Now Why Didn't I Think of That? (Plus...a Freebie for You!)

To be honest, I have never really childproofed my house. I never put the drawer latches or toilet locks on, never used the tricky door handle locks (that I struggle with when I'm at other people's homes). I instead enforce strict rules (with dire consequences) for children who climb on furniture, play in the toilets, or turn on and off any machines in the house. I keep poisonous cleaners in a high cupboard that only my husband can reach. And it's worked for our family.

But the one thing I did do when the kids were babies -- and still have even though they are much older -- was install outlet safety plugs on every outlet in the house. We've lived in three different homes, and that was the first thing I did when we moved in each time. And there they stay, even to this day, with my daughter 4 and my son is 6. Now that my kids are older -- and especially more dextrous (and more adventurous in Monkey's case) -- they have taken to popping off the outlet safety plugs. Who knows why? They're curious, maybe. But it got me concerned: what if they popped it in their mouth and choked on it? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of these "safety" plugs?

So I began looking for an alternative. Well, I found it, and thought I'd pass it on to you: SafetyCaps!

SafetyCaps are a wider and ventilated outlet safety plug that were invented by a dad with the same concerns as mine. They are the world's only oversized, ventilated outlet safety plug designed to eliminate suffocation. Inspired by the design of his daughter's pacifiers, inventor George De Cell made SafetyCaps to measure larger than a standard safety plug and contain two ventilation holes. That makes it a safety plug that's completely safe!

Now I have the SafetyCaps in my home and absolutely love them. The unique design makes the outlet covers themselves a safer choice -- for all around safety. You can see in the picture how much more they cover the outlet than my old safety plugs, and how they would be impossible to fit in a child's mouth.

I liked them so much, I contacted the inventor, George De Cell at SafetyCaps. He in turn has generously offered to give a 24-pack of SafetyCaps for FREE to one of my readers! To enter and win your own 24-pack of SafetyCaps, just leave a comment on this post by March 15th.

EXTRA ENTRIES -- You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do:

(1) For THREE extra entries, Write Ellen OR Oprah and tell them that you think they should feature the SafetyCaps on their show. Don't forget to include a link in your email to them. (And, yes, if you email both of them, you get SIX extra entries!) Leave a comment telling me about each email you send.

(2) For TWO extra entries, follow my blog. Go over to my right sidebar and click on "Follow This Blog." Current followers count, too -- leave me a comment letting me know that you already follow me.

(3) For FIVE extra entries, blog about SafetyCaps on your blog and link it back to my blog and to Safety Caps. Make sure to leave a comment letting me know you did.

(4) For ONE extra entry, add my blog to your blogroll. Leave a comment letting me know you did.

Contest ends at 11:59pm PST on March 15th (my birthday, BTW) when I will draw a winner at random (from U.S. only) using a Truly Random Number Generator. I will notify the winner on March 16th and post it on my blog. They will then have 36 hours to respond before I will choose a new winner!

Good luck, and make sure you leave your comments for each entry!