LATCHES

Not ALL Latches will work on ALL cabinets.
The COACH is a matchmaker.
You have a cabinet, he’ll find the latch.

Our Favorite:

The Tot Lock   -the safest when installed properly

• the sturdiest
• no finger pinching issue
• can be de-activated when not needed

Not supplied, you will need: 9/32 “ drill bit, #1 (small ) screwdriver tip,
I’d get COACHED on this one.

Most Common:

The Plastic “push down” Latch   -This is the type where you open the cabinet slightly, you feel for the latch and then you push down in the appropriate spot to free the cabinet door or draw.

These come in many styles and varieties.

Our Favorite:

Kidco Latch  - very sturdy

• easy to line up
• versatile

Potential installation problems:

• after installing the catch, you can’t get the drawer back in
• your countertop has too big of an overhang to reach latch once installed
• the face of the cabinet door is so thin that the screws you are going to put in from the inside are going to come out the front side. Maybe some Coaching

Special Latches:

The Adhesive Latch  - Designed to hold without screws in your cabinet

Problems:

• you are more than likely going to have to screw in the catch anyway
• they are about $6.00 ea. – not cost effective if doing many cabinets, as the other type is a dollar and change.
• sometimes difficult to line up and once you’re stuck, you’re stuck

Where we do use them:

GLASS DOOR STEREO CABINETS. The ones that children love to push in and pop out. We find that screwing into glass doors is not a good idea so we stick these on after carefully measuring where they need to go.

No Pinch Latches  - These plastic latches are designed to open slightly (like our most common latches), so that you can reach your finger in to open them but stay frozen in that position until you push down to open or close it.

Issues:

• must be very exact in installation or they won’t work. More cumbersome to operate once your child learns how to not pinch their fingers anyway. Now you are stuck with a latch that is harder to operate.

Outside Latches

You know the ones:

• they hang like hideous trophies on the handles of your cabinet doors
• they actually attract children to them as they are fun to swat at.
• Are they scratching the front of your cabinets?
• What do you do when you don’t have two handles next to each other? Lots of cabinets are singles.
• Oh Yeah! You’ve got to drop what you’re holding and use two hands.
• They don’t seem to keep the darn things closed very tight anyway, creating another finger pinching issue.