

Sometimes keeping a child out of the room isn't possible. In this case, a good way to protect both the glass display cabinet and the young one is to cover the glass with a soft blanket.

This way, both fingerprints and toys alike won't smudge the glass. Anything thrown at the glass has a cushion beneath it to keep it from chipping. It also softens any rough edges or corners that a child might fall onto.

If a blanket presents too much of a curiosity for the little tyke, tie the blanket closer to the cabinet. Use one with a boring pattern, or no pattern at all.

Or, place child-proof measures like rubber coatings or even cut up pool noodles on the edges of the cabinet. It won't stop fingerprints, but it will stop painful injuries from a child hitting those corners.

5. Slip-Proof Rugs

This tip is great for both little feet and grown-up feet. Anything that keeps people from slipping and falling into the cabinet is a good step to take. Stop the chance for any slippery floors by adding a rug in front of the cabinet itself.

Make certain to find something with a lot of traction on the bottom so that the rug stays in place no matter how fast you walk on it. It's no good if the rug itself presents another slipping hazard.

6. Keep Playtime In a Separate Room

If possible, keep children's playtime in someplace other than the room with your valuable cabinet. With playtime designated elsewhere in the house, children won't associate the idea of playing with that room as much as they do other rooms.

Kids are rambunctious, but they do like to form habits. If they have their own separate place to play, they're less likely to try and bring playtime to the room with a delicate cabinet.

In addition, there's less of a chance that forgotten toys will litter the floor and cause more slipping hazards.

7. Place Most Valuable Items Higher Up

A lot of us like to use our cabinets to display valuable items. Things we take pride in or even things that have a lot of sentimental value.

If this is the case for you, place the most valuable items in the highest shelves. This safeguards those items in case the cabinet is left open one day.

If your children get inside and start playing with the contents within, at least the ones you value most are unreachable.

8. Make Good Use of Playpens

If your children need to stay in the same room as the glass cabinets display, use a playpen to keep them from wandering too close. Without access to the cabinet, there is no possibility for any accidents to occur.

Make sure to use a playpen with a wide circumference and add in plenty of toys. This way the kids have enough room to play without feeling the need to seek out new territory.

9. Always Keep Little Ones in Sight

This is good advice no matter how many glass objects are in the room. Children are little and they love to run off when you least expect it. Blink once and they're charging off into a whole new world of their own making.

In order to keep everyone as safe as possible, you'll need to keep your little ones in your sight.

If you need to go to a different room, bring them with you. Or, enlist the help of another family member to keep watch. Older siblings or your significant other make good substitutes for your own watchful eye.

This vigilant style of watching lets you stop anything from happening far before it happens.

The Right Precautions Keep Fragile Glass Cabinets Safe

By using these different tips, you'll have no problem with small hands breaking your beautiful glass cabinets. Plus, those small hands will be a whole lot safer as well.

With these safeguards in place, you're preventing a lot of accidents before they ever happen.

Need inspiration on what to display in your glass cabinet? Check out some of the best display cabinets uses here!