How to protect turntable from children?

Get a Target Wall shelf. There are a couple different sizes and one has two shelves, one has one shelf. It will hold a heavy TT. I am using one to support a Classic 1 VPI clocking in at over 60 lbs plus a 12 lb maple isolation shelf. My four year old dances like crazy and it never skips a beat, and I placed it high enough she can't reach it. You can view my system pics to see how it looks set up. It isolates pretty well as it is bolted directly to the wall studs, bypassing the floor joists.

MKsolid,

Don't listen to Dekay. Locking children in bookcase is cruel and inhumane. Buy pair of handcuffs instead - it works really well.

Seriously, the best way is to explain it to children. I showed my 3 year old daughter how to operate tape deck and TT. If you don't sooner or later you'll be sorry. My friend protected his TT and stereo but his daughter got interest in records and "cleaned" them all with pumice stone to make them smooth (remove groves).

Kijanki:

Parenting!!!

Time consuming, but also quite rewarding.

Matt:

A budget and basic taste preferences may help gather better advice.

If you look @ my system description you will see that all the electronics are well protected.

However, if I were to place the electronics in the listening room, which is also our living room, I would modify a real piece of furniture to house the gear as I've yet to see a Hi-Fi rack/cabinet I'd want to look @ on a daily basis.

If the budget is on the lower side consider now obsolete furniture quality wardrobes once produced to hide older/large cathode ray tube TV's.

I still see them @ the local thrifts for very little money and they are deep enough (many with additional shelving) to hold a whole system plus extra stuff.

If you want a lower profile look @ credenza/sideboard type cabinets with front opening doors.

We use an old Japanese Tansu cabinet to store CD's (it holds 1200+ and the CD's are placed upright with the labels showing, in its shallow drawers).

Before (the CD's) is was generaly used to store small crap.

Think outside the box.

When you have kids don't have a Turntable.That's you're best bet.

Show them a picture of kids in an orphanage. Tell them if they touch the turntable, that's where they will end up.

Seriously, if they show any interest, buy a cheapy one box player they can have fun with and learn to play with just like daddy.