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Mike Bost

Mike Bost – North Carolina

Palmetto Childproofing Inc.

Mike Bost has been a professional childproofer since 2000. He is the owner of Palmetto Childproofing which serves Charlotte, NC and the surrounding areas. In addition, Mike earned the Certified Professional Childproofer certification.

What is your favorite thing about working as a childproofer?

I’m very passionate about the work that I do. It’s much more than just a “job” for me. It really is more like a calling and a mission for me. It breaks my heart any time I hear or read about a child being injured in the home because I know that most of these injuries are preventable. Therefore, my work as a professional childproofer is deeply satisfying and fulfilling for me because I know that what I’m doing is truly helping parents to keep their babies and toddlers safe in the home.

How do you stay up to date with the best products and best childproofing techniques?

I make a commitment to attend my industry’s professional conferences of the International Association for Child Safety. Also, I received my certification as a Certified Professional Childproofer in 2011. The certification program was developed in 2010 to advance the professionalism and credibility of the childproofing industry. Even though I had been babyproofing homes for quite some time, I wanted to demonstrate my commitment to child safety and professional growth by meeting the requirements and criteria of the newly established certification program.

Why do parents call a professional childproofer?

Frequently, I hear from parents who are frustrated with babyproofing their home. They know they should do it, but they are falling behind. We start with a room-by-room evaluation to identify potential hazards to their baby or toddler. Next, we help them develop a sensible plan for babyproofing their home.

Clients appreciate that we take the guesswork out of deciding which safety products will be the most effective in their home. Then, we professionally install baby gates, cabinet and drawer latches, furniture straps, and many other child safety products that parents sometimes find difficult to install on their own.

What is one of the most common overlooked hazards in the home?

Furniture tip-overs. Parents often overlook furniture safety because they think a heavy dresser weighs too much for their child to pull it over on themselves. But furniture tip-overs are usually a matter of physics and leverage, not brute strength. By opening dresser drawers, the center of gravity begins to shift, and if a child adds their own weight by pulling or climbing on the drawers, the dresser will often tip over with very little force or effort. I usually demonstrate this to skeptical parents during home safety evaluations by doing what I call a “science experiment”—that is, pulling out the drawers on a dresser and letting them see with their eyes how easy it is for the dresser to be toppled. For many parents, it is a wake-up call.