How do you child proof a sliding glass door?

[momof3disneyholics]

The house I'm moving into has 2 sets of sliding glass doors. They both have the little lock that you can slide up and down and that is really easy to unlock. I need tips on a way to child proof the doors so that my little one can't just push up the lock and go outside. Anyone had any experience with this?

 

[poohbear1029]

There are tension bars you can put that will hold the door closed - typically they are burglar deterents.....I imagine you could put it up high enough that your toddler could not reach.

 

[momof3disneyholics]

Where could I get those at? Are they easy to install?

 

[clh2]

Those tension bars are very easy to install - they are designed to take in and out - i.e. as you would need to get in and out the door.

I would assume that any goo hardware store or home improvement store would have those - i.e. Menards, Home Depot etc.

 

[Miller1412]

You can also cut a thick dowel rod from a craft store and put it in the track of the slider, then the door can't slide open without taking the stick out.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

We did what Miller did. Just cut a broom handle and put it in the track.

 

[mickeyboat]

Check this out

http://www.onestepahead.com/product/86198/308779/117.html

Denae

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We had a dd that was an escape artist. We put a simple sliding lock near the top.

 

[diznygirl]

Yup, DS learned how to take the stick out of ours before he turned two. Luckily ours already had a lock at the top.

 

[princess momma]

I haven't found anything that can keep my 3 year old from figuring out how to open the doors, though she only seems to do it when I'm watching her. It's for the attention, I think.

She has also locked me out of the house from the **** door! I had to jump off the 2nd story deck and get in through the garage door.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

Don't do what the owners of our previous home did before they sold it to us--their 3 year old had gone out the back way, so they caulked the whole door shut and never used it! This in a home with no AC (until we put it in), and that was the only opening, door or window, in the family room! We had to take the whole door out and replace it. They must have been morons.
Robin M.

 

[mrsv98]

we have a really nice lock, there is a hole drilled into the top frame on the side opposite the handle. A bolt then slides up into the hole making the door impossible to open. When we go on vacation, we can lock the bolt into place. A thief would have to break to entire door to get in and DD can't get out without us knowing.

 

[Chicago526]

???? I'd think a sliding glass door would be too heavy for a toddler or even a young child to manage on their own! I know the house I grew up in, it was so heavy my mom would have trouble with it!

Maybe they've gotten lighter in new homes?

The things I learn on the Dis! I'd never would have thought to child-proof a sliding door!

 

[mickeyminnie]

we use a simple hook and eye type latch at the top of the door, I can reach it but the kids can't.

another neat child proofing trick we use is a flip latch on doors that open into a room, again up at the top, we use this on the utility closet and also the door at the top of the basement stairs when the kids were really small.

 

[bigmerle1966]

Don't do what the owners of our previous home did before they sold it to us--their 3 year old had gone out the back way, so they caulked the whole door shut and never used it! This in a home with no AC (until we put it in), and that was the only opening, door or window, in the family room! We had to take the whole door out and replace it. They must have been morons.
Robin M.

I think moron may be too nice a word, why in the world would they do something that stupid.