With this in mind, my first response to the Boots Home Safety Starter Pack was: I don’t need it. But a few weeks on, I’m a big fan of some of the items in the pack.
The pack includes eight different items (total of 20 pieces) to help make your home safer, from locking the fridge to putting latches on cupboards with dangerous or precious contents. It’s useful – never mind cheaper - to be able to buy all these parts in one box, rather than individually. It’s also useful for flagging up areas that need baby-proofing that otherwise may not have occurred to you.
What we love
As mentioned, I’m really pleased with some of the items in the Boots Home Safety Starter Pack, such as the fridge lock and plug socket covers. In fact, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to discover them.
Once in place, the items do the job, and my son was frustrated he could no longer swing the fridge door open and spill milk on the floor, but he soon got used to it.
For a certain kind of curious, active baby, the Boots Home Safety Starter Pack could be a lifesaver. This would also be the case if your home has major hazards, for example, if you’re in a flat on the fourth floor locks on the windows would be paramount. I have a baby who isn’t that interested in getting into cupboards and we live in a relatively baby-friendly ground floor flat, so not all the items are a great deal of use. Except, of course, the socket covers. Oh, and the toilet lock - now that is a blessing!
What to watch out for
There are some parts of the kit, such as the door slam protector and the fiddly locks for drawers and cupboards, that I probably wouldn’t bother with, though it’ll depend on your needs as to whether you find these essential.
Some of the items need screwing in, which I happily passed over to my other half. Others simply require patience with double-sided sticky tape, so you can attach the clasps and plastic locks. However, once attached to appliances and furniture, most of the items worked well.
Other than fiddliness, my main complaint is that some of the items don’t seem durable. The doubled-sided sticky tape on the corner protectors didn’t stick for more than a couple of days, then fell off and ended up in the toy box.
Who is the Boots Home Safety Starter Pack best for?
New parents after a budget-priced intro to baby-proofing the home.
The Boots Home Safety Starter Pack is a value priced starting point for parents with adventurous babies that are into everything. However, be prepared to spend an evening reading the instructions, and don’t rely on those corner protectors surviving more than a few days.
