How to Protect a Grandfather Clock from Being Damaged by Young Children

A grandfather clock is a beautiful addition to any home and is more than just a large timepiece. It can be engraved with a couple’s names on it and contain many keepsakes that make it special. But what if you have young children in the home? How can you protect your grandfather clock from being damaged?

Keep It Locked!

Grandfather clocks can be locked, which provides a lot of protection for the shelves, pendulum, weights and other internal parts of the clock. But parents who have young children still at home may forget to keep the grandfather clock door locked, which can lead curious children to open the door of the grandfather clock and play with its delicate features. Make sure that whenever you have finished winding the grandfather clock that you remember to lock it and to keep the key in a safe location away from young children. This can help families save a lot of money in repair bills.

Not a Toy

Parents should inform their children that the new grandfather clock that they have purchased is not a toy and that it cannot be played with. They may need to repeat this more than once until the children understand that they have a toy box or chest full of toys for them to play with and that the grandfather clock is not for their enjoyment. Parents can also help to ensure that the grandfather clock is not enticing to their children by not storing any of their children’s toys inside the grandfather clock. As tempting as it may be to use the extra storage that is available inside grandfather clocks for toy storage, they need to keep all of their children’s toys separate from the grandfather clock. Instead, they can display their personal collection of ornaments, photos or other mementos that contain meaning for them.

Supervise Winding of the Clock

Grandfather clocks need to be wound about once a week to help keep time, otherwise they will stop working. Parents should be primarily responsible for winding the grandfather clock so that they wind it correctly (clockwise) until both weights have been wound all the way to the top and they are level. If you want to let your children help you to wind the grandfather clock, supervise them as they do so and always replace the winding crank before locking it inside the grandfather clock.

Grandfather clocks can last for generations as long as they are well taken care of and they are not damaged beyond repair.