ᐅ How can I modify Ikea PLATSA furniture to make it child-safe?

Hello everyone, I have some Ikea Platsa furniture pieces in the children's room and want to make them as childproof as possible. Specifically, I am interested in how to secure drawers and doors against accidental opening without significantly affecting the appearance or functionality. What tips or experiences do you have for making PLATSA furniture child-safe with simple measures?

I’m looking for suggestions on mechanical locks or modifications that are sturdy, easy to reverse, and especially make it difficult for younger children to open them. Any advice on potential weak points of PLATSA furniture regarding child safety would also be helpful. Thanks in advance!

Hello, for PLATSA I recommend child safety devices such as clamp locks or latch locks that can be attached to doors and drawers. These prevent them from opening without requiring significant modifications. Additionally, you should always secure the furniture to the wall to prevent tipping.

There are established methods for childproofing Ikea PLATSA that address multiple levels:

- Using special child locks, such as plastic latches mounted inside or magnetic locks that are difficult for small children to operate.
- Securing the furniture to the wall with the wall anchors provided by Ikea, as stability is otherwise a major concern.
- Possibly applying door stickers with warning signs that serve as an additional visual cue for children, although they do not provide actual mechanical protection.
- Avoiding drawers that can be easily pulled out, or modifying the handles with covers so children have less grip to pull them open.

PLATSA furniture is modular and often made of particleboard, which limits rigid modifications without compromising stability. Therefore, it is advisable to rely on external safety solutions.

I like to use child safety locks with adhesive applications on PLATSA furniture. They are easy to install and can also be removed again. Additionally, I recommend securely anchoring the furniture to the wall. This is especially important when children are around.

I understand your concern well, JOTIBEN. Especially with small children, safety is really important and can sometimes be stressful. We have found that magnetic locks installed on the inside work well because they make it harder for the children to open doors or cabinets while still allowing us easy access whenever needed.

It does take a bit of effort to install them afterward, but the peace of mind knowing everything is secure is priceless. If you like, I can share more details later on how we implemented this.

gekira schrieb:
Maybe door stickers with warning signs that serve as an additional visual cue for children, but do not provide any real mechanical safety.

That’s a good suggestion, thank you. Of course, I don’t want to replace mechanical safety devices with that, but visual signals often help to alert or sensitize children early on to boundaries. How effective this is depends greatly on the child’s age.

Elias schrieb:
We have found magnetic locks installed on the inside to be effective, as they make it more difficult for children to open doors while still allowing us easy access at any time.

Could you please describe in more detail how you installed the magnetic locks? I’m also considering which type of magnetic lock would be most suitable (for example, the “invisible” internal ones).