Get to the nearest health food store for wheatberries, or big box store where you can find 'catgrass' seed(usually with the herb seeds). You might be able to find catnip plants if the nurseries are selling herbs already. Grow your kitty his own grass to chew on. Then get some chicken wire or hardware cloth and form a 'cage' that will set over your germination trays so they still get light and air. Make sure the holes are small so kitty doesn't get his foot caught. You could also spray the area with something he doesn't like to smell. One of our cats doesn't like my scented geraniums, so I rub the leaves where he's not supposed to be. None of our 3 cats like menthol(ie,icy hot, vicks vapo-rub)so that gets smeared in other places. I've always heard on pet shows that cats don't like Jean Nate spray due to its citrus scent, but I've never tried it. Maybe a citrus scented air freshener spray would work. I've got quite a few houseplants(all cat friendly)and the bratties are interested in them only when I am(watering, etc) or when there is something new. After a while they lose interest.Usually if I lose a plant it's because somebody got rambunctious and knocked a pot over while playing. I start tomatoes and peppers from seed every year. I sprout seeds in ziplock bags(in moist coffee filters) and then plant them in their starting pots. My grow light is placed very low over the seedlings and the cats don't even try to crawl under it. By the time I need to raise it, they've lost interest. Also once the toms develop essential oils in their leaves, the cats don't like them, so I keep the peppers and toms mixed together. Hope this helps(can you tell we've had cats for a while?)LOL!

Brody is adorable and obviously has no problem smiling now days! He definitely looks like his daddy! I had 4 kids and never child proofed anything. Of course that was in the 60's and I guess we didn't know what "child proofing" meant.LOL They also all knew what "no" meant.They played in the commode,ate the cat and dog food,had the usual bumps,scratches bangs,even drank out of the dogs water bowl,climbed on the kitchen counter and top of dressers! They all have also swallowed their share of coins of different denominations (and other things),but that's a whole other story.LOL They also played in the pots and pans cabinet and with plastic bowls and wooden spoons.I did put dangerous liquids that normally one would keep under the sink in a high place but that's about it.They all survived! As someone else mentioned,they should never be left alone long enough for those kinds of things to be a danger.The only thing I would do would be to anchor anything that might fall over on top of them to the wall.

I understand that sleep deprivation with a new baby in the house can make one forgetful, but I really think you'll be able to remember the close the basement door. DH and I have twins, and we physically "tagged off" so we knew exactly who was in charge of watching the boys when they were first mobile, and until they could be trusted alone together for 30 seconds without poking each other in the eye, biting, or throwing blocks at each others' heads. If I was home alone with them, I would bring them to the bathroom with me. Our house was well baby-proofed, but that simply doesn't replace supervision. Here's an example. My Mom has a lake cabin, and we go there a lot in the summer. The rule for our sons was that they could not go on the dock without a grownup. I know a lot of people who let their kids on a dock if they are wearing a life jacket, but I much preferred direct supervision until they were big/old enough to be safe on their own. Each of my kids managed to fall off the dock, with me within inches of them. One went in feet first, and I simply pulled him up by the arms; the other was fishing, on his hands and knees, leaned over, and went in head first - between the dock and boat lift. Again, I was inches away, and pulled him out by the feet. Had he been wearing a life jacket, he would have gotten wedged in the narrow space, head underwater. Being on the dock with them did not prevent them from going in the drink, but it allowed me to yank them out immediately. Trust me, you can keep an eye one one little one for the few months between crawling and negotiating stairs (teach her to go down feet first). Accidents happen - I get that, it's why they aren't called "intentionals" - but I think accidents are more likely to happen when we rely too heavily on contraptions and devices instead of eyeballs.

Different kids are definitely different. I remember a neighbor who had one child and was pregnant with her second at the time telling me, after watching my youngest, if my second kid is like yours I'm going to have to actually babyproof, aren't I? Yes, yes you are. Lol. Curiosity is good. But it does make safety more challenging. (And I have known a few kids who would have needed top cabinets locked too, fortunately my curious kid was not a climber.) My oldest wasn't like that so it was a bit of a surprise to me; and an aha moment that kids pretty much just come the way they come. Sorry, no suggestions. Good luck!