What’s been going on?
Perhaps this will make it all clear for you . . .
Dear Hickory Hardware,
I am having a bad day, and I hope you can help me. I have twins who are turning three on Monday, and as they’ve learned to escape their cribs, they’ve begun destroying their room during every nap. Books and blocks and clothes and all the baby wipes pulled out of the package — everywhere, everyday. After weeks of intending to get around to it, we’ve finally cleaned their room of most of the debris, and drove the 25 minutes to Lowe’s to buy some flip-locks to keep them out of their closets. This was going to be it– the night the room was not destroyed! Peace would reign! I rushed home to install them before bedtime, hoping tonight would be the night that they would not be able to get into anything and have no choice but to SLEEP!!!
Alas, the flip-locks were installed and frankly, they suck. I have one I bought a number of years ago from Home Depot and the mechanism on that one is so tight that most adults struggle with it. Not the case with Hickory Hardware item #1843. With one of the two I purchased, you jiggle the door within the jam and the flip-lock flies open. With the other one, the little slit part is so wide that, where it’s supposed to hold the flip part at a 90 degree angle, it’s more like a 135 degree angle, and any toddler could tug the door right open, revealing books and blocks and baby wipes to be flung about the room willy-nilly.
I can’t tell you how frustrated I am. Between drive time and wandering about the store to find them, it took an hour and 2 gallons of gas ($5) to buy $4 worth of sub-standard flip-locks. I don’t get it — they’re not exactly complicated machinery — why can’t they just be made to work as they’re supposed to? I realize they are not big money-makers for you, but does that mean your customers should be ripped off? These stupid little flip locks were supposed to be the highlight of my miserable day, and instead these simple little things were shoddily made and I wasted $9 and an hour on them.
Please make it all better.
Thank you,
Meira Voirdire
Jo-Ann said:
on March 22, 2008 at 4:36 am
Being I live with a kid that should have been a babyproofing tester my advice is simple. A hook and eye placed high up on the door.
I have a hook and eye on two closets in my hallway that they break into, the office with all the computer stuff, and the back door. They work like a charm and even Wildman cannot get past them. You can get a hook and eye for 50 cents from any hardware store.
Hope that helps!
Missy said:
on March 24, 2008 at 1:33 pm
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TWINS! I cannot believe they are 3 already! How is that even possible?
And I second the hook and eye recommendation. It’s either that or a deadbolt on the closet door, and that would be a whole lot more work to install. Not to mention it could be more dangerous if one of them were to decide to lock the other (or mom) in…
Wow. Three.
Menita said:
on March 25, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Hook and eye, all the way. Yep.
I miss you.
And thanks for the shoutout on the last post. You made me cry. And I was off my meds too.
Krista said:
on March 26, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Oh how I love your writing style! Please let us know the reply. I know just what kind of saniety the locks can bring. We had to go through numerous trials and error ones before we found ones that are budding-engineer toddler proof.
allan said:
on May 8, 2008 at 3:24 pm
I hope they made it all better.