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Thanks finger guard!

My three-and-a-half year old daughters love to incorporate the different rooms in our apartment into their imaginary play. Or, they simply run from room to room laughing and opening and closing the doors. They think that's fun too.

The problem is that this kind of play sometimes gets a little wild.

We have used a great safety gadget from Parents Magazine on our interior doors since the girls were crawling, and I credit it with preventing a multitude of potentially hideous finger accidents. It's called the "Finger Pinch Guard."

The item is a U-shaped squishy styrofoam wedge, and you simply stick it on the top or side of a door. (See photo.) It helps prevent kids from getting smashed fingers. It's very easy to take on and off.

This safety item has been crucial for our family.

I would, however, offer the following warning. Like any safety product, this one does not substitute for good supervision. The wedge does not prevent little fingers from getting trapped on the inside of the door, the side where the hinges are. And, if kids give the door a really good slam, sometimes that can squish the foam, potentially causing unsuspecting fingers to get caught.

Strangely enough, I can't find this little treasure very easily in stores now, but I've seen the same ones online. There are also other brands, like Safety 1st, that appear to have a similar design, judging from online pictures I've seen.

I also don't remember reading about these finger guards in kid-proofing checklists -- I found out about these by seeing them in a store when the girls were still very little. So, add these to your kid-proofing checklist, and throw a couple in the next baby shower gift basket you create. You'll be glad you did.