Safety 1st Magnetic Locking Cabinet System Review: Modern Solutions to an Old Problem

Children are curious creatures. Often they’ll ignore everything you want them to play with and get into everything you don’t want them to see. Toddlers especially are prone to this kind of behavior – as they develop cognitively they cannot help but want to see what’s on the other side of that cabinet door. 

Child safety should be huge on any parent’s list of important things to consider. According to some of the tips provided by the National Safety Council, the contents of your cabinet, such as medicines, chemicals, and other things, and be easily ingested by your child. 

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Traditional cabinet locks can eventually be solved by crafty toddlers. In fact, my own toddler was able to learn how to open the traditional cabinet locks after fiddling with them for 20 minutes. This worried us significantly as we, like most parents, stored chemicals lower to the floor in case an earthquake (we live on the West Coast of the United States) shook a cabinet enough that items fell out. 

Safety First Magnetic Kit Review for Childproofing Cabinets
This will be a common sight for new parents.

This is where more modern and advanced cabinet locks are needed. The Safety 1st Magnetic Locking System will give you peace of mind knowing that even crafty and strong toddlers won’t be able to get into reachable cabinets. This magnetic lock system basically turns your cabinets and drawers child-proof. According to the manufacturer, this product was tested on August, 2017 to be able to resist strength tests from the same force typically exerted by toddlers ages 36 – 47 months.

There are a lot of great features for modern parents, such as an “unlocked” mode in case you need frequent short-term access to your cabinet, and it is fairly easy to install. Additionally, this safety first magnetic cabinet lock locking system is actually installed on the inside of your cabinets, so your modern looking drawers and cabinets will look as if nothing had been modified.

Our favorite component of this cabinet safety kit, however, is the key itself. By having the opening of your cabinets be tied to a key, it ensures that even the most clever of children can’t figure out how to open the door. Some parents prefer to have the key on them at all times, but we don’t actually recommend this. Instead, you’ll want to place the key in a high, out-of-reach location that is convenient for you. We find that keeping your child out of the door as you open cabinets also helps, as it won’t take too long before they see where the key is hidden. 

Safety First Magnetic Cabinet Locking System Overview

  • 9 Piece Kit includes: 8 Locks and 1 Key
  • Unlock Mode allows you frequent access to your cabinet for a period of time
  • Toddler tested – childproof!
  • Invisible from the outside
  • Peace of mind for parents

Safety 1st Magnetic Locking System Photos

Safety First Image for Practical Parents in Training Review
Safety 1st Magnetic Locking System: Available on Amazon.com.

Safety First Magnetic Cabinet Locking System Highlights

Pros:

  • Easy Installation
  • Can be “Turn off” Easily
  • Tested Against Toddler Strength
  • Invisible to the Outside
  • Sturdy Construction
  • Includes all Hardware Needed for Installation

Cons:

  • Key can be lost – be sure to grab multiples!
  • A little more expensive than other cabinet safety kits

Final Thoughts

The Safety 1st Magnetic Locking System is really one of the best cabinet and drawer safety systems on the market. One of the nicest features, especially for parents who are planning for more children, is that you can turn them off once your children are old enough to be responsible with the contents of your cabinets. So, in between planning for new children, you can have your cabinets function as normal without needing to uninstall them. This cannot be understated – not needing to reinstall old hardware not only puts less wear and tear on your cabinet doors, but it saves on possibly losing them in storage as well. 

We really do think these are a great choice for a modern parent. If you’re interested in picking one up – they’re available on amazon here. The peace of mind that comes with safety kits are absolutely worth the price of admission. Make your home a safe place for your child to explore by testing it yourself. 

If you’re interested in protecting your child further – we identified another aspect of the home that is often overlooked: childproofing your windows

Safety 1st Magnetic Locking System FAQ

Q: Do you have to drill holes on the outside of your drawer or cabinet door to install this safety product?

A: No, you do not. However, you will need to drill holes in the inside of your door. This is standard for basically all the cabinet and drawer safety devices currently on the market.

Q: How thick do my doors need to be to install this kit?

A: As long as your doors are more than 0.75 inches thick – you should be fine. The hardware that comes with this kit shouldn’t penetrate much deep than that.

Q: Where do I order extra magnetic keys?

A: You can buy extra keys here. It is a good idea to have extra keys just in case you lose one. It is typically better to have an extra key on hand ahead of time – rather than wait until you’ve discovered that you lost a key before picking one up. The few days it takes for the replacement key to ship are days you cannot open your locked cabinets.

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