I’ll level with you. I am a television addict. I can’t get enough of it.
And my addiction was largely responsible for the four cable boxes located strategically around our house. And a coaxial outlet to go with each. No matter where I was in my home, I was guaranteed I could see a TV screen.
Then something wonderful happened. I discovered Netflix. I cut the cord and returned all my cable boxes back to Comcast – which I might add was a major headache, but that’s a story for another time.
But this left me with a problem. Empty coaxial outlets scattered around my house. And at the perfect height to capture my newborn baby’s attention.
So I set about baby proofing all the coaxial outlets I could find. And today, I am going to show you how to do the same.
Coaxial outlets – How dangerous are they?
Now before you start to panic about your exposed coaxial outlet, I have some good news for you.
If you can teach your baby to stay away from them, then you can leave them where they are.
A coaxial outlet will not give your baby an electric shock.
I recently discussed this with a local electrician. Even if your baby does manage to squeeze something into the tiny little hole, there isn’t enough voltage to cause any harm.
But even so, an open coax outlet is still cause for concern. That threaded piece of metal that sticks out of the plate can give your baby a good bump on his noggin.
And if the previous cable was screwed in crooked, it may have burred the thread, leaving a sharp piece of metal exposed.
All this, right at your baby’s eye level. Yep, most coaxial outlets are installed just above the baseboard, within easy reach of your baby.
As you can see, coaxial outlets pose a cutting and bumping risk to your baby.
If you can train your baby to avoid them, then that is all there is to do, you have successfully baby proofed your outlet.
But if your baby has an infatuation with outlets, or the outlet is installed in an easy to head-butt location, you may want to take some additional steps to baby proof your coaxial outlet.
And there are two ways to do that. The easy way and the pretty way and the practical way.
1. Baby proofing coaxial outlets the easy way
By far the easiest way to baby proof a coaxial point is to block it off with a piece of furniture. Whether you do that with a book case, shelving unit, sofa or anything else, it doesn’t matter.
If your curious baby can’t see the coaxial outlet, he won’t play with it.
Use your baby as an excuse to redecorate, moving furniture around to block off other baby dangers like electrical outlets. Sure, it might not be the best looking or most practical furniture arrangement but you have to remember one thing – this is for your baby, not you.
And besides, your baby will outgrow this stage in no time. And then you are free to redecorate your home as you see fit!
2. Baby proofing your coaxial outlet the practical way
If you don’t want to create a maze of outlet-blocking furniture around your home then you can baby proof your coaxial outlets with a bit of hands on DIY.
And the best part it, it’s dead simple. With the correct gear, it should take less than ten minutes.
If you are uncoordinated like me, and DIY is your undoing, it might be time to call in the hubby.
The first thing you are going to want to do is purchase a blank plate in the same style as your existing outlet.
This is going to cover the gap left behind once you remove the coaxial point.
You have two options, and both are affordable.
Blank wall plate
Replace the whole plate with a blank wall plate
Blank Plastic Adapter
If you have a newer coaxial plate you may be able to re-use the wall plate and have a blank plastic adapter cover the hole.
Just be mindful that if your coaxial plate is older or has been sitting in direct sunlight then the plastic has very likely yellowed. By purchasing a brand new white adapter, you might be left with a two tone outlet.
Now that you have your replacement plate, it’s time to get down to business.
First, you want to unscrew your coaxial plate.
With the poutlet removed from the wall, you will see that a coaxial cable runs into the plate. You want to separate this cable from the plate. Typically this will involve either unscrewing a nut, or removing two screws on the rear of the plate.
Now all that’s left to do is take the cable and poke it back into the cavity behind the wall.
Make sure that the cable is easy to reach, just in case you want to re-use the coaxial outlet in the future, once your baby has grown up.
You might even want to tape over the end or use a coaxial dust cap to stop dust and grime from building up while the coaxial cable sits in the wall.
Now all that’s left to do is cover up the hole left behind with your blank plate and you are done. Your baby won’t even realize that it used to to be a coaxial point.
And there you have it, two quick and effective ways to baby proof your coaxial outlets.
Did you baby proof your coaxial outlets? Let me know in the comments below!
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