Baby Bodyguards

I cannot recommend Fred and this company highly enough! I’ve never been so pleased with money spent. Fred is kind, knowledgable, and level-​headed. He’s not at all a fear-​monger and their baby proofing methods are based on research and evidence rather than on selling products you don’t need. He taught us so much within the first 10 minutes our visit was worth the money in that amount of time alone!!! I have so much peace of mind from the consultation that I feel empowered and educated and so much better. I can’t say it enough– baby bodyguards is the best!

Our home was actually LESS safe after hiring Baby Bodyguards. They left piles of sawdust inside and outside of most of the areas where latches were installed. This includes outside our pantry (where our daughter crawled past often) and inside the drawer where her food and dishes are. Everything I found wrong afterward and complained about was met with a long, defensive excuse. When I sent Fred photographs of all of the sawdust piles, his «solution» was to explain how he uses paper towels to clean up the sawdust. That’s customer service?
In a wall where it took eight attempts to drill for furniture anchors, we were left with eight ½″ diameter holes. Upon recapping the ‘work’ in person, Fred said «It was hard to get into that wall, so we drilled into the wall on the side» with no mention of the fact that upon closer inspection, I would find holes requiring hundreds of dollars in patching, spackling and repainting the EIGHT attempts they made and left without mention, which were visible behind our nightstands (how many times must one drill into a wall to realize it can’t be drilled into?) To this, Fred said that we had «other holes in our apartment already». This is how they treat someone’s home if it has «other holes» in it?
I booked the appointment via email and made the error of not looking in their website so I didn’t realize there was a $ 40 Manhattan «upcharge» (never mentioned in all of the emails about costs). They were at least 45 minutes late to the appointment. I don’t see the benefit of an upcharge to come here when they can’t be even close to on time and then blame the weather. My husband went into work late that day to be able to meet with them, and they screwed that up for us too.
Fred kept insisting we would receive a detailed «PDF” — everything we should do to our home would be in the PDF. We never got the PDF other moms I’ve spoken with about this experience have also said they never received this supposedly invaluable document either.
In his long list of excuses, Fred said that at that time I was unable to see the benefit of his services. It has been several months and after having to pay a different (reputable) handyman to fix the EIGHT holes that Fred left us with, I still see no benefit to having hired Baby Bodyguards. The corner guards have all fallen off, leaving sticky residue (but no protection) on my furniture. The «slide» type of outlet covers that they used do not keep plugs plugged in.
Fred’s initial offer to «resolve» the damage that he caused was $ 50 but he «would not paint» (so his solution was to leave me with eight large white spackle patches on my recently painted brown walls?) and then after further explanation of what is actually required to restore the walls and clean up after them, he gave a $ 240 ‘discount’. This didn’t cover the repair (by almost $ 100)
We paid $ 640 (900 s.f. apt) for latches, 7 furniture anchors, 5 blind cord tiebacks, some outlet and doorknob covers when I could have had a handyman come (on time) to do the same scope of work without the 8 holes in my wall and piles of sawdust. He advised against using toilet locks, tub spout cover and a stove guard and instead suggested I give my daughter a gentle steam burn to teach her not to touch stoves. I haven’t met anyone since who thought this sounded like a good idea. Much of his advice was that we get rid of our things and where I asked if he had advice on how to handle an outlet in the nursery where we keep a few things plugged in, he suggested keeping a chair in front of it.
My advice: buy the items yourself and hire a handyman. Unless you want an excuse laden, late arriving person who leaves your apartment in far worse condition than he found it. I’ve worked for several architecture and interior design firms for 17 years, and I guess I have a different work philosophy about how to treat people’s homes. It was always our job to leave them in at least the condition we found them in. Regarding my project, Fred left it in far worse condition and then gave repeated excuses about it.
*Further evidence of Fred’s defensiveness and excuses can be found below in his rebuttal to my honest experience with his work. Notice there is no mention of any of the other issues I found with his work other than $. In his repeated jabs at my issue with the cost, I happily agreed to the full cost of the work while he was here, and only complained about it upon finding ALL of the costly and dangerous issues with his sloppy work after he left (& my not being able to estimate the repair cost for the damage within 48 hours of his causing it, other than to repeatedly tell him that $ 50 was nowhere near sufficient to cover his damage). I wanted to complain in writing to have proof of all of the issues and was not up for a long phone call full of excuses (after the excuse-​laden voicemail he left). Even aside from the 8 holes, the sawdust piles, lateness, & inferior products should serve as a warning to peopl

We got our car seat installed and Fred was incredibly helpful and explained everything throughly. We felt prepared leaving knowing what to do when our baby gets bigger and how to make adjustments ourselves. Would definitely recommend for this service!

I guess I do understand the glowing reviews as Baby Bodyguards definitely present themselves in a professional manner. We had to hire them for their basic baby proofing package for a 2 bedroom apartment. First complaint: we were trying to save money by having them come at 4 pm on a weekday, as they charge more for weekends and weekdays after 7 pm but were told it might take a longer time and we would have to pay extra for any hours after 7. We ended up booking for a weekend and the dude was done in 2 hours, so really we could have gone with a weekday appointment and saved money. OK, not a huge deal.
The bigger deal was that their package includes wire and socket safety. When he left, we started looking around and realized our computer wires were left untouched, even though they’re in a prominent place in the living room and several sockets also in a prominent place were left bare and inviting to any curious toddler. When we contacted them, they were responsive but said they don’t have covers for 3 prong sockets and that we should move our wifi station from the living room to behind the TV. So instead of whatever their wire safety would normally include, not only was that left unexplained, we also didn’t actually get that service. Finally, they agreed to come and add the services that should have been covered in the first place.
The dude screwed our blinds on incorrectly and then later said it was a courtesy anyway and it wasn’t included in the service. Good lord.
And finally — the safety latches they put on our kitchen drawers are super useful, but are of subpar quality clearly, because several on the drawers we use the most broke after a few weeks of use. Not ABUSE, but regular use. Later when shopping at BuyBuy Baby we actually noticed some much higher quality safety latches. Why Baby Bodyguards don’t use them for the price they charge the customer is beyond me. Would never recommend them.

As landlords, we needed to have window guards installed in our apartment and had no idea where to start. I emailed Baby Bodyguards and got a response immediately. Courtney & Fred knew exactly what I needed and were able to complete the work within my limited time frame. Installation was quick and I appreciated that they cleaned up! Very professional and I look forward to calling them again for any baby-​proofing!

My husband and I attended a baby/​child/​adult CPR class today with Courtney and Fred. They were very thorough, extremely knowledgeable, had top of the line equipment and taught us a lot. I had taken a class a while ago elsewhere and remember them using raggedy dolls to demonstrate with.
With Courtney and Fred we had lots of hands on practice and they made sure we were doing everything correctly. They were so helpful and gave us tips that we wouldn’t have ever thought of. This included baby proofing tips, car seat tips, and much more.
We were very pleased with the class and strongly recommend to others!

I had a great experience with Baby Bodyguards installing 2 car seats (a rear-​facing infant seat and a front-​facing child seat). Fred knows his stuff and was very professional and friendly. The appointment was quick and efficient, and the communication in the days before the appointment was clear (they emailed to let me know an earlier appointment had postponed and that I could come earlier Saturday morning). I highly recommend the service — there’s a lot we were doing wrong when we installed ourselves. It was money well-​spent.
Just note that if you go in person, they are no longer at 1714 Shore Blvd. Now at 1724 Hendrickson.

I was very pleased with their child proofing services. They are efficient, reasonable, and quick. We also did a car seat installation with them and found that the instructor Fred was very knowledgeable and detailed in showing us the way to install the seat properly. He also let my husband and myself do it individually so that we would both know how to do it if need be. Furthermore, we had to purchase a new carseat because the original one became damaged. We called the baby bodyguards to arrange for another car seat installation and found that they remembered who we were and would not charge us for the installation as new customers. I highly recommend them!

I needed to have window guards installed in an apartment in Manhattan. I bought the guards at a hardware store and the super of the building offered to install them for a fair price. Unfortunately, the super in this building hasn’t installed that many window guards so I did not feel comfortable having him do it. Instead I decided to hire a professional baby proofing service so I could be certain the guards were installed properly. I did a google search and the first company I happen to come upon was Baby Bodyguards. It was a Friday evening so when I sent them an email, I wasn’t expecting a response until Monday morning. To my surprise Fred, one of the owners, responded right away. He asked me several questions and explained the legal requirements of window guards in Manhattan. (I’m originally from a small Pennsylvania town so all of the NYC building codes are new to me.)
Fred said Baby Bodyguards actually sells window guards and I could purchase them from him. I told him I already purchased them and just needed someone to install them for me. He said he would gladly do the install but only if the guards I purchased were a model number approved by the city. Luckily for me they were. Fred gave me a quote for the cost. I accepted it, we made an appointment for Monday afternoon and within 72 hours, they were installed for the price I was quoted – no hidden charges or extra fees. I was amazed! Where else in the city can you find a business that answers emails on a Friday night and does the work you need done within 72 hours at the price you were originally quoted? Baby Bodyguards is phenomenal! Their quality is excellent, their prices are reasonable and their service is fast. This is a business that is going to be around for a very long time. I highly recommend them!
* On a side note, if I had known before I purchased my window guards that Baby Bodyguards sells them, I would’ve purchased them from there. Even if they were a few dollars more than what I paid at the hardware store, it would’ve been well worth it. I could’ve saved myself so much time and hassle. Especially since the hardware store near my home is a horrible place to shop – please see my review about it to get an idea of what I go through every time I go there. Buying directly from Baby Bodyguards would’ve been so much easier! *

I had a visit from Fred, along with his firefighter companion, yesterday. The service was really excellent. They came in, got right to work in the nursery knowing that my son needed a nap soon, and while that was happening Fred and I did a walk through of the apt. He didn’t miss a thing, and did it all very quickly. He was honest, practical and funny! He didn’t try to sell me any extras and even said I didn’t need bumpers in areas that I thought I would. We sat down and talked about general safety information for babies, which was impressive b/​c they don’t need to do that, but it’s a nice bonus and I learned a lot. I felt comfortable knowing that he is a parent to two children, has been through it and knows what is probably going to happen/​what you’ll need. While I ended up paying more than I wanted to initially, I feel so much better and more educated now. It was definitely worth it — for my son’s safety and my own sanity!

We were so happy with Baby Bodyguards. Fred knew exactly what had to be done and managed to do it all quickly and efficiently. He pointed out things we never would have spotted on our own. Fred was even kind enough months later to deliver extra magnets for the safety locks on our cabinets, since we lost them in the chaos of a new baby in the house. Great customer service and highly recommended for peace of mind!

Had Courtney and Fred to our apartment last night for a baby cpr class. As a first time expectant mother, I am nervous and feel overwhelmed about just about everything to come. Courtney and Fred made all of us feel completely at ease, and after spending the time with them, I feel truly confident that I would be able to react appropriately and efficiently in the case of a choking or cpr-​needing emergency. They are professional, yet warm, thorough, patient, and 100% worth every penny.

Fred baby proofed our apartment recently. It was so easy to arrange with his wife Courtney and Fred is that cool dad next door who knows everything that could go wrong with a toddler that can be prevented. I was completely impressed with the efficiency of the baby-​proofing. Fred and his co-​worker arrived around 9 am and finished before noon. I loved that they sent us a list of recommended things to do for baby safety like getting a fire-​extinguisher, having a list of emergency contacts and our address on the fridge and doing simple things like avoiding plastic trash can liners in areas where the baby is. They also were very responsive to questions after they came. I highly recommend them and thought it was a great value for the money.

I recently had my Junior 4 bedroom apartment baby-​proofed and couldn’t be happier with their services. Fred baby-​proofed things I would have never thought of and sent me a fantastic summary of all of his amazing suggestions and tips. Booking the apointment with his wife Courtney was a breaze and she was wonderful as well. The amount charged was very reasonable, especially given how thorough he was and the quality of the products he installed. The piece of mind I have now knowing my baby boy is safe is worth every penny and then some. I am extremely happy that we found and used Baby Bodyguards.

When we moved into our house, our 10-​month-​old had just started walking. We called Baby Bodyguards and their prompt and efficient servive allowed us to quickly unpack, get settled, and feel comfortable knowing our kids were safe. Fred did, in less than an hour, what would have taken my husband an entire Saturday; not to mention the the quality of the gates and latches were far superior to those we had purchased for our older child in babies r’ us to self-​baby proof our co-​op. Even now, after a year here, all of the products they recommended and installed are useful… Yes, my kids know how to go up and down stairs now, but it is still a lot easier to control which floor they are on, and prevent accidental falls down the stairs. It is also wonderful when friends and children are visiting, I don’t anticipate removing our baby proofing for several years. Baby Bodyguards is a really great company, offering an amazing service. I highly recommend this company.

In life, I feel as though there are those rare people who you want in your ‘starting lineup.’ Fred and Courtney are two such people.
As a new parent, it’s easy to fall for all of the gimmicks that businesses try to promote. Fred cuts through the non-​sense and really sets you up with what you need and maximizes your dollar.
My experience with Baby Bodyguards was personal, thorough and worth every penny. Fred, Courtney and their crew make it easy to recommend them to new parents, as everyone who utilizes Baby Bodyguards receives satisfaction and maybe more importantly– peace of mind.
Trusting someone with making sure your home is safe for children is a bigger deal than most realize. Having Baby Bodyguards take the guesswork out of this is a no-​brainer.

Worth every penny and then some!
I am a safety conscious parent who tries to do my homework, read directions, research etc., and even with everything I can do myself, I cannot overstate how helpful our consultation with Baby Bodyguards was.
We did an overall consultation where Fred walks through your home with you and points out everything that is problematic, explains how to address it, and also does a carseat installation instruction session with you.
The home consultation was very comprehensive, and included all the obvious stuff like stairs, steam pipes, radiators, cabinets, furniture, tvs, fireplaces, etc., but also things that you wouldn’t necessarily think of like fire plans, fire alarms, co monitors, electrical hazards, dangerous plants and poisons, etc.
For the babyproofing and safety items you need to install, they break it down to the exact items you need, which products are best, and exactly which adapters you need. They have packages where they will install it for you, or you can install it yourself.
Even if you install it yourself as I did, knowing exactly which products to buy will save you lots of time and money in trial and error with the wrong parts. And if you have ever experienced the frustration of standing in the Home Depot aisle wondering which of the gagillion available fire alarms to buy, or been equally flummoxed by Consumer Reports’ inconclusive section on the subject, rest assured you will find very helpful guidance with Baby Bodyguards.
Carseat installation: I didn’t think I needed beforehand. I had read all the directions. And guess what — I was still doing it wrong. Since my installation lesson I’ve also discovered some other competent people — my sister the doctor, my mother in law, and friends — installing car seats completely incorrectly. What I now realize is that I will NEVER let anyone else install a car seat for me. Not another parent, not a grandparent, and most certainly not a car service driver. A car seat installation session with Fred is a GREAT shower gift.
Finally, BB is great with follow up questions — very happy to respond to questions that come up later.